For fashion design students, the hum of a sewing machine is music to their ears. Once they enter the design room, it’s like returning to their natural habitat.
For months, students have been planning, measuring, cutting sewing, drawing, erasing and returning to the drawing board as the prepare for the bi-annual Vancouver Fashion Week. As the date approaches, pressure increases and students are beginning to enter that mode of silence that only a fashion student would understand.
Amy Phillips from Vancouver shared some insight on what it’s like to be a fashion student.
“It’s a way of life,” the 23-year-old says as she sews buttons on a potential masterpiece. “I literally live, eat and breathe fashion. I wake up three hours early just to look perfect and that’s why I worked so hard on my collection. It’s all about perfection. I may not be able to reach it, but I’m going to get as close as possible. Growing up, watching the stylish women in my family, inspired me to express myself through clothes, and now here I am, living my dream.”
If every student were spoken to, they would probably have a hundred different reasons for why they know that they are competing. The students work like busy bees, scurrying around to secure the details and the competition starts to come alive.
In this industry, it’s every person for themselves, and when you get a chance like this to be featured in Vancouver’s Fashion Week, you don’t blow it. For most students, they’re trying to make sure that everything goes perfectly and that the model is flawless from head to toe. Some of the young designers have been especially hands-on with their models and pay careful attention to the way their garments are presented.
Josef Pigeon, a third-year student and fashion designer, shares his excitement about his piece being featured during the week.
“I had the opportunity to attend the Fashion Week in 2008 and it was absolutely amazing. The vibes, the people, it’s a fashion designer’s dream. And now that it’s finally happening and my work is on the runway, I can barely control myself. I can barely even eat,” he said. “I just want to review, review, review with my model. It’s important to me, because the way that the garments are presented will drastically change the effect of the piece. This is not the first time that my work has been featured, so I won’t make the same mistakes that I’ve made before.”
Soon, a group of a few lucky, talented and passionate students will experience the moment that many of them have been waiting for most of their life. They come from all different backgrounds, and are bound together by the love of fashion. It’s a occupation filled with passion and no room for error, and one thing’s for sure, these students have given their all. It will be a show to remember.
