Vancouver Fashion eZine - Online Magazine | Vancouver Community College Fashion Student

Becky Han was studying Cell Biology and Genetics at UBC when she began to wonder about her future. In high school Pre-Med had seemed the natural choice, but a brief stint helping with research made her reevaluate where she was headed. "(While) there are a lot of interesting and beautiful things that come out of the sciences, it just wasn't something I could imagine myself doing for the rest of my life." Degree in hand, she decided to spend a year working and volunteering while she thought about her future. Time would hopefully provide an answer.

How does someone with a degree in Cell Biology end up studying Fashion Design? "One day (at age 22) I pulled out the sewing machine my dad bought a few years ago…and started playing around." Something about it just felt right. "I think creativity was always there but I never considered it (as a future career)." After taking a basic sewing course Han decided to further her studies and see if Fashion Design might be a direction to consider. Vancouver Community College stood out for several reasons: a strong faculty, its shorter program length (she had already finished 4 years of post-secondary) and the fact VCC was a large school with a varied curriculum. Favorite courses were design and drawing classes with Lisa Gellert. "She's very serious about the fashion side of it. She keeps in touch with what's going on around the world and really challenges you."

The inspiration for Han's grad collection came from the 1920's. A favorite book at the time was The Great Gatsby and she found herself intrigued by the life of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his flapper wife, Zelda. The final collection, affectionately named "Writers and Flappers" in their honor, combined classic sewing elements with unique twists. Drawing heavily on the Roaring Twenties, the 5 garments created were a fusion of men's tailoring (the writer) with a 1920's woman's style (the flapper). Wool, cotton twill, satin and silk charmeuse fabrics were sewn in a palette of olive green, steely gray, tan, blue and gold.. One garment that strongly evoked the period was a dusty blue shirt with three-quarter length sleeves trimmed with a white collar and cuffs. Unusual open cutouts accented the shoulders. The ensemble was completed by a knife-pleated skirt in tan and a blue cloche hat. At the grad show Han's hard work was rewarded when she received the VCC Hudson Award for highest academic achievement.

A degree is only the first step for designers, then it is time to hone their skills in the real world. Han was fortunate to land an internship under high-end designer Jason Matlo. The job provided her with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience prepping fabrics, pattern drafting, cutting, draping, and sewing as well as the chance to learn the business end from the inside. Recently she made the decision to move to Toronto where she is hoping the large and vibrant fashion scene will offer her more opportunities to grow. What is Han's ultimate goal? She is hoping to work in high end women's wear.

You can check out Han's grad portfolio and design work by visiting her website at www.beckyhan.ca.