Vancouver Fashion eZine - Online Magazine | Fashion Student

Tara Latham was preparing her collection of streetwear for the Grade 12 fashion show. It was time to decide on a name. Picking up a dictionary she flipped the pages, randomly pointed at an entry and hit upon "elusive". In a flash of inspiration she decided to use the phonetic spelling and to this day "iloosiv" is still the label she uses for her personal brand.

Skiing and sailing were early loves, but in Grade 8 Latham discovered sewing. It was such a passion that by Grade 12 her teacher took a personal interest and created special classes to keep her challenged. After graduation she went straight to Ryerson but decided after 2 years to pack her bags. A bunk at Whistler became available and she jumped at the opportunity. Nights were spent driving a taxi and during the day she snowboarded. "I was young and just wanted to play…It was so fun and it was amazing money." After 5 years the realization came that this wouldn't be fun forever so it was back to Vancouver. She returned to Fashion Design with a changed focus. "I am so glad I took those 5 years off. If I had done it all right away I would have been a very different designer. My time in Whistler really inspired me to be a technical designer and to couple my lifestyle with my job."

Kwantlen was a terrific match. They have a strong focus within the program to find a niche market that is under-serviced, to find where the need is and create a grad collection around it. Latham came in knowing her niche market - snowboarding - and already had her grad collection designed when she arrived. Every class project was tailored toward this goal. The program required her to have retail experience so she took a position in the Arc'teryx factory outlet. For her internship she moved into their production department and was eventually promoted to an assistant designer. Although their focus is ski touring and rock climbing "…They are so well respected as a brand, a company and a technical product…I just felt it was the best foundation I could have." On graduation she became a full designer at the company. Was anything difficult? "For me it was trying to communicate what I wanted, to tell people what I was going to do. I am more of a visual person."

Latham's snowboard collection consists of 3 men's suits each including a hooded shell jacket and matching shell pant. All garments are sewn in Gore-tex with seams waterproofed using a heat-bonded industrial tape. Zippers are attached with industrial glue. The palette includes Butter, Pylon and Titanium with accent zippers in red, burgundy, grey and black. Each suit has individual detailing such as hidden pockets or a clip system to hold crash protection pads in place. On one suit she added bonded fabric details such as the brand logo and another jacket sports a zipper from the left cuff all the way to the bottom seam. All hoods are designed to fit snugly over a helmet.

When will we see "iloosiv" in stores? "I don't feel like I'm ready to have an outerwear business. I'm learning so much about the business and about making it, I'm just happy learning." Latham is enjoying living in the moment and is content to let the future unfold one day at a time.

For information on Kwantlen please go to www.kwantlen.ca/applied-design/fashion. You can check out Arc'teryx at www.arcteryx.com.