Alumni Success Stories

Alumni Information
School: LaSalle College Vancouver
Grad Year: 2016
Program of Study: Fashion Design
Degree: Diploma

Employment/Professional Information
Company Name: Studio 310 Design Lab
Location: Vancouver
Job Title: Junior Pattern Maker
Primary Responsibilities: Create and adjust client patterns, assist and direct client fittings, create and print sample and production markers, cut and bundle samples.

Describe a Typical Work Day:

A typical day at work would involve receiving a list from the Production Manager of samples, markers and patterns they need for the day or week. Throughout the day I would work on multiple clients’ projects, creating and editing patterns on the computerized pattern program Optitex, creating and printing markers for samples or production based on cut-sheets. Occasionally clients will come in and do a fitting with the samples we made, if it’s a pattern I worked on I will direct the fitting and pin as necessary to meet the clients needs. I’ll keep a detailed record of pattern changes and communicate necessary details to the Production Manager, Senior Pattern Maker and Sewers. I create markers for samples and then cut and bundle pieces by style and colour for the sewers later in the week.

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of how far I’ve come in the last year with my pattern making skills on the computer. I had to learn the program in a really short amount of time to be able to handle my day to day responsibilities. It was a pretty steep learning curve but I’ve learned so much about the entire industry at the same time.
Being able to present a new collection each season and being able to work on [-ization] Studio almost full time. I’ve got a great team behind me and lots of exciting things coming up for the brand this fall.

What do you enjoy the most about your career?

I enjoy the flexibility my job allows in the day to day tasks, there’s always new projects and clients. I can work at my own pace and I have the support to work on my brand [-ization] Studio there too. The people I work with are great and it’s always exciting to see what new clients bring us to work on.

What are your creative inspirations or influences? Who are your heroes?

I’m mainly inspired by science and technology in my designs and usually draw on that when creating a new collection. I usually use my creativity and collections to analyze different parts of myself and my personal growth. My style is largely inspired by designers like Cres E. Dim, Acne Studios and Ambush. My heroes are, really, just anyone who is unapologetically themselves and are trying to make this world a better more tolerable place.

How did your education at LaSalle College Vancouver help prepare you for your career?

LaSalle College taught me a lot of the essential pattern making and sewing skills I needed to be able to do this job. So many of the things I learned in the sewing and pattern making classes I use daily. In terms of design I use a lot of the techniques I learned for collection development when designing my own collections.

What advice do you have for people beginning their careers in your profession?

Get all the experiences you can and network with people in the industry. Learn as many skills as possible because they all relate, you need to know how to sew to make patterns and you need to know how to make patterns to design. Nothing is unnecessary knowledge and you have to be good at it all to be taken seriously.  It can be hard to break into the industry but if you have the skills and determination you just need to meet the right people.

See Amy's Portfolio.