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BMC: What have you been doing since graduating from Blanche Macdonald? IY: Most recently, I moved back from London where I have spent just over a year and worked as one of the Outlet Division Production Coordinators and Product Developers for Burberry. And now, I am working in this exciting position as one of the Production Coordinators at Mountain Equipment Co-op in Vancouver. And it has been very busy and fun at the same time. |
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BMC: Why did you choose to take the Fashion Merchandising Diploma program? ( I heard you had a BA at UBC) IY: I earned my BA at UBC in Asian Studies, focusing on Southeast Asian history and languages. After graduation, I moved to Beijing for 6 months to study the language and to immerse myself in the culture. Originally, my goal was to pursue a Business degree after my return to Vancouver and to move into a career working for a company that specialized in the Pacific Rim. However, while in Beijing, being exposed to the art and culture, I began to think that perhaps a pure Business degree would not take advantage of my creative side. I researched my options and came across the Fashion Merchandising Diploma Program at Blanche Macdonald. I thought that it would give me the opportunity to take courses in Business, such as Marketing and Advertising, but within a creative environment. I also realized that should I choose to pursue a Business degree after the courses at Blanche, I would have the basics under my belt and a clearer focus as to which area I would be interested. BMC: Tell me about your amazing experience working at Burberry in London. How did it happen? IY: I registered with a Fashion recruitment agency, which placed me at Burberry for a 2-week temp position working in the main London showroom. This involved receiving showroom samples, receiving the goods, preparing them for the |
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showroom floor and cataloguing them to parlay the same merchandising planograms to the other showrooms. I also had the opportunity to travel to the Milan, Athens and Dusseldorf showrooms to perform similar duties and do basic editing of the lines along company strategies.
During this time, I was taken under the wing of the Director of Womenswear, Merchandising who allowed me the opportunity to do various tasks within this area before moving into the role of Womenswear Outlet Division Production Coordinator and Product Developer. I also took on the role of Excess Raw Materials Coordinator. BMC: What were some of the challenges working at Burberry? IY: One of the challenges of working at a company such as Burberry is that you are working within a large corporation with a long history in a creative industry. As much as we have the freedom to create beautiful new things, we still need to incorporate the company's history and tradition and also follow their guidelines for such things as branding. BMC: What is the story behind the "Irene" jacket? IY: For one of the seasons, we developed a peacoat without a name and I took the opportunity to leave my mark on the company and that is how the "Irene" came to be. |
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Blanche Macdonald Fashion Diploma Programs FASHION MERCHANDISING April 9 2008 - Limited seats available, Enrolling now FASHION DESIGN September 22 2008 - Group A - FULL For registration details & more information about our programs, please contact an Admissions Director at: BLANCHE MACDONALD CENTRE Visit our Blanche Macdonald page on Facebook® for updates on events, fashion shows, makeup artist demos, spa days and hair salon discounts and the latest Blanche Macdonald news and contests! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vancouver-BC/Blanche-Macdonald-Centre/6457409159 |
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