News

Fashion Design Grad Lisa Malcic’s Maternal Magic Brings Beba Bean Babywear International and Celebrity Status

Inspiration can arrive from strange sources. A falling apple was Isaac Newton’s first step towards developing of his theory of gravity. Seeds sticking to George De Mestral’s dog’s fur led him to invent Velcro.

For Blanche Macdonald Fashion Design graduate Lisa Malcic, owner of the Beba Bean line of baby wear and gifts, inspiration came directly from her infant son, Alex. Every time she or her husband Peter changed his diaper, young Alex would take the opportunity to pee on his parents. In an effort to stay dry Mr and Mrs Malcic invented the Pee-pee Teepee, defensive cones of cotton to place over the little hose during danger moments.

The rest is history. Today the company that began with these pee protectors is sells its lines in retailers including Gap Home, Babies R Us and Barneys New York, and California boutiques like Kitson, La La Ling and Fred Segal. Beba Bean now has over 120 sales reps across North America and boasts A-list celebrity clients including Brad and Angelina, Will Ferrell, Colin Farrell, Nicole Richie, Jennifer Hudson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Matthew McConaughey and Gwen Stefani.

Blanche Macdonald Fashion Merchandising Graduate Claudia Da Ponte: Gram Slam - Spears, Spamalot and Superstar Style.

No one is going to hand your dreams to you. Blanche Macdonald Fashion Merchandising graduate Claudia Da Ponte understands that.

She’s talented, of course. But it’s Claudia’s positive attitude and work ethic that’s turning her into one of Canada’s leading young professional stylists. The Vancouver native has worked backstage at concerts by Céline Dion and Britney Spears. She’s styled models for European fashion magazines and high profile advertising clients. She’s even appeared on Entertainment Tonight Canada, providing the fashion expertise for Cheryl Hickey’s Makeover segment. In fact, she’s rapidly approaching celebrity status. The facebook page for her company, Da Ponte Style, now has over 850 official fans.

That number is poised to grow as she’s recently taken the plunge and relocated from Vancouver to Canada’s fashion epicentre, Toronto. Looking back, it was a move that was almost inevitable.

Line & Form: 2009 Annual Graduation Fashion Show

THE BLANCHE MACDONALD CENTRE PRESENTS 50 GRADUATE FASHION COLLECTIONS

Tuesday November 24 2009
The Westin Bayshore
1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver BC
Fashion Show begins at 7:00 pm



See footage from last years fashion show, Fashion Collective 08, in our recently released Fashion Show Video!

Backstage Pass: Blanche Macdonald Students Shine At New York Fashion Week

This September saw a week to remember for Blanche Macdonald Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Design students Kaitlyn Kuipers, Jenn Co and Joshua Langston, as all three flew from Vancouver to The Big Apple to work as interns for Gottex Swimwear at New York Fashion Week. The students were able to experience the pulsating heart of the fashion industry from the inside, making hands-on contributions to a major fashion show, attending special events and generating potentially life-altering friendships and contacts.

Blanche Macdonald’s Career Director Brenda Wong and The Kirk Group, instructors of the Public Relations course within the Fashion Merchandising program, arranged the internships and selected the students. They chose wisely. Gottex was more than impressed with the interns’ knowledge and work ethic. So much so, all three have since been invited to work a launch at Barney’s in Los Angeles.

We asked Kaitlyn, Jenn and Joshua to tell their own stories.

Marcie LeBlanc: Award-winning Awesomeness at Style Bridge

Fashion Design Graduate
Co-owner of Style Bridge - Victoria, BC

It hasn’t come as a surprise that Marcie LeBlanc is making waves in the fashion community. Marcie graduated from Blanche Macdonald at the top of her Fashion Design class in 2005, and before long she was collaborating with owner Christine Lavdovsky on the reopening of the popular boutique Style Bridge in Victoria, BC. 

Having formed a successful business partnership and friendship, Marcie and Christine now use Style Bridge as home for their three exclusive house labels Stil Brucke, Ludmila and BlackFish WhiteFish. And it’s not just us who’ve been impressed. Marcie and Christine’s talents were officially recognised by Vancouver Island’s Times Colonist, being awarded the title of ‘Most Awesome Clothing Design of 2008’ for their highly customizable dresses which are created by hand according to the vision of the customer.

BMC: Congratulations on being named ‘Most Awesome Clothing Design of 2008’! Can you explain what Style Bridge is?

ML: Thanks for the congratulations! We had no idea we had won until a customer came in and said she’d seen us in the paper that day. It was very exciting and unexpected. Style Bridge is a clothing boutique located in Victoria, owned by my business partner, Christine Lavdovsky, and me. This is where we showcase our lines of customizable dresses, bikinis and other handmade pieces. We also carry a variety of lines from around Canada and the US.

Amy Lu, award-winning Fashion Stylist – The Plutino Group. (national artist’s agency)

Fashion Merchandising Graduate
Fashion Stylist – The Plutino Group. (national artist’s agency)

Amy Lu is a 2001 graduate of Blanche Macdonald’s Fashion Merchandising Program and has since worked with renowned photographers, models and celebrities in locations around the world. Her work has appeared in editorials for FASHION Magazine (in which she was also voted one of Canada’s “best dressed”), Interview, Ocean Drive, Zink and Vanity Fair and in national advertising campaigns for Coca Cola, Nike, Air Canada and Timberland. Throughout her career, Lu has been the fashion editor for Donato Magazine and had a weekly fashion column called “Kool Thing” in the Georgia Strait for more than five years running.

This award-winning stylist also received BC Apparel’s Fashion Stylist of the Year award in 2003 and some images she styled for photographer  Barbara Cole won the 2008 Grand Prix of Fashion Photography at the International Festival of Photography in Cannes.

Chances are you’ve seen this fashionphile make appearances on Inside Entertainment and Canada’s Next Top Model.

Amy Lu is represented by The Plutino Group. To view her incredible portfolio of work, visit their website at http://www.plutinogroup.com/stylists/amylu.html or check out www.amylu.ca.

Nicole Ritchie-Oseen, Owner of body politic

Fashion Merchandising Graduate
Owner of body politic and Freelance stylist - Vancouver BC

Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, owner Nicole Ritchie-Oseen always had a determined spirit and a love of fashion. Packing up this determination (and, she confesses, a lot of clothes and shoes) she set her sights on Vancouver to study fashion merchandising at Blanche Macdonald. The dream turned into reality with a business plan, a location on Main Street, and a name which embodied clothing that is sustainable, ethical, and organic. Welcome to Nicole's body politic clothing boutique.

BMC: What have been up to since graduating from Blanche Macdonald?

NR: Before opening my business I wanted to make sure Vancouver was the place for body politic even though "home" for me is in Edmonton where my family is. I worked for lululemon athletica for a year and a half to gain experience in a retail environment that was forward-thinking. It was interesting to see how this local company had managed to become a multi-national player in a relatively short time period. I also worked as a freelance stylist to keep the creative energy going, which I had also done in Edmonton. After this time I felt confident staying in Vancouver to open my store.

Genette Salgado - Designer of the SALGADO collection

Fashion Design Graduate
Designer/Owner of the SALGADO collection

Garnering top marks and an achievement award for Overall Portfolio Presentation, Fashion Design Graduate, Genette Salgado has launched her own self-titled label, S A L G A D O. This very talented designer who has channeled her creative and competitive spirit and brought us a beautiful clothing line for the trendy, flirty and confident woman. Read on as Genette tells us how S A L G A D O came to be and about her decision to become a fashion designer!

BMC Fashion Graduates at New York Fashion Week!

Fashion Merchandising Graduates
Sha Bhalwani and Kyle Ziegenhageltell all after returning from their internship in New York

BMC: Tell us what it was like working at New York Fashion Week?

KZ: Working at New York Fashion Week for me was like a dream come true. Ever since I was small I've always watched programs such as Fashion TV with Jeanne Becker covering the shows and I've always longed to be part of the action. To even get into the venue to watch a show is quite difficult let alone backstage; so to be working behind the scenes was amazing and pretty surreal.

SB: The experience of interning at New York Fashion Week is kind of indescribable; all I can really think to say is that I loved it! Aside from the fact that I have always wanted to be a part of New York Fashion Week, the opportunity to spend the week in New York City (mostly enjoying the different neighborhoods, munching on delicious food and shopping, of course!) itself was fabulous.

I didn't really know what to expect before I went, but I was really nervous! But honestly, all the people at the New York agency are really sweet and totally willing to answer your questions. And having Kyle, who was in the same spot as I was, really helped too.

Fashion Design Grad Show Review

Fashion Collective 2008 - Congratulations to the 34 Fashion Design graduates who showcased their creative new designs to a packed ballroom of over 1000 fashion insiders and fashionistas at The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver.

When the Westin Bayshore's house lights went down, the spotlights came up and the models started their strut down the catwalk, it felt like a little magic was sprinkled in the air at the Blanche Macdonald Centre's 2008 Fashion Collective Grad Show.

The 34 graduating students took the audience on a fashion journey that was both fanciful and feminine yet pushed the imagination with innovative fabrics and design.