BCBusiness

bcbusiness.ca June 2016 BCBusiness 31 THE EXTERIOR WORLD W hen Premier Christy Clark attended the announce- ment of Kwantlen Poly- tec h n ic Un iversit y 's new Wilson School of Design in Decem- ber 2012, she remarked, "B.C. is known as a global hub for technical apparel design." Along with the design of technical apparel, the school—funded by Chip and Shannon Wilson, their former company Lululemon, Kwantlen and the provincial government—also embraces Kwantlen's existing clothing-design programs.ª By one de†nition, technical apparel is clothing designed and manufactured primarily for its technical and perfor- mance properties. Lululemon is the best-known ambassador of this cat- egory—helping to create a worldwide craze for yoga-inspired athleisure wear— but Greater Vancouver now has more than three dozen businesses making technical apparel for people focused on health, recreation and outdoor activities. Arc'teryx makes breathable water- proof clothing sold in the U.S., U.K., Shanghai and Tokyo, and Mountain Equipment Co-op outdoor clothing and gear is sold across Canada. Sugoi tech- nical clothing is designed for cycling, running and ¨itness, while Global Collective Design has been making women's Orb athletic wear for 20 years, and Dish & Duer makes "lifestyle jeans" using performance stretch denim. For the really rugged, Mustang Survival makes otation clothing for customers ranging from boaters and hunters to the U.S. military. Many of these com- panies were involved in developing the Kwantlen program. "Until we partnered with Kwantlen, there were no programs or schools that actually taught people how to work with the fabrics, to think with the perspective of an athlete or a commuter or a skier or a snowboarder—and nobody even talking about what are the machines that are required and how you operate those machines in order to build that product," says Shannon Wilson, wife of LEAH ALEXANDRA inspired by water, leah alexandra handmakes her jewellery in Vancouver's gastown. Worn by the likes of Jessica alba and reese Witherspoon, alexandra's work has also been featured in Vogue, Elle and InStyle. her designs are sold through retailers across the globe, including nordstrom. ARITZIA Founded by brian hill in 1984 as a single women's clothing boutique in Vancouver, aritzia has expanded to more than 60 shops across north amer- ica, including san Francisco, chicago and new york. most of its merchandise is designed in-house and sold under private labels including tna, Wilfred and sixeleven. MELANIE AULD melanie auld's minimalist yet colourful jewellery is made of gold-plated brass and semi-precious stones. it has appeared in magazines from InStyle to Elle and is sold through retail- ers worldwide, includ- ing anthropologie and nordstrom. CHRISTINE LINGERIE oprah, catherine Zeta Jones, gwyneth paltrow, diana krall, christina hendricks and katie holmes wear the silk lingerie designed by christine morton. seen in films and numerous publications, it is sold by retailers in canada, the u.k., australia and the u.s., including neiman marcus. JOHN FLUEVOG since opening his gastown shoe store in 1970 with then-business partner peter Fox, John Fluevog has opened stores across north america, from boston to los angeles to toronto. his quirky designs reflect an ideology or way of life more than simply footwear, worn by "Fluevog Fanatics" who collect them by the hundreds. HERSCHEL SUPPLY CO. since brothers Jamie and lyndon cormack began designing retro-style back- packs, duffle bags, totes and wallets in 2009, their products have travelled around the world. Worn by actors seth rogen, cressida bonas and dakota Johnson, herschel is sold in 7,000 stores in 70 countries worldwide. ANNA KOSTUROVA in 2008, Victoria's secret model marisa miller sported an anna kosturova bikini on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edi- tion: one of nine issues to feature her designs. hand- made of silk or cotton and often crocheted or tie-died, her swimwear and casual clothing is worn by mariah carey, Jennifer aniston and paris hilton. BEYOND LIVING: FASHION

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