2015 Fashion Show designer spotlight: Minke&Roux by Emily Barber

Slow fashion meets a unique style in Emily Barber’s collection, Minke&Roux. Barber, a fourth-year fashion design student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, has taken natural fibers and dyes to beautifully construct an artisanal-based collection for women of all sizes. Her apparel line consists of earthy tones and conveys a whimsical forest look.

Minke&Roux will be unveiled at the 2015 Fashion Show, presented by Tamoda Apparel, today (April 9) at the River Rock Casino. Thirty-eight other lines by KPU fashion design and technology students will also be showcased. For event details, visit kpu.ca/2015fashionshow, or follow @kpu_theshow on Twitter and @theshow2015 on Instagram.

Christina Davie: Describe your collection.

Emily Barber: Minke&Roux is a slow fashion, artisanal-based collection for women. Using natural fibers and natural dyes, it’s meant to give you simple yet sophisticated conversation-piece clothing. The clothes are hand dyed and hand embellished using as many local products as I could get my hands on. It’s also an all-inclusive line with regular and plus sizing that respects our bodies, the environment, and the arts. 

CD: What was your inspiration behind this collection? 

EB: So much inspiration went into this collection. I am growing more and more to love textile design and the wonderful beauty of natural dyes, which I wanted to incorporate into my collection. My main goal was to make sophisticated clothing that had a natural element to it and supported slow fashion. I also wanted to cater to all women of all sizes, so I took everything I loved and was really passionate about and made it into a single collection. 

CD: What have you learned at KPU? 

EB: Well, almost everything that I know about production and the industry. When I came to this school, I barely knew how to sew with commercial patterns and I had only sewn on a home machine. I’ve been sewing as long as I can remember, but KPU has really taught me how to sew with industrial standards and how to draft, which I absolutely love. I learned how to overcome obstacles and more importantly how to manage time properly, which is probably the biggest thing I’ll take away from this program.

CD: What are your plans after graduation? 

EB: I’m hoping to enroll in UBC’s Bachelor of Education program next year, but after that, I would love to work in the fashion industry for a while before I start to teach. I think the Vancouver fashion industry is really exciting right now, and I’d love to be a part of it. I would also love to start my own company using natural dyes, but I think that would be very far in the future. 

CD: Who would you say is your fashion icon or person of inspiration? 

EB: Fashion icon? I find more inspiration in textile artists, and my biggest inspiration would probably be India Flint. She is a beautiful textile artist who uses all-natural and sustainable dyes. She is a huge inspiration for me because her attitude toward clothing is just amazing. She’s completely sustainable and completely into what she’s doing. She finds the coolest things to use for her dyes and her eco-printing is really amazing. I would love to do a workshop with her one day. That’s definitely in my five-year goal plan.