Runway Radar: Roxanne Lee's plein d'esprit emphasizes playful patterns that pop

By Taryn Southard

Roxanne Lee loves the process of bringing ideas to life and problem solving to create something wearable.

plein d’esprit, Roxanne’s collection, offers colourful, playful pieces that are inspired by art. She wanted to create garments that could be incorporated into an existing wardrobe and were fun to wear.

plein d’esprit will be unveiled at 2017 The Show presented by Tamoda Apparel Inc., on April 5 and 6 at the Imperial (319 Main Street). Twenty-seven other lines by Kwantlen Polytechnic University Fashion Design and Technology students will also be showcased.

For event details, visit kpu.ca/2017fashionshow or follow @wilsondesignkpu on Instagram.

Taryn Southard: Describe your collection.

Roxanne Lee: plein d’esprit is a womenswear collection of playful yet wearable pieces that incorporate colour and fun details.

TS: Who or what was the inspiration behind your line?

RL: I was inspired by Elisa Nalin and street-style photos of women who love colour and mixing pieces in fun ways. Nalin, a stylist, has a way of mixing unexpected pieces and colours together and making it work. She dresses for herself and you can tell she is having fun doing it. For my collection, I took inspiration from art: a variety of paintings and images that are not necessarily related to one another.

TS: Walk me through your creative process.

RL: My creative process is all over the place—it’s not linear at all. I try to start with an inspiration board; in this case, it was artwork. I sketch ideas—anything that comes to mind—look at runways and photos of my target market, and then proceed to prototyping. Honestly, part of the process is failing and finding what doesn’t work before you find out what does. 

TS: What have you learned at KPU?

RL: I have learned that fashion is more than what it seems to be on the surface. So much hard work and so many different skills are required to bring a design from an idea to a product. Fashion is a global industry—and a damaging one—so I have learned to think about what happens to a garment at the end of its life as well as the implications of manufacturing fast-fashion items.

TS: What aspect of design are you most passionate about?

RL: I love going between the 2D design and the 3D garment. Although everything starts with a sketch and a technical drawing, I get excited when I see the real garment come to life through problem solving and figuring out how to draft a pattern.

TS: What are your plans after graduation?

RL: I would like to start off in pattern-drafting and see where I could go from there—possibly designing my own line on the side. Further down the road, I can see myself working to make sustainable changes in the industry.

Taryn Southard is a final-year fashion design and technology student at KPU’s Wilson School of Design.