Runway Radar: Rani Pickering's casual Well-Built collection fit for bodybuilder physiques

By Tayler Anderson

Rani Pickering uses fashion as a way to solve the fit challenges male bodybuilders face with casual clothes. Her collection provides detail-oriented pieces in technical fabrics and features modernized cultural notes from the Buddhist culture.

It focuses on accommodating a bodybuilder’s physique and aims to showcase her market's hard-earned muscles through sophisticated styles.

Well-Built 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.

Tayler Anderson: Describe your collection.

Rani Pickering: Well-Built delivers detail-oriented pieces in technical fabrics with a focus on accommodating a bodybuilder’s physique. Through the use of casual and professional designs, we provide the comfort, durability, and timeless aesthetic our customers are searching for.

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

RP: I developed Well-Built as a solution to the struggles male bodybuilders face when wearing casual clothes. Being an avid weightlifter myself, there is nothing better than showcasing the hard work I put in at the gym.

To these bodybuilders, their muscles are proof of their consistent determination and yet they are unable to find casual clothes that fit well. After countless discussions with fellow male bodybuilders about these issues and lack of styling, I realized it was a truly underserviced market.

TA: Walk me through your creative process.

RP: I’m overflowing with creative ideas in the beginning and start sketching like mad to get them onto paper. If you ever catch a glimpse of my sketch book, it’s packed full of sketches and little notes of analysis everywhere to remind myself what exactly it was that I liked.

Getting excited about what the designs will look like is always one of my favourite parts. Drafting is always the hardest part, because I’m so close to a tangible product. I don’t like to rush my process, but I feel very rewarded when it’s completed.

TA: What have you learned at KPU?

RP: I have learned that with patience and empathy you can survive working on any project. I have realized that the industry is fueled by teamwork and collaboration. Learning to form and nurture relationships with my colleagues, business partners, and friends will prove to be the most valuable tool in the long-term.

TA: What are your plans after graduation?

RP: After graduating, I will venture into Vancouver’s fashion industry to gain more knowledge and experience in the field of design. While working in the industry, I will be continuing development on my brand, Well-Built.

Eventually, I would like to operate Well-Built full-time and open a retail space in Vancouver. I also hope to fit in some traveling to draw inspiration and wisdom.

TA: How do you set yourself apart from other designers?

RP: Fitness plays a huge role in setting me apart as a designer. Weight training has assisted me in becoming ruthlessly determined to overcome the impossible and succeed.

The mental strain it takes to stay focused and open to growth and critique in the gym can be directly applied to the creative design process in fashion. The relationships and connections I have nurtured in the gym from a young age have prepared me for developing them in the fashion industry.

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