By Joel Jhocson

Drawing inspiration from travel and culture, Jasmin Dhillon enjoys reflecting on her past experiences and the world around her when creating and designing.

Milni (pronounced mill-knee) is the Punjabi word for “coming together”. By innovatively combining traditional Indian fabrics and details while maintaining a Western aesthetic, she introduces an Indo-Western fusion line that is interchangeable within a pre-existing, traditional, and Western wardrobe.

Milni will be unveiled at 2018 The Show presented by Tamoda Apparel Inc., on April 19 and 20 at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) new purpose-built Wilson School of Design building. The beautiful and innovative $36-million building houses a range of design programs including the fashion-design-and-technology program. Thirty-one other lines by KPU fashion design and technology students will also be showcased.

For event details, visit kpu.ca/2018fashionshow or follow @wilsondesignkpu on Instagram.

Joel Jhocson: Describe your collection.

Jasmin Dhillon: Milni is a fusion collection that uses traditional East-Indian fabrics and Western silhouettes to create garments that can be used in a traditional wardrobe and re-used in a Western wardrobe.

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

JD: In East-Indian culture, it is rare to repeat outfits at traditional events because you are with the same family and friends, so keeping up to date on fashion trends is important. Our traditional weddings last about five days. Therefore , ou are buying a new garment for each event. I realized that there were a lot of women out there who were buying garments that they were only going to wear once. With Milni, I hope to provide women with traditional garments that they can rewear and reuse.

JJ: Walk me through your creative process.

JD: For this collection, the creative process first started with finding a fabric that matched the overall mood and showed off India as inspiration. After the fabric and colours had been decided, it was important to create a line that had silhouettes that were able to be mixed and matched in both cultures.

JD: What are your plans after graduation?

JD: After graduating, I would like to work in the fashion industry in Vancouver. After a few years of being in the industry and gaining some work skills, I would like to get my Masters and then continue to work in the industry, but perhaps outside of Vancouver, as I love to travel and explore new places.

JJ: What have you learned at KPU?

JD:  The fashion program at KPU has helped me thrive in challenging situations that put me outside of my comfort zone. It has also helped me grow as a student, and as an individual, in many ways. I have learned about teamwork, the entire creative process from start to finish, and how to adapt to new environments.

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