Vera Wang, Christian Louboutin, Kate Spade – they all started somewhere.
And this summer, the University of the Fraser Valley is giving young fashionistas their chance to get a taste of the fashion industry.
From July 9-13, the fashion design program will be hosting a fashion camp for youth between 14 and 18 interested in everything to do with fashion.
Everything.
The first-time camp will cover areas of design, creating story boards, sketching fashion figures, creating fabrics, working with technology, marketing and more.
"We'll be taking them through all the different facets of apparel design," said Deanna Devitt, head of the UFV fashion design program. "We're going to give them a little taste of everything."
For one week, the young day campers will experience life as a designer, learning from industry professionals, and creating one-of-a-kind projects that can be put towards a fashion portfolio.
While this camp is targeting the fashion forward, those who have an eye for style, Devitt believes it's a camp others should explore as well.
"Because we're offering so many different parts of the business, you might find an area, like marketing, that peaks your interest and becomes something you want to pursue," she said. "It's not all about producing clothes, there's textiles, blogging, website design. There's all sorts of opportunities the fashion industry has to offer."
The camp is being run by five professors who have extensive experience in the fashion field; some of who are still working in the industry. It's a chance to get answers about the industry from people with first-hand knowledge, said Devitt.
Most of all, it's an outlet for summer fun.
"We're not expecting you to draw like Picasso, said Devitt. "We want you to get an idea of what fashion is, what it takes to be a designer, and to see if this is something you might want to pursue."
The camp is being run out of the Abbotsford UFV campus from July 9 to July 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost is $250.
For more information, or to register, visit the website http://www.ufv.ca/Fashion/Fashion_Camp.htm