When a new collection of clothing debuts on the catwalk during New York Fashion Week (NYFW), it only has a brief few moments to wow the audience.
But Richmond’s Esther Ashiru knows that even just a glimpse at her work might just open some doors for her burgeoning career after being named as the only Canadian student from The Art Institute’s network of schools across North America to be featured in the Big Apple this week.
Ashiru, 22, who graduated from the Art Institute’s Vancouver campus in May, said that while she will be nervous when models don her line of “red carpet” wear today (Sept. 8), she will also be very proud of her accomplishment.
“Number one, I am going to feel very proud of myself because I never thought I’d be part of it,” she told the News. “When I started at the school, I wasn’t all that great, to be honest. But when I saw other students progressing, I told myself I had to step forward and improve.”
She worked harder, ensured all of her assignments were completed on time and arrived early to class each day.
“I also started to ask questions. I never used to do that. I was too shy,” said Ashiru, who is originally from Nigeria, grew up and graduated from high school in Dublin, Ireland where her father got a job as a psychiatric nurse, and has called Richmond home since 2012. “But I knew if I continued to do that, I wouldn’t get anywhere.
“I needed to show that I really wanted to learn.”
Her teachers noticed.
“When Esther first started the Fashion Design program at the Art Institute of Vancouver, I was worried about her until about half way through the program, when we started focusing on creating evening wear,” said Shainin Hudda, the program’s lead instructor, in an email to the News.
“This was a turning point for her. All of a sudden the foundation skills she had learned in the program suddenly made sense and she used them to make her ideas on paper come to life on a human form.
“She truly has found her forte through a willingness to learn, hard work and a never-give-up attitude. I am so proud of her accomplishment of being selected to show her collection at New York Fashion Week.
Ashiru’s interest in fashion also grew from self-taught talents in hand-sewing and dress-making when she was a child.
“I was making little dresses, essentially dolls clothes from scrap fabrics, when I was about nine or 10,” she said. “I also made skirts for myself for school because what they had for a uniform, I didn’t want to buy.”
Armed with those talents, Ashiru explored a number of post-secondary school options, including makeup and hair design. Neither fully tapped into her drive to be creative, so she enrolled at The Art Institute in Vancouver. It was then she discovered her true calling.
“Fashion school was it,” she said. “I knew that is what I wanted to do. I was really excited to create something. I knew that this was my future.”
Ashiru also knew that being part of what is considered the Super Bowl of fashion at the NYFW was a lofty dream. So, when she was told that her name was among four students selected to be part of a group being considered to represent the school in New York, she could hardly believe it.
“When I saw the other names of the students, I thought, I don’t know, they might all be better than me,” she said.
But those misgivings all melted away when it was announced this summer she was heading for New York City to witness her collection being shown.
In total, six pieces of her work will be worn in front of some of the most influential people in the fashion industry.
“I consider my collection red carpet wear,” she said. “And that means you can wear it for special events and also weddings.”
Ashiru also took confidence in her line after discovering that one of her fashion heroes, Michael Costello, used the same fabric she chose in one of his recent creations.
“I was so surprised. I saw it after I had bought the fabric and made the dress,” she said, adding that hand-beading and embroidery are hallmarks of her personal design style.
To get a peek at her work, a live stream of the runway event is available at 5 p.m. (PDT) by visiting online at AIFfashionWeek.com.
