Vancouver Fashion eZine - Online Magazine | Fashion Designer

Several days before our interview, Fala Chien was speaking with her cousin in Toronto when he said something that struck her as funny: "All your dreams have come true!" Since childhood, she has aspired to become a fashion designer and to own her boutique. Today both dreams have become a reality. She is one of the co-owners of 4th Ave. Boutique, a store in Kitsilano that specializes in locally designed clothing and accessories and imports emerging foreign designers. Her fledgling clothing line, FALA, launched at Vancouver Fashion Week spring/summer 2010.

Born in Taiwan, Chien credits her mother--a clotheshorse who loved to shop--with inspiring an early love of fashion and design. Mother and daughter often went shopping together, but picky Chien would express her distaste with certain details of the clothes they examined, suggesting alterations here and there. Her family teased her about her discriminating tastes and joked that she should be designing the clothes herself. Apparently this lighthearted banter struck a chord because she enrolled in a fashion design course immediately after high school graduation. In 2005, she made the brave decision to move from Taiwan to Vancouver without knowing any English or anyone in the city. She enrolled in the fashion merchandising program at John Casablancas Institute and learned English as she went along. It wasn't always easy, but she stuck it out. So how does fashion school in Taiwan compare to fashion school in Canada? " Here the teachers explain to you why you do something a certain way, but in Taiwan you learn by doing."

For some such a move would be too overwhelming, but not for Chien, and as our interview continued I could see why. The more we talked at 4h Ave. Boutique after closing hours, the more animated and spirited she became. Her initial shyness slipped away and underneath was a strong personality full of confidence and fun. This quiet demure quality coupled with bold playfulness certainly translates to the aesthetic behind FALA. Chien deliberately chose a neutral palette to keep the focus on design and detail -- frills, pleats, tucks, luxurious fabrics, contrasting textures and lace trims. Each piece in her 20-piece debut collection is meant to be versatile and can be styled in a multitude of ways. A zip-front dress can be worn as a long tunic, a vest or a dress. A chunky-knit cardigan with a draped open front and hidden snaps can be wrapped and snapped around the body to create dozens of different looks. As someone who frequently experiments with her own clothes and styles things differently, she wanted to encourage the same sort of playfulness and fearlessness in wearers of the versatile FALA line.

Aside from her own playful personality, what inspires her designs? Her customers at 4th Ave. Boutique have influenced how she designs by giving her insight into what consumers want from clothes. (She lowered the price points for FALA to $120-220 because of customer input.) She also finds street style in Vancouver and travel destinations such as New York and Taiwan very inspirational. "Sometimes I sit in a coffee shop and just watch people."

For 2010, Chien plans to approach more boutiques and stores about carrying FALA. She would also like to find a manufacturer and do more marketing. And, of course, there is her annual month-long trip to Taiwan to visit family and friends. In the long run, she hopes to export the FALA brand back to her homeland. Chien's dreams may have come true, but for this young designer, they're just the beginning.

FALA is available at 4th Ave. Boutique (2005 W. 4th Avenue) in Vancouver. For more information about Fala Chien and her designs, visit www.playwithfala.com.