Fashion Illustrator: Joyce Hu
by Serena Kay Mason

Illustrations by Joyce Hu

Last year, Joyce Hu had a wake-up call. The fourth year Kwantlen fashion illustration student is humble yet hopeful as she tells me of the rejection of her final project. We are sitting in a room full of sewing machines at Kwantlen's Richmond campus as Hu smiles to recall her stubbornness, "Last year I was reluctant to know about marketing and business because I only wanted to design." At the time, she thought she would never want to start a company so she wouldn't need to know the intricacies of running a successful fashion-based business. Her niche market project was rejected by her teachers and she had to repeat her fourth year. Luckily, she had the strength and wherewithal to take the advice of her mentors and try again.

Hu has never let setbacks or challenges get in the way of her love of illustration. She started drawing at a young age, inspired by Manga and Japanese animation styles. As her family immigrated to Canada from Taiwan, she began to pay attention to her parents' vocations and was inspired by their creativity. With an interior designer father and seamstress mother, Hu had the opportunity to learn about colour, pattern, art, and sewing in her very own home. After high school, Hu hoped to attend Emily Carr University of Art and Design. She didn't get in, but she sees this as a lucky break because she was able to attend Kwantlen where her horizons have been widened. "Because of my sewing, I decided to try Kwantlen. I've learned so much I didn't expect. This program - there is a lot of work, lots of deadlines and projects but it's so exciting. If I hadn't come here I would not have learned how to use the computers and do all the drafting and production techniques."

Hu proudly displays completed outfits that will be shown in Kwantlen's year-end fashion show. Her concept for the final project this time has been a year in the making, with hours of lifestyle, trend, and market research to make it possible. Inspired by her mother's and grandmother's gardens and having come across the statistic that gardening is the fastest-growing leisure activity in Canada, Hu has created and conceptualized an entire line of stylish and functional gardening clothing. The line of jackets, pants, capris, and utility belts offers protection from the sun and insects, removable knee pads, and lots of pockets for a busy urban gardener. It's Lululemon meets Lee Valley, but so much cuter. The pieces abound with curves and flattering ruching with asymmetrical lines that are balanced, yet stylish and edgy.

Already in her career, this talented young illustrator has proven that she has the strength and determination to make it in the notoriously difficult world of fashion. In fact, the fashion world had better watch out for her!