Photo credit: Bronwyn Bailey

When you ask successful fashion designers why they started to pursue fashion design or how they got themselves into the industry, “it was a total accident” is not the typical response you are expecting. At the young age of 24, Drew William has already done so much… but wants to do so much more. He started by studying photography on a scholarship at Emily Carr. From there, he went to London to do an exchange at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, which has a reputation of being one of the best design schools in the world. That is where he was introduced to the world of fashion – there was a communication error between the schools that accidently enrolled him in the fashion design program instead. Drew was completely unaware of this error until he had already arrived in London, found a place to live, and had gone through all the hassles associated with moving. So Drew decided to stay and pursue the program, which evolved his interest in fashion, and overall, it ended up being a life-changing opportunity. After that, he moved back to Vancouver to finish his photography degree, and then moved to Copanhagen from there to engage in fashion design and graphic print. He worked with Danish designer Henrik Vibskov and “it was under Vibskov's tutelage that Drew began to conceptually explore the colliding of opposing forces and refine his approach to pattern making” (http://www.drewwilliam.com/drewwilliam_about.html).

Once Drew returned to Canada, he decided to launch his own label. “I didn’t want to work for anyone. My options (in Vancouver) were to go work for Aritiza or Lululemon or to start my own company,” he says.

He also started teaching at LaSalle College International Vancouver. “LaSalle let me teach photography and fashion, whereas most schools would have made me chose one or the other,” says Drew on why he picked LaSalle. He is satisfied that he could share both his passions with his students, since he is definitely more than qualified to do both. Concepts are Drew’s favourite aspect about teaching – “being able to get people to understand what we do is a visual language and that we're ultimately getting people to break down that communication,” he explains. A lot of his pieces are influenced by concept and that is what differentiates him from other fashion designers. “I don’t make a product first - I develop a concept and my products trickle out of that concept,” Drew states. “I take in stimuli and filter it out into a visual form, so it manifests culture.”

Drew’s first show was actually a video, and from there, he has done multiple fashion shows and has been consistently asked to present at Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW) year after year. This year, his feather dress was the most talked about dress at VFW.

“I want to be a global brand,” Drew says. “I want Drew William to change people's perspective of understanding garments. I want to make people think outside the box."

Drew William: Fall/Winter 2010 Collection (Photo Credit: Patrick Blaeser)

- Written by Gretchen Cruz