Fashion with furry
For the second year in a row, three Kwantlen Polytechnic University fashion students swept the medals at the 2011 B.C. Skills Canada Competition in Abbotsford.

Competing on the post-secondary level in the fashion technology category, Kwantlen fashion and technology student Joanne Hu (Port Coquitlam) took home the gold medal while her peers Betty Zhao (Surrey) and Courtney Billinkoff (Vancouver) won silver and bronze.

The scores of their designs were based on creativity, quality of pattern drafting and garment construction skills. The students had eight hours to complete the pattern drafts and sew fully lined garments, which included a fitted, boned bodice and skirt.

As the gold medalist in the provincial skills competition, Hu will advance to the national Skills Canada Competition, which will take place June 1-4 in Quebec City.

The Skills Canada competitions allow young Canadians, studying a skilled trade or technology, to challenge themselves to become the best in their discipline. Students compete at local, regional and provincial levels to win the right to represent their province at the national-level competition.

Best in design
An alumni from The Art Institute of Vancouver, Daniel Meloche, was named the Grand Prize Winner in BC’s Best Young Designer Competition at Morgan Crossing.

Meloche graduated with an Interior Design and Foundation for Design Diploma in 2009, and entered BC’s Best Young Designer Competition last year.

After being chosen as a semi-finalist, Meloche was given a $12,000 decorating budget and access to a two-bedroom suite at Morgan Crossing, a housing development in South Surrey.

Meloche stretched his budget by creating his own custom pieces, including a lamp, headboard, and rug. After he and the five other semi-finalists finished designing their spaces, a panel of professional judges viewed the decorated suites and at Morgan Crossing and selected Meloche as their favourite.

As the winner, Meloche will receive a cash prize — and the title of BC’s Best Young Designer.