Taking on the Impossible
by Stefanie Jesney
Young designer Sabrina Lynn’s works have deep roots. Having lived on both east and west coasts of Canada, she says she is most inspired by the Maritimes where she grew up because of the beautiful landscapes and crashing waves. If you’re a lover of nature and bohemian delicacy, her designs will speak to you. Her graduating collection for the Art Institute of Vancouver is titled Simple. While her earthy colour palette of browns, creams and dusty rose might look simple to the untrained eye, her clothes are filled with detail and personal touches abound.
Sabrina Lynn’s love of design and artistry can be traced back to her childhood. She always enjoyed drawing – houses in particular – and her parents were astonished at her extreme attention to detail early on. This love for detail is reflected in Simple where even the simplest garments have small touches (such as lace trim) that one might not notice in passing. The minute elements in her pieces are what make them so special; the wearer feels a physical sense of attachment to these deeply personal creations. In addition to a love of detail, Sabrina Lynn is passionate about re-using and re-working garments into new and beautiful conceptions. Before she ever knew how to draft a pattern, she was re-constructing old clothes she didn’t like anymore into unique pieces to wear to school.
One of the standout garments in her grad collection is the Antique Lace Hoodie, a sleeveless, satin hooded tunic with tiny gold buttons down the front and lined with some very special lace. The lace was taken from her mother’s wedding dress, a generous gift from her supportive mom when Sabrina Lynn was looking for inspiration. She worked the lace and trims from the gown into the hoodie as well as a few other pieces in the collection for an overall feeling of originality and easy cohesiveness.
Along with the lace wedding dress, her mother also gave her a couple of vintage furs that will be used in a future collection. The designer laughs when she recalls an instance in her Art Institute days when a teacher discouraged her from re-using the leather from an old jacket for a bustier. “She told me ‘This is a really complicated project, make it easier on yourself!’ The pattern pieces were going to be almost impossible to cut from the existing jacket.” Sabrina Lynn chose to go ahead and take on the near “impossible” drafting challenge and use the skills learnt as a springboard to book future work. This ambition has served her well. Based on her skills, she was recently commissioned to create five unique garments for a jewellery designer friend to use in her latest show.
Sabrina Lynn is currently pursuing her career in the fashion industry by working as an assistant designer/seamstress for another Vancouver designer as well as collaborating with a fellow Art Institute graduate on a collection for the upcoming TASS Fashion Show in October 2011. For more information on this designer's most recent projects you can check out her blog at http://simplesabs.wordpress.com
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