Transformation: The Core of Community Building

A New Chapter for Fashion Education

When it comes to preparing students for a career in fashion, real-world experience is key to bridging the gap between education and the industry. Recognizing this, fashion marketing's very own, Selena Grummett, has launched a groundbreaking residency program that puts students at the heart of a real-world design and fashion marketing collaboration within the course. The program works to push boundaries of learning, a transformation for both students and designers alike.

“The changing of season; becoming something new and coming into yourself more” - Ruth

For Selena, returning to Blanche as an educator came with a strong sense of purpose. Having once sat on the other side of the classroom, she understood how powerful feedback, mentorship, and openness to growth could be. “As a student, transformation meant being willing to receive: critique, feedback, new ideas”, she reflects. “Now as an instructor, it’s about using those same values to guide others while continuing to grow myself. Every conversation, every assignment, is a chance to evolve. Not just for the students, but for me as well”. It’s that mindset of mutual learning and shared momentum that became the foundation for Selena’s newest fashion marketing initiative.

"The difference between the old you and the new you” - Annastasia

As the curriculum shifted to meet industry standards, something interesting started happening: students were taking their class projects beyond the classroom. “They’d come back and say, ‘This project helped me get an interview at Aritzia,’” Selena recalls. “That’s when it clicked; we were onto something real. But it was still a simulation. What if we could make it even more tangible?”. At the same time, she noticed a gap in the industry. As a longtime attendee of Vancouver Fashion Week, she saw firsthand how designers would pour everything into a runway show, only to be left wondering what came next. Many lacked the media tools and marketing support to keep momentum going. The solution was clear: build a bridge between students eager for real-world experience and designers in need of practical, professional support. The residency program was born.

“Trying to reach a better version of yourself for you” - Desire

The residency is a semester-long collaborative final project that pairs students of the fashion marketing course with a real designer, someone who has already presented at Fashion Week but needs help translating that creative vision into a market-ready brand. Students are grouped into agency-style teams, taking on roles like visual designer, brand strategist, copywriter, and project manager. Before the term even begins, they complete assessments to place them where they’ll thrive. From there, they’re handed real assets: logos, photos, videos, and brand guidelines from the designer. Their mission? Build out a complete media kit, including press releases, lookbooks, and line sheets that the designer can actually use in the real world. This semester, the program launched with its first designer-in-residence: Blanche alumni Carolina Botelho, who rebranded her “Metamorphosis” collection, which had been featured at Vancouver Fashion Week under her previous label, Dress Cozy. “I had a meeting with Carolina where she mentioned needing a media kit,” Selena explains. “The timing was perfect. I told her about the residency, and she jumped in right away.”

“Growing with the things that you love to do” - Manisha

With Carolina’s rebrand underway transitioning from Dress Cozy to her namesake label, students have taken on the responsibility of shaping her visual identity. Two distinct media kits are being developed, each with unique color palettes and creative directions. A new photoshoot provided fresh visual assets, and Carolina has remained actively involved, giving feedback and working closely with student teams.

The results are already impressive. One student, who had a quiet interest in illustration, is now hand-drawing croquis for the line sheet. Another, initially hesitant about her proposal, saw it embraced by Carolina and integrated into the final product. “Watching students go from unsure to confident, seeing their ideas come to life and knowing they’re contributing to something real, that’s where the magic is,” says Selena. The program also extends beyond design. Students are creating visual content for the residency’s social media presence, including a dedicated Instagram account that documents the behind-the-scenes process. It’s a masterclass in creative production, fashion marketing, and professional communication, all rolled into one immersive experience.

“The process of growing into the best person of yourself” - Paige

Becoming Carolina: A Story of Reinvention

When I spoke with Carolina Botelho, it became clear almost immediately: fashion was never just about clothing for her. It was about becoming, about personal transformation, survival, and self-expression. What started as a creative outlet during one of the most uncertain times in her life became a vehicle for reclaiming identity, voice, and power. "I think a lot of things changed when I started Dress Cozy,” she told me. “I had just become a mom, and I had a mentality shift and I grew with it. And the way that I was growing, Dress Cozy was growing with me. But it grew to a point that it became something else, right?” That “something else” came into full view during her last runway show at Vancouver Fashion Week, a moment Carolina describes as a turning point. It was more than a showcase, rather, a declaration. “I just had that click,” she said. “I wanted to show everything that I could do. I even had people saying they could create five collections from mine, and that was the turbulence I wanted. I wanted to create that buzz because this is all of us, as women. We go through phases. In the beginning, we don't know who we are. There’s a moment when we hide. We just don’t know how to express it, until we finally figure out who we are. And we bloom.” That blooming, she said, is what inspired her to open her next chapter, one where her name would no longer be in the background and can co-exist with Dress Cozy. “That’s the reason why now, using my own name for the brand makes sense, because now I know exactly who I am, what I want to be, and who I want to reach. I’m not saying I want to forget my past, it’s part of me. But I can be so much more.”

“Allowing myself the space to let go of what no longer serves me” - Karyn

Carolina’s story didn’t begin with fashion, it began with starting over. Five years ago, she arrived in Canada with a dream and a suitcase and no clear roadmap. Then, just weeks later, the world shut down. “I had no idea what the future held. And incredibly, right after I got here, COVID happened. I came with a dream to live in another country because Brazil wasn’t in a great place at the time. But I got so much more”, she recalls. She became a mother, and found herself isolated in a new culture, postpartum and unsure of her next move. But she did know one thing: she wanted to create. “I always loved fashion, but in a way that I don’t think you should fit fashion, fashion should fit you,” she explained. “I never followed trends. That’s not who I am and that’s not who I’m going to be. So I wanted to create something that was what I want.” With her daughter only four months old, she launched Dress Cozy. It wasn’t about prestige or fame, it was about curiosity, community, and a desire to learn. “I had one thing in my mind: I wanted to network. I wanted to open doors and see where it would lead me.” Where it led was far beyond what she imagined. Within a year, she had shown at Vancouver Fashion Week — twice — been featured in fashion magazines, walked red carpets, and carved out space in an industry that often keeps outsiders at bay. “I didn’t study fashion design, I learned by myself because I wanted to do this. I have a lot more to learn, but it’s a dream come true. It’s opened many doors, and it’s still opening more.”

“Bringing out that hidden little personality inside” - Jared

By the time her last collection walked the runway, Carolina knew there was more to be done for a broader community. Her identity, her designs, and her message had become more layered, more fearless. “What I wanted to say on that runway is that we go through phases,” she told me. “Until we finally reach that point where we know who we are, and what we are to everybody around us. That’s what transformation means to me.” That transformation now has a name: Carolina Botelho. Her new label debuted on October 9th, she says is the collection of her most emotionally resonant yet. “Today is kind of like a rebranding of what we did in the last fashion show,” she said. “That show was my transformation on the runway. And all of this transformation is what made me become who I’m going to be on October 9th.” The new collection draws inspiration from her hometown in Brazil, a tribute to the textures, colors, and emotions that shaped her earliest ideas of beauty and identity. “Those are my roots. That’s where I came from. I need to show the world what I’ve been seeing my entire life. And I think that’s worth sharing.”

“Destruction, having to destroy the person that you were in order to become something new” - Andrea

Toward the end of our conversation, I asked her what advice she’d give to the Carolina who landed in Canada five years ago, overwhelmed, unsure, and alone. There was a long pause, and then a soft laugh.
“Oh my God. I would say: trust in you. Believe in yourself. You can do whatever you want to do.” And she’s proven that, not just to herself, but to others watching. Carolina Botelho’s story isn’t one of overnight success or linear growth. It’s a story of becoming, of creative risk, of motherhood, of identity, of grit. It’s about the slow and powerful journey of discovering who you are… and then building something that reflects it back to the world. “Canada taught me that you can become whoever you want. And that’s what happened to me. I became someone else, someone I always wanted to be.”
Now, as she steps into the next phase of her career with her name stitched into every label, she’s doing more than launching a fashion brand. She’s writing a new narrative, and inviting others to do the same.
And this? This is just the beginning.

“Revealing layers of yourself internally and externally” - Anmol