Ainsley McPherson prepares a model for Vancouver Fashion Week in April 2025. (Supplied/Yvonne Hanson)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

Red Deer designer sees her pieces walk in Vancouver Fashion Week

Apr 21, 2025 | 5:11 PM

Red Deer designer Ainsley McPherson had the opportunity to see her pieces come to life during her first Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW) showcase on Apr. 10.

McPherson graduated from the Blanche Macdonald Centre’s (Vancouver) fashion design program in 2023 and received its Award for Excellence for her work in the program.

This award is presented to three students per graduating class and includes one year of mentorship, access to Blanche Macdonald Centre’s staff and resources and a sponsored solo show at Vancouver Fashion Week.

McPherson said she received notice of her award last year and spent 2024 preparing her collection.

“It’s very inspired by powerful women throughout history, kind of this idea of Queen Elizabeth I; Mary, Queen of Scots; and lots of Tudor English styles and references,” McPherson explained. “Definitely leaning into the idea of a structured, almost royalty [or] military inspired look juxtaposed against very feminine, lacy, light bridal looks.”

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Some of McPherson’s designs from the show. (Supplied/Yvonne Hanson)

The collection is an extension of her graduation project, inspired by historical fashion and her own Scottish heritage; she even showcased the McPherson tartan in some of the looks.

McPherson was thrilled to receive the opportunity to showcase her work in a professional setting and build her portfolio.

“It’s been such a cool thing to see something I made in real life, on a real person, look the way I envisioned it and get it out there for people to see,” she reflected.

Since the show, she said she’s had more opportunities popping up to get her work out into the world, plus positive feedback from the models who wore her designs.

Now, she’s working on the next collection in the hopes she’ll be called back for another VFW season.

“As a creative person, I already want to keep making more and just keep rolling with it, keep expanding on it,” she said. “If I can have more looks and more things that can be pulled for styling, shoots and for events and things like that, it just makes it even better.”

Some of the designs used in the show were showcased in a music video earlier last year as well. McPherson said these have become her most sought after pieces for shoots and styling, which made it an easy choice to extend that style into the show.