Born and raised in Vancouver, Marilyn Yeo worked in retail during her teens because she loved clothing. This experience exposed her to trends, colours, textures, and curating outfits. As a child, Yeo was always drawn to fashion due to her love of fabrics and texture. “Even as a child, I wanted to pick my own clothes to wear. Styling has always been important to me,” she said. Yeo is self-taught and designed her first garment in 2016. She explained that browsing through a fabric storeroom is like a candy store. “Once I see the right fabric, it inspires me and I start to visualise the outfit. Using a dress form, I begin to bring the picture into reality.” Currently, Yeo works with a seamstress to complete each one of a kind garment, and is thinking about exploring manufacturing options. She explained that the incredible experience and feeling of creating a garment that women feel empowered and beautiful in is what she values most in her practice.
Moving forward, Yeo wants to create one of a kind seasonal collections and expand into personal shopping and styling. The brand is not stocked anywhere as of yet and with no online store, Yeo works privately with her clients. Social media has been a big help for brand awareness. “It’s been wonderful exposure! It has expanded my brand overnight.”
Vancouver Fashion Week also created a lot of awareness for her brand during her first showcase this season. “This was my first experience being a part of VFW. I met wonderful people from all different parts of the world and industries. I loved the energy I received from viewing all the creativity, colours and textures.”
A highlight for Yeo was seeing her logo on the back screen, watching the models wearing her designs down the runway and hearing the crowd’s reaction. “Vancouver Fashion Week gave me an amazing opportunity to share my passion and designs to an audience of designers, media and potential clientele. It was magical a dream come true.”
