Designer Candice Wu
Counting down the days until the models take the runway for the Catwalk for BMC Cancer Care event on Thursday, June 28th. The fun part for me, other than the excitement of the actual evening, is being able to go behind the scenes and bring you a taste of who some of the great people are that make the event possible.
I promised to give you a look inside some of the fashion designers who will be sending their creations out on the runway. Meet Candice Wu. Candice was born in Hong Kong and moved to the United States at 17 to pursue her dream of being a fashion designer. Candice made that dream come true and graduated from the Boston School of Fashion Design and now runs her own design business.
What I love about Candice’s designs is that they you can feel her cultural influences come through in the patterns, fabrics, appliques and colors. She told me she loves to blend traditional elements with modern ideas when creating her pieces and that definitely shines through. Candice does it all when it comes to designing and producing her fashions. She sketches, creates patterns, sews, drapes, beads and fabricates all of her one-of-a-kind pieces and it’s no surprise that she won the honor of the 2012 Boston Fashion Award.
From the Candice Wu 'Esoteric' Collection
I had the opportunity to talk to Candice a bit about her involvement in the Catwalk for BMC Cancer Care. She’s no new-comer to events like this as she’s been participating in Bryan Finocchio’s Catwalk events (now Open HeARTS Inc) for three years now. She’s happy to be back to share her design inspiration with patients, survivors and all the great people coming to the event. Candice describes her design approach as mixing beauty and function together. I love her recent collection – Esoteric – as it is just that. There are great jackets and blouses for work attire and throw in some great leather pants or shorts and you’re ready to hit the town. I love the rock and roll, edgy feel of the collection and have a wish list together already. 
I asked Candice what she likes best about being a fashion designer and she said:
“I have two best parts if that’s okay. One is when an idea pops into my head, and I am able to make it into reality, that feeling is very satisfying and fulfilling. The second is when other people like my designs…it makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Candice says that she sees the bright and bold color trend continuing into Fall and that she’ll, most likely, be wearing pink next Thursday. I’m a big fan of Candice’s work. I love how she combines her cultural influences with feminine, functional and beautiful pieces that are unique and bold. Candice’s collection will be featured at this Thursday’s Catwalk for BMC Cancer Care. I hope you can join me in looking fashionable while supporting a great cause. (UPDATE: Sadly, tickets are sold out for the event, but if you really really want to come, email me as they might open up more tickets and I can see what I can do.)