Let’s Talk ~ Magali Blanc, Fashion Designer & Illustrator
If you are contemplating a career in fashion, you can learn from some of the best in the industry at The Cut Fashion Academy. It is an opportunity to absorb the knowledge of designers, illustrators, pattern makers, creative directors, and marketers who have unparalleled real-world experience—and they want to share their expertise with their students.
Our Instructors Are All Experts
Meet Magali Blanc, our Fashion Design & Illustration instructor. She is originally from the South of France, but studied in London and worked for Vivienne Westwood. Soon after, she went to L'Institut Supérieur des Arts Appliqués and worked as a designer in Paris, Copenhagen, and Hong Kong, before moving to Vancouver and landing at The Cut Fashion Academy.
Childhood Passion Turns Into Career
Magali’s interest in fashion started from a young age. “My grandmother was really into fashion—she had all the fashion magazines, designer clothes, and jewelry. I spent so much time making mood boards using her copies of Vogue and Elle. She was so pretty and had a strong sense of colour.”
Originally, Magali went to school for Art History, but things changed when she interned for Vivienne Westwood and decided to move to Paris. While in the City of Light, she had a chance encounter with Judith Milgrom, the sister of the founder of Sandro, who had started her own brand: Maje.
“In Paris, I met Judith Milgrom, the owner of Maje. The brand wasn’t big yet at the time, but it grew quickly,” says Magali. “Maje created what we say in french, luxe affordable, or affordable luxury. I stayed with them for eight years, designing the knitwear collection and then all categories of garments, reporting directly to the CEO.”
From the world of design to the classroom of teaching
Magali travelled the world, collaborated on photoshoots, and met huge celebrity names like Kate Moss. After a decade in design, she decided to pivot into a new calling: teaching young designers.
“I have always loved working with young professionals, but in my experience, they don’t always have a true idea of the real work behind the design,” says Magali. “I want to teach them an understanding of the business—how to build your ideas, develop them, make them consistent, and design them into a reality.”
The best part about being an instructor? For Magali, it’s the ‘a-ha’ moment for her students. “The progress of my students is so fast sometimes, it’s so impressive and motivating,” says Magali. “Young people have a fresh brain—they see things differently, they think out of the box. It’s exciting to mould those ideas by shaping them, not breaking them.”
Magali and the Pace of the Fashion Industry
What excites Magali about the fashion industry is its pace. “Right now, it seems like everything is possible. You can explore your ideas, reinvent something. You can take past influences and rework them with the modern look of today,” says Magali. “Fashion looks at what people want, and why they want it or don’t want it. It’s a study of society.”
While at TCFA, Magali designs and illustrates for the house brand Waste-UP! “I love teaching for sure, but I also like being creative and sketching. It’s like when I was a little girl, it’s still the same—I’m making mood boards. I love doing this”
