GIVING BACK

70

Number of students who received an Alumni Pay It Forward Bursary in 2016/17.

Donor Q & A

Vivienne Poy A gift of support and unique design

The Hon. Dr. Vivienne Poy is a designer, scholar, author and former Chancellor of the University of Toronto. After graduating from the Fashion Arts program, she founded Vivienne Poy Mode, designing unique knitwear for clients in North America and Asia. Dr. Poy is also the first Canadian of Asian descent appointed to the Senate of Canada. This year, she established an endowment to support future Fashion Arts students and contributed samples and patterns of her knitwear to Seneca’s Fashion Resource Centre. Dr. Poy shares her thoughts on Seneca, giving back and her passion for gardening.

How did your time at Seneca affect you? The Fashion Arts program gave me a lot of confidence in myself. Until then, I was a stay-at-home mother. When I decided to return to school to train for a profession, I applied to the Fashion Arts program at Seneca. This set me on a path to expand my horizons.

I was very busy. Our children were still young, so I had to make sure they were off to school before I went to classes, and returned home when they got back from school. Fortunately, Seneca was close to my home, so I was able to do that and fit in all the homework, plus everything else that a mother does. I went to Seneca because I needed a good foundation for what I wanted to do, and what I learnt gave me the ability to run my fashion business independently.

What was a typical day like for you while you were running your business? I was the business owner, as well as the designer and pattern maker. Having good staff really helped me. During the week, I was at my head office, and most Saturdays, I was at my Yorkville boutique. There was a lot of juggling between home and work.

Why was it important for you to support Fashion Arts students? I’ve always supported skills development and the humanities because these are areas often neglected when it comes to funding. I know how difficult it is to make it in the fashion industry, and I like to see students achieve without having too many financial difficulties.

Your donation included samples of your own designs for the Fashion Resource Centre. What pieces did you choose? I designed unique knitwear because I treated knitwear like fabric. Most people knit with a written pattern. I used yarns, pearls and beads to create my own fabric. The pieces were hand-knitted or crocheted and sewn together. It’s a skill I learnt at Seneca. I have not come across other designers who do that, so, for historic reasons, it’s nice for students to be exposed to a different way of doing things.

Are you designing these days? I closed my business in 1995 to go to graduate school. But I still design for myself and my family. I design jewelry, furniture and my gardens. Designing is very much a part of my life.

What’s next for Vivienne Poy? I’m working on another book with my husband, who has become a photographer since retiring. I’m a gardener, and this new book is about my love for nature and will include my husband’s photography. It’s a fun book. I needed to get away from intense research for a little while.

Learn more about Dr. Poy’s knitwear and various writings at viviennepoy.com