A Name to Watch in Design: JUNLYN ANNE B. DELAS ALAS and her fabulous costume rendition of 'Madame Diamond'

Junly walks the runway with her creations. (As a high school student, she won first place in the statewide Future Homemakers of America (FHA) Design Competition).Photos by Joseph Albert Vargas


An invitation to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica one evening turned out to be what the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) says it was — “a powerful evening of imaginative entertainment, showcasing FIDM’s Advanced Fashion Design and Theatre Costume Design Graduates for 2008.” And what an awesome show it was! One of the FIDM’s students debuting that night is 21-year-old Junlyn Anne B. delas Alas.

In her debut show, on February 29th, Junlyn was ready to shine. She wanted the glitz and the glamour! Literally!

Referring to one of her characters she designed for, "Madame Diamond", it’s definitely obvious that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Her designs for the Moulin Rouge Can-Can dancers sent her designs in motion on the runway stage as her dancers high kicked and danced their hearts on stage!

Raised in Orange County’s Huntington Beach, Junlyn’s personality reflects the beach town that she grew up in; She is free-spirited and optimistic. With that free-spirited energy in her Junlyn strives to always make the most of her life. Growing up she was surrounded by loving and supportive family and friends that encouraged her to express her noticeable talents in the arts. School was always a priority but the arts were her reality in both the performing and creative arts.

It was this reality that Junlyn Anne realized her future. The world of art consists of infinite mediums, mediums that Junlyn never tried to confine herself into just one or two of. She is always experimenting and exploring. From the stage to a pen and paper in her hand, she loves the creativity of expression through all the arts.

Junlyn Anne’s passion for the arts finally managed to find its place through the medium of fashion. In high school, Junlyn realized fashion was her life and this is what fulfilled her. Combining her interest for the theatre arts and fashion Junlyn realized costume design was the perfect hybrid of her two interests. In her senior year of high school, Junlyn Anne won a full year scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising through a statewide fashion design competition. This in turn set the stage for her career in fashion.

In 2005, Junlyn embraced her new life as a fashion design student in Orange County. Ready for a challenge in 2006, she moved to Los Angeles to further pursue her career goals and focus on her education. Graduating in 2007 with an associate’s degree in fashion design, Junlyn then continued to follow her dream of seeing her designs under the spotlights of the Broadway stage. She was accepted into the advanced study program for theatre costume design at FIDM.

What Junlyn loves the most about costume design is the creativity and challenge of creating a character. Building a personality through clothing intrigues her.
As a child someone once asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her answer was that she wanted to be happy. Fashion makes her happy. The creativity of design makes her happy. The excitement of always being challenged to create the perfect character for an audience makes her happy. Simply stated Junlyn is happy pursuing her career in theatre costume design. To Junlyn it’s all about doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways. If the shoe fits wear it. Junlyn’s shoe is definitely costume design! For Junlyn though, she wants an extraordinary shoe!

By SUZAN L. ROSAL
Editor
Taliba Publications
Los Angeles