4 Chtertainment TV host says failure Is a good thing George Stroumboulopoulos gives UBC students advice for life after graduation By CARISSA THORPE also a part of success. That was the message George Stroumboulopou- los left graduating UBC arts students with last Friday night. Stroumboulopoulos was the special guest at the sold out UBC Arts Under- graduate Society’s Last Lecture at the Old Auditorium on campus. Typically, the last lecture is a speech given by a keynote speaker to gradu- ates on the precipice of entering the working world, but Stromboulopoulos decided to create a conversation in- stead. “If 10 years from now you’re not do- ing what you want but you’re alive, you’ve won. And that’s how I approach every day at work,” he told the crowd. Stroumboulopoulos advised students not to place so much weight on cliché five and ten year plans as it is impossi- ble for them to know where they will be at the time. After being rejected by an arts school, Stroumboulopoulos more or less stumbled into journalism when he saw an ad for Humber College, realiz- ing he could make a career out of being on the radio. Stroumboulopoulos shared some of his moments of challenge with the au- dience, including failing high school chemistry and his short-lived stint hosting the ill-fated reality series The One. At the time, the show was consid- ered to be the biggest failure in US net- work history. “You have to not care if people like you,” Stroumboulopoulos told the crowd. “You have to like you.” Engineering graduate Marianne Black, 23, said she was really impressed with the talk. Meghan Anderson, 21, a graduating international relations student, echoed that sentiment. “It’s not the end of the world,” she said. “You’re going to have failures.” Andrew Lavers, who coordinated the event, said the audience response was extremely positive. Stroumboulopoulos will be bringing his popular late-night television show to Vancouver to film at CBC the first week of April. Pas: is not only a part of life, but a oe all SUKHRAJ BATTAL photo The organizers and participants of the Langara Business Association celebrate after their teaser flash fashion show in the caf March 7. Students use style for good Langara Business Association put on fashion show for local charity By DANA BOWEN Ihe third annual Awear Fashion Show features business appro- priate outfits with a twist for stu- dents who are sick of the average suit and tie. Hosted by the Langara Business As- sociation, the event will be held March 27 from 6-9 p.m. in the Langara Library. It will feature outfits by local design- ers and stylists who present a new way to dress professionally for interviews and jobs. “It’s a way to showcase to students that there are different ways to dress for work and it’s also a way to give back to the community,” said one of the event organizers, Zlata Gurevich. Every year the Awear Fashion Show supports a different cause. This year they have chosen The Ket- tle Friendship Society. “The LBA chose The Kettle ... to sup- port because they believe there is a huge stigma attached to mental health issues,” said Gurevich. “Being aware is important and some- thing that many of us need to learn about and understand.” TKFS is a community group that helps enhance the lives of people with mental illness by providing them with housing, employment and support ser- vices. Proceeds from the fashion show’s ticket sales and a silent auction will go towards the organization. The auction will have over $5,000 worth of items, from restaurant or hair salon gift cards to free driving lessons. Lauren Popadiuk, a design student, is one of the stylists who will be show- casing her work. She said she wants to show students they can dress professionally without breaking the bank. Each of her outfits was purchased at Value Village for un- der $20, including all accessories. Most of the outfits are in neutral shades, with some pops of colour. “T decided to take part [in the Awear Fashion Show] because it was a good opportunity to support a good cause,” said Popadiuk. Each guest will receive a complimen- tary gift bag valued at over $50. Gurevich said the gift bag includes an amazing surprise for each guest. For every ticket, the guest will also receive a complimentary glass of wine as well as free appetizers. “Events like this are a great way to have fun and give back to the commu- nity,” said Ken Paquette from TKFS. Tickets cost $10. They can be purchased through Zla- ta Gurevich by calling her at (778) 668- 8019. 66 It?s away to show- case to students that there are differ- ent ways to dress for work. ZLATA GUREVICH i ASHLEY VIENS photo VFW director Jamal Abdourahman has been under fire for allegedly mistreating his event’s unpaid interns. Controversy dogs fashion week Local fashion event faces storm of disapproval By ASHLEY VIENS dustry members are complaining that Vancouver Fashion Week is exploiting interns for an event that has little relevance. In September 2011, interns from pre- vious seasons created a blog, Vancou- ver Fashion Weak, that shared their feelings of “use and abuse” by the pro- ducer of VFW. VFW has hosted the city’s largest fashion shows over the past decade. Paul Melo, a Vancouver street-style blogger, said he, and everyone he has spoken to, views VFW as an embar- rassment to Vancouver. “Vancouver doesn’t have a_ big enough market to have a fashion week. There’s no one to even intern with here,” said Melo. P:: interns and local fashion in- “It’s a wasted effort,” he added. “I wish it would stop getting press.” VFW producer Jamal Abdourah- man said he is grateful for the interns. “Volunteers get experience and we get a helping hand, and being over- whelmed is great,” he said. “Originally, we were paying every- one - interns, models, stylists and de- signers.” But after 2005, he said he couldn’t af- ford to pay everyone. “Tf you’re not challenged here, don’t come,” Abdourahman said referring to some of the interns’ complaints. Jennifer Pistor is a fashion merchan- diser and blogger of Prairie Girl in the City. “After two seasons of covering every show and supporting it, I wasmt even invited back. It was almost like they were doing me a favour,” said Pistor. “Models and stylists had also contacted me directly about similar experiences.” Rachel McHollister, a Langara jour- nalism graduate, was part of the pub- licity team for VF W last season. “We had a good core group of profes- sionals to teach the interns what to do,” said McHollister. “In previous years, they had just interns working, no actu- al professionals.” McHollister said her team tried to repair relationships with previous in- terns. “Basically, we tried contacting the interns that created the blog, no re- sponse. We felt it was a bit immature that they were just complaining,” she said. “They don’t know the industry. And models just don’t get paid to do runways in Vancouver, that’s just how it is.” Emails to the creators of Vancouver Fashion Weak were not returned. “Thope [VF W] will grow and contin- ue to change,” said Pistor. “Because of their actions, they are deterring people from going again. They need a total re- vamp of the shows.” VFW runs from March 20-25 at the Chinese Cultural Centre.