Hi, I'm Jillian Joy Ubando

Hi everyone!

As the first blog post on my website, I thought it would be fit to introduce myself and give you a closer look into my life as a designer. My name is Jillian Joy Ubando — yes Joy is my real middle name, shoutout to my parents — and I am a Filipino-Canadian designer based in Toronto, Canada.

Photo by Hyungsik Jung

My design journey began in high school. I was never a dress-up kind of girl growing up … when my mom used to dress me as a child, I wore dresses with a slouch and paired them with jeans when I could. As I got older and began attending banquets in high school, my interest in style and more formal wear began to grow. However, being just over 5 feet tall and barely in the triple digits of weight made it quite difficult for me to fit into dresses I actually liked and found in stores. I eventually became tired of being too small for an extra small and of knee length dresses landing at my mid-calf, and asked my parents for a sewing machine for Christmas in grade 11.

I started off watching youtube tutorials (shout out to coolirpa and withwendy) and reading basic sewing books every weekend, which soon became every day after school. Once I made my first prom dress for a friend, I knew that designing and creating was something I wanted to do long-term. By grade 12, I had made more than 10 prom dresses including my own and was accepted into the Bachelor of Design program at Ryerson University!

My friends and I wearing Jillian Joy for prom 2014

Once people know that you know how to sew, they ask you to make everything for them! By everything I mean everything - I’ve had requests for not just prom dresses but also t-shirts, jeans, blazers and more. In my first year of university I finally got my first request from a co-worker to design her wedding dress. She wanted something unique to her personality and totally different from what was currently available in the ready-to-wear market. I ended up making her a two-piece wedding outfit that consisted of a gold sequinned top and fluffy tulle skirt (read more about this project in “Testimonials” by Rebecca Marshello).

Photo by Hayley Buckham

After this first experience, I knew I wanted to focus my work on custom bridal gowns. Something about working one-on-one with women to create personalized gowns for such a special day makes the whole design and production process more exciting and meaningful. Thus, for my thesis collection in my final year of university, I created a bridal collection with a take on Filipino cultural wear.

The Iglesia Collection photographed by Joshua Del Rosario

Now, I remain focused on custom bridal wear with the goal of creating one-of-a-kind gowns for one-of-a-kind women. All of my gowns are literally made-to-measure, knowing that not all women — including myself — fit into the average proportions and sizes that are currently in the market. I aim to help women feel the best about their bodies, in gowns made especially for them for such a special occasion!