2025: A Year in Review
2025 was a year of change.
It was a year of launching new programs and saying goodbye to familiar walls. A year of last days in Gastown and first visits to construction sites. Of black boxes stacked high and empty rooms echoing back at us. Of watching the future come together—slowly, imperfectly, and beautifully—as we built something more functional, more expansive, and more intentional for our students and staff.
More than anything, 2025 felt like a year of transition. Of things coming to a close, while new beginnings quietly took shape alongside them.
At the start of the year, we were still searching for a home for our next chapter. To end it with that vision becoming real—walls up, studios taking shape, spaces designed for connection—feels both surreal and deeply grounding. From the beginning, the goal was never just a new building. It was to create a true campus: a place where departments could intermingle, where students could socialize, collaborate, and showcase their work. That vision now lives in student kitchens, focus rooms, shared hubs, and THE FRAME—a space designed to celebrate creativity in motion.
This year also reminded us that growth doesn’t only happen close to home.
In partnership with Istituto Italiano Design, we sent students to Italy—an opportunity rooted in a relationship we deeply value. On our last visit, we sat with the owners in a local square, sharing panini and conversations about work, family, and the paths that brought us all there. That sense of connection made the experience even more meaningful, giving our students the chance to see the world, share their work globally, and understand their place within a larger creative landscape.
Of course, building anything comes with its challenges. Trial and error is part of the process. What this year clarified for us is how we want to move forward: through teamwork, collaboration, and building together. That mindset—collective, open, and supportive—will continue to guide how we operate in our new campus and beyond.
As we write this, today is our last day in the space we’re leaving behind. Everything is labelled. Boxes are stacked. Our Fashion Director arrived with her drill, carefully removing coat hooks from the walls. Our Hair Director spent the week before assembling tables in the new space. A family friend lent us his van on a Wednesday afternoon to help move things along. These are the moments that remind us how supported we are—and how grateful.
There were so many small moments this year that we’ll carry with us. Gathering in a cozy Italian restaurant for our Christmas party. Honouring Jennine, who has been part of JCI for over 20 years. Jeah, our Campus Operations Coordinator, singing Shallow as live music turned into an impromptu open mic night. Sitting in an architect’s office when the new campus existed only as a mood board—and realizing now that those plans are real.
We’ll miss our graduates lining up on the steps, tossing their caps into the air. We’ll remember the incredible collections that came out of our design program, including Kross, a fashion graduate who showcased their work at Milan Fashion Week. We’re proud of how much more we’ve shared our community this year—students, staff, alumni—because they are, and always have been, what makes JCI what it is.
It’s been a whirlwind. But as we step into this next phase, it’s one marked by gratitude, momentum, and possibility. We’re moving forward with intention—into a chapter that feels expansive, collaborative, and full of promise for us all.