Biography
Berta Pavlov has 35 years of fashion industry experience in the Toronto Fashion Industry and has been a part time professor at George Brown College for a combination of 20 years. Her expertise in pattern drafting is in both flat paper and digital drafting comes from years of line development and production ready patterns that include; fittings, grading and technical sketches. Although her area of expertise has been in womenswear, she has also worked on menswear, childrenswear and leather.
Recent years have also led into research with the Royal Ontario Museum, and Dr. Alexandra Palmer, Nora E. Vaughan Fashion Costume Senior Curator and Chair of the Veronika Gervers Research Fellowship in Textiles & Costume at the ROM and Curator. She worked with Dr. Palmer in a research capacity on the Christian Dior Exhibit in an extensive analysis of the processes and techniques used by Dior. This research has been documented on a video, “Decoding Dior’s Delphine” and included the Zigomar suit and Delphine dress samples and toiles displayed at the ROM during the Christian Dior Exhibit. The Dior research project included documented pattern work and sketches of the research in the book Christian Dior History & Modernity, 1947-1957 by Dr. Alexandra Palmer (2018).
She was selected to represent her research on Cristóbal Balenciaga: Master of Geometric, in the First International Cristóbal Balenciaga Conference, October 1-2, 2020. This research will be a lead up to the upcoming ROM Couture Exhibit 2023. Additional research is an in-depth study on “Three 18th Century Gentleman’s Chintz Banyans in the ROM Collection: Mapping the Textile Patterns from the Fashion Patterns” to be published 2020.
Academic Credentials
Diploma with honours, Program (Creative Fashion Program), George Brown College, 1979
Areas of Specialization
Pattern making
Digital pattern drafting and grading
Fitting and pattern adjustments
Draping
Bridal and eveningwear construction and design
Lingerie construction and pattern development
Post-grad Program-Apparel Technical Design
Garment Fit and Pattern Adjustment
Pattern Drafting Software
Apparel Design & Finishing
Areas of Expertise
Digital pattern design and development
Sustainable pattern design on a digital software
Technical illustration
Career Highlights
2019-2024 ROM Departmental Associate attached to the Textiles Department of Arts and Culture.
2017-2018 Research of the ROM’s Christian Dior collection 1947-57, patterns and technical sketches of analysis and techniques
2013 to Present-Professor, George Brown College Center for Arts, Design & Information Technology
1995-2015-Patternmaker, grading & technical illustration, Franco Mirabelli Designs Inc.
1990-1995-Freelance patternmaker & technical illustration, Hannah Coats, Hartman Furs, Indian Motorcycle, Braemar
1987-1990-owner, design and product development service, Designs by Pavlov
1981-1987-Patternmaker, technical illustration and line development, Westchester Sportswear
Other Activities
ROM Departmental Associate
Member of the Fashion Program Advisory Committee since 2013
Started the George Brown College Fashion Program award for Pattern Drafting Excellence.
Awards
Veronika Gervers Research Fellowship, Three 18th Century Gentleman’s Chintz Banyans in the ROM Collection: Mapping the Textile Patterns from the Fashion Patterns (2020) publication to follow in combination with the Patterns of Fashion series.
Publications
Research paper by Berta Pavlov on Cristóbal Balenciaga: Master of Geometric Design, presentation date October 1-2, 2020
Christian Dior History & Modernity, Alexandra Palmer, (Technical illustrations and patterns by Berta Pavlov), 2018, ROM, Published by Hirmer
YouTube Decoding Christian Dior’s Delphine
Toronto Life article by: Denise Balkissoon, November 29, 2013