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Ian Metcalfe joined Mount Allison University as part of the 2002 class. Having spent his formative years in the serene rural surroundings of Newfoundland and Labrador, he thrived in the nurturing environment of small class sizes, enabling him to progress through the education system more rapidly than his peers. This unique experience shaped his academic journey.

Metcalfe’s childhood was shaped by the beauty of small-town life and the frequent relocation that came with his father’s teaching career during the 80s and 90s — the quiet moments of his upbringing played a significant role in nurturing his creative spirit. Being a queer individual in a small, close-knit community, Metcalfe found solace in the pages of fashion magazines and various creative activities. Art became his haven, a private world where Metcalfe could freely express himself. Drawing became an outlet that was not criticized and often attracted positive attention from those around him.

Over the three summers before Metcalfe’s arrival on campus, he had listened to his sister’s stories about her time at Mount A and spent family vacations driving her to campus to start school in September. These visits had an impact.

“Mount A was the only school I wanted to go to. It was the only university I applied to because I loved what I saw there and learned about the great fine art program it offered,” he reminisces.

Following his sister’s footsteps, he arrived at Mount Allison, calling Windsor Hall home.

“I remember my family saying to me, we just want you to grow up and explore, you’re not going to find all the answers by the time you are done (Mount A), this is more of an extension of high school for you.”

With that in mind, Metcalfe started his journey through the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, eventually specializing in photography and printmaking.

“When I speak with others and reflect on Mount A’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program, I often find myself saying what a great foundation it is in art theory and history. You come out of the program very well rounded and versed. I am proud of the solid classical fine art training Mount A gave me.”

At Mount Allison, Metcalfe found his art became a vehicle to explore his gender and gender identity. Looking back, he remembers his professors being so intuitive and always reading between the lines, picking up on his interest in fashion.

“At that time, I was like, I don’t really see it that way because my art is, you know, just me taking pictures, self-portraits, dressing in drag, and all sorts of different things.”

As he approached graduation, Metcalfe realized those professors were right and something inside him told him, “I want to pursue fashion.”

Fast forward twenty years and Metcalfe still has often drawn upon his foundation in art history, drawing, and color theory from Mount Allison, applying it in every aspect of his career in fashion.

“I’m big on conceptualizing ideas,” he says. “It is not just about making marks on a page, it is about ‘what is the meaning?’ ‘What are you?’ ‘What is the message you are sending?’ All of that comes from my foundation in art and that knowledge from Mount A is what has set me apart in fashion.”

Metcalfe is now the director of visual merchandising and licensing for the worldwide brand, Joe Fresh, the company he has been with for 17 years. He was recently asked by the Joe Fresh team to be the conceptual artist and designer for the 2024 Pride Collection, which included his life partner, which could not be more fitting as “he has been beside me my whole career.”

He says being asked to be a part of this collection bridged the gap between so many aspects of his personal, artistic, and work life.

“This project allowed me to put a little bit more of myself into Joe Fresh and put a little bit of Joe Fresh into my art,” he says.

As Metcalfe looks forward to his continued involvement in the Pride 2025 Collection for Joe Fresh, he reflects on the takeaways he learned through the development process of this collection: what it means to be a queer person and how you grow and develop throughout life.

“You learn to become someone else and through this whole year, I was like, I am really going to lean more into who I know I am authentically and less the person I became because I thought I had to,” he says. “I always believed myself to be this shy person,” he says. “In all actuality, what I learned was I am not shy at all. That is more my defense mechanism. When I thought back to my younger self, especially at Mount A, I often thought, I was so sassy and I was so confident. I was funny, I was performative. Then as life goes on you begin to suppress those things and we refrain from being our most authentic self.”

When reflecting on any advice to pass on to current students, Metcalfe encourages all students to break the mold.

“Often students find themselves with a preconceived notion of what they need to do and complete in their time at university. Embrace everything, take every opportunity, be open to all things. Do things you wouldn’t normally do because that’s what’s going to really move you ahead.”

Metcalfe believes that being asked to participate in the 2025 Pride Collection bridged the gap between many aspects of his personal, artistic, and work life.

“This project allowed me to put a little bit more of myself in Joe Fresh and a little bit of Joe Fresh into my art, which has been fun and rewarding.”

As Metcalfe looks forward to his continued involvement in the Pride 2025 collection for Joe Fresh, he reflects on the takeaways he learned through the development process of this collection: what it means to be a queer person and how you grow and develop throughout life.

“As queer people, we often learn to become someone else to survive through this whole year, I tried to lean more into who I know I am authentically,” Metcalfe says.  “I always believed myself to be this shy person,” he says.  “In all actuality, what I learned is I’m not shy at all. That it is more my defence mechanism.  When I thought back to my younger self, I was sassy and confident.  I was funny, I was performative. Then, as life goes on, you begin to suppress those things and refrain from being your most authentic self.”
When reflecting on any advice to pass on to current students, Metcalfe encourages all students to break the mould.

“Often students find themselves with preconceived notions of what they need to do and compete in their time at university. Embrace everything, take every opportunity, and be open to all things. Do things you wouldn’t normally do because that will move you forward.”