Our Talented
Team

Portrait of a woman with long dark hair, smiling, resting her chin on her hand, against a dark background. She is wearing earrings, a watch, and a dark top.

Liza Day

Owner & Dean

With a distinguished career in the fashion industry that has spanned over thirty years, Liza Day is renowned internationally as an innovator, creator, and entrepreneur.

Specialties include her work with emerging designers and brands. Clients have enjoyed features in iconic fashion magazines such as WWD, InStyle, Glamour, and Harper’s Bazaar, and she has personally coached various participants and winners participating in Project Runway.

A visionary with a talent for mentorship, Liza has ushered many young designers to success, even opening the doors for a 13-year-old protegee’s fashion line onto the coveted racks in Nordstrom department stores.

A woman with long brown hair, wearing black glasses and a black turtleneck, sitting on a gray sofa against a plain white wall, smiling.

Julie Berg brings 25 years of forward-thinking fashion design and energy-fuelled marketing talent to the table. A product development specialist for both retail and private labels, she’s crafted contemporary designer sportswear and accessories collections for small-sized independent retailers and big brands alike.

Working since the early ’90s with Vancouver’s Neto Leather label, she’s been a creative resource for Canadian retailers Harry Rosen, Bod & Christensen, and Leone, and for US majors such as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Boston Proper. Travelling across North America and Europe to industry trade shows, Julie has worked with fashion buyers and agencies to assist in marketing positioning and distribution, and with textile mills and tanneries for product development.

As a business entrepreneur, she launched her own eco-sportswear label, Know Wear, whose tourism-targeted client list boasted Princess Cruise Lines, BC Ferries and Royal BC Museum, and reached targeted sales projections of $1M in the third year of operation. For the last six years, Julie has served as a full-time professor at prestigious Vancouver art colleges, instructing in both the design and marketing disciplines, ensuring excellent outcomes for the next generation of industry innovators.

Head of Fashion Design & Creative Direction

Julie Berg

A woman with blonde hair sits on a green velvet chair in a well-lit room. She is wearing a black top and a black-and-white striped blazer. Behind her, there is a window with sheer white curtains. To her right, a side table holds a large red cherry-shaped decorative object and three pink fashion books.

Rebekka Sorensen Kjelstrup

Senior Instructor Costume

Rebekka Sorensen Kjelstrup is an accomplished Norwegian costume designer with over two decades of experience across film and theatre. She studied at the University of British Columbia, where she developed her passion for costume design.

Best known for her work on the hit series Riverdale, Rebekka served as costume designer for seven seasons, earning two Leo Awards for Best Costumes in a Dramatic Series in 2020 and 2023. Her work on Spooksville also earned her an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design in 2014, alongside multiple CAFTCAD and Jessie Richardson Award recognitions for her work in film, television, and theatre.

Rebekka brings her extensive industry experience, creativity, and expertise to inspire the next generation of costume designers.

Close-up of a smiling woman with long reddish-brown hair, tattoos on her arm, wearing a colorful patterned shirt, against a plain white background.

Komal Chharahhan

Product Development and Sewing & Garment Construction Instructor

Komal Chharahhan is an Indo-Canadian fashion designer, founder, and Creative Director of Ginni Gill. Her passion for garment making began at the age of 13, inspired by her grandmother and her early experiences with sewing and Indian wear.

After immigrating to Canada, Komal studied Fashion Design with a specialization in Fashion Marketing at the Visual College of Art and Design. With a strong focus on pattern making and garment construction, she has developed expertise in technical drawing, computer-aided design, and pattern drafting.

Komal began teaching fashion design at The Cut Design Academy in Vancouver in 2022, where she shares her technical knowledge and industry experience with the next generation of designers.

Portrait of a woman with short blonde hair, smiling, wearing a black turtleneck, gold bracelet, and gold ring, against a black background.

Nikki Renshaw

Program Director

Nikki began her design career in London, earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Central Saint Martins School of Art before moving to Vancouver and completing the Interior Design program at BCIT. With over a decade of experience teaching design, she has also built an extensive career in television, radio, and marketing.

As the founder of her own design business, Nikki has developed a strong international presence, with over 118,000 Instagram followers. Her work has been featured in ELLE Canada, ELLE France, Cosmopolitan UK, Vancouver Magazine, Western Living, The Vancouver Sun, and numerous other publications.

Currently, Nikki is the Program Director for Costume, Global Fashion Marketing, and Interior Design at The Cut, while continuing to run her design business and pursue a Master’s Degree at the Arts University Bournemouth.

Join The Cut Lab’s Mailing List

Sign up for texts and emails for insider info on new classes, news & announcements, and more good stuff.