I arrived at the Drake Hotel late and was greeted by a room buzzing with press, buyers and emerging design talent from the Toronto Fashion Incubator (tfi). There was great energy and some genuine appreciation and excitement from both the designers and guests – nice to shake the shackles of this often jaded business if only for a moment!
Some lines to note:
Hyphen:
Winner of the TFI New Labels competition last season, this designing duo has found a great way to leverage their diverse sensibilities in a collection that overtly marries contradictions. Wearable, street-smart execution. Liked it a l0t.
Bebis:
The communication materials are a beautiful representation of the spirit of the collection displayed. The creation of signature Bebis pieces and the new hoop earrings with individually sold, interchangeable semi-precious adornments are very smart tactics for this young brand. They are on the right track.
Zoran Dubric:
This designer is a true artist. His creations are one of a kind, hand-engineered pieces that will not appeal to everyone, but will be adored by his core target. He has found distribution synergy, selling at icii in the city – hanging alongside Comme des Garcons – not bad for an up and comer.
Hazelton Lanes Fashion Show
As I stated with regard to the “Something Hot” show, it is difficult to execute a group show well, as you need a unifying story for all of the various brands involved while still allowing them to be true to their own image. Today, I struggled to figure out what overarching image Hazelton Lanes was attempting to portray along with the image associated with each store. I do not believe that I am clear on either of those points even following the show. Similar to designers, retailers need to have a clear position in order to have a reason for being in the market.
Karen Kelly
A bit unfortunate that I trekked all the way out to Queen and Woodbine to catch this show that was not nearly ready for prime time. The designer showed some very pretty evening and bridal dresses but she did not do herself any favours portraying her brand in this fashion. Some definite tightening up required before getting on the calendar again next season.
Vawk
This show was held in midtown Toronto, MILK was spinning and the inspiration for the collection is rumored to be “Grace Kelly lost in Africa”. The styling approach to the models’ hair was interesting and there were some great pieces: the ladylike dress that combined a chocolate coloured leather bodice with a natural cotton full skirt embellished with sequins and the pants (for both men and women) looked like they fit like a dream.
Despite the directions from the designer – setting the stage in his own venue and defining a seasonal theme, I did not feel that a clear position was communicated. A stronger stake in the ground is still required related to the macro Vawk position.
Preloved
Flawless execution of a clear position.
This was the perfect show to close Toronto Fashion Week. The list of things that I loved is a long one:
- underground venue
- industry mingled with a huge downtown crowd
- energetic and personality-filled models
- unexpected dance scenes intermingled with solid runway
- great music – all of the songs had the word “love” in them
- an amazing collection ( in particular, the insight to develop evening gowns that are so age and style appropriate to their target is amazing – I can so see Chloe Sevigny in the taupe cotton gown with the white tulle underskirt at the next awards show!)
- and finally, the inclusion of a plus-size model rocked the house and had the crowd hooting and hollering
Thank you Preloved.
Wrap up
All in all, I was so thrilled with Toronto Fashion Week this season.
- Great examples of how to do it right: Paul Hardy, Arthur Mendonca, Denis Gagnon and Preloved
- Inspiration from leading Canadian brands: La Vie en Rose and Parasuco
- Little jewels like Catherine Brule
I think that every designer that showed during the week had earned the right to be there – there was certainly a wide spectrum of experience but I love to see talent evolve and mature.
Given my area of expertise, it will come as no surprise that the area in which I would like to see the greatest leap from designers for next season is in communicating a solid brand position from the runway. That kind of focus will tighten up their entire delivery and come through in their colour palette, silhouettes, models, hair and make-up, styling and music. A solid brand is a launching pad for success and Canadian designers should aspire to nothing less.
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