Toronto fashion week: Day 2

The weather on Day 2 of Toronto Fashion Week was dark and rainy, making inside an extra comfortable place to be. Combined with how much useful information I gathered, this was the closest I’ve felt “back to school” all Fall.

I arrived early to the tents to listen in on a round-table discussion on the business of Canadian fashion, hosted by one of fashion week’s sponsors, DHL. As expected, there was some emphasis on how important shipping and distribution are to a fashion designer’s success but there was also an emphasis on the importance of having sound business management skills. However, I found the most enlightening answers came in response to questions asked by the audience, a collection of designers still trying to make it in Canada.

Pam Shainhouse, the president of Allistyle, a Canadian curvy-girl line of fashion her daughter - who unfortunately passed away due to cancer - started after realizing little clothing she loved fit her body properly. Pam asked the panel why she’s had a more difficult time finding success for Allistyle in Canada than she has in the US, where business is better. Another lady in the audience who runs a network of fashion blogs for petite women asked a similar question - why is still so difficult for non ”standard” fashion to get recognized?

What was suggested was that women still like to peruse and purchase what’s “in”, and when a designer has a limited budget and needs to make a return, you have to make what you’re most likely to sell. I find relief in the underlying message that the recipe to success includes equal parts creativity and business savvy, something the subject of my next interview knows very well.

In a conversation with the brand manager for TFW’s nail polish sponsor, essie, I learned that Ms. Essie Weingarten continues to create every single shade of polish that makes it into her collection herself, all alone. She has full access to a lab, and loves to put on her white coat, mix pigments and give new blends a kooky name. Aha! A woman who has a passion and equal parts creativity and business savvy, and has become very successful.

Read my interview with Essie Weingarten

Essie’s prerogative has always been for essie to be the standard for runway nails. As the official nail polish sponsor of Toronto Fashion Week, it was cool to visit one of Toronto’s own (and very rad) nail artists, Rita Remark, in fact the lead nail artist for essie at TFW.

I spoke to Rita after she finished affixing twelve sets of nails for twelve models walking in the Ashtiani runway show, inspired by ‘60s France and painted graphically with soft pink, deep burgundy and grey. The nails were seriously show-stopping and I even spotted a rare site following the show - models leaving for home with their nails still on display!

My last chat was with Dan Levy, former MTV personality and current contributor to FLARE Magazine. Dan was selected by Target as their spokesperson for Toronto Fashion Week, and I was dying to know how he felt about collaborating with the massive American retailer.

Dan’s answer wasn’t juice or even remotely apologetic, it was admirable. Referencing Target’s collaborations with designers like Isaac Mizrahi and Proenza Schouler to make “designer” fashion more available, Dan maintains the ethic that all fashion should be perceived as is friendly and available and a tool with which to illicit happiness. Brands and trends? Not as important.

Tuesday at Toronto Fashion Week was a good day to feel positive about fashion as a dynamic profession. I think my favourite take-home quote came from the DHL round-table: “The beauty of fashion is evolution”.

Wednesday is a big day at Toronto Fashion Week! We'll be seeing shows by Lucien Matis, Korhani, the decor company who has crossed the line into fashion, and Joe Fresh. Following the Joe Fresh show, we'll be releasing an exclusive video with Adrienne Shoom, stylist for Joe Fresh, as she walks through the collection and picks out the BEST pieces for spring.