[FAT] Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week 2010
April 23rd, 2010 | posted by Rachel S | Posted in [FAT] Alt Fashion
by Liza Zawadzka
photo ‘Jasper Garvida’ by Stan Olkha
In it’s fifth year, [FAT] celebrates Toronto’s alternative art and fashion scene in a lavish celebration of style. With over 200 participants and 50 designers, FAT has become one of North America’s premier fashion events, yet director Vanja Vasic maintains her integrity and committment to a divergent vision.
Set in a film studio in Liberty Village, the venue is reminiscent of a Sonic Youth concert in a New York underpass circa 1984. The sprawling industrial site is turned into a hedonistic labrynth of installation, video, performance and photography. True to Toronto’s reputation as an opera nation, the week kicks off with a contemporary ballet accompanied by an aria that would make Maria Callas shiver with envy. As it happens the work was choreographed by none other than styling bad boy, Marq Frerichs, who turns out to be a trendsetter in dance as much as in fashion. Who knew?
As I make my way through the various installations in the back rooms, I come across a fantasy set complete with a scantily clad lad in a sailor outfit that looks like it’s seen the better days of a Rotweiller attack massaging another man. The scene would make Quentin Crisp look butch, and I immediately protest – what about me and my heterosexual rights to a great massage? Quicker than I can bat a fake eyelash, two gay gentlemen have discreetly disrobed me and I find myself on the table with every knotted muscle soothed and kneaded. I descend into heavenly bliss…… only to open my eyes to the sound of the clicks and whirs of cameras which remind me I have become part of the performance. Oh well, the sacrifices we make for art.
Much relaxed and with my bones crunched back into their proper place, I enjoy another round of exceptional style. Filipino-Canadian Jasper Garvida, recently crowned winner of Project Catwalk, showed an exceptional collection of sheared beaver coats in Art Deco malachite green and black. True to [FAT] philosophy, the runway glitters with designers sharpening the cutting edge of style while maintaining aesthetic and creative integrity. The models are reflective of the gorgeous diversity of our city – a welcome break from the aenemic coathangers that plague LG Fashion Week. The crowd is packed to the walls, and the vibe is celebratory, relaxed and most important – fabulously fun.
Square Root of Two – Netherlands
Sheridan College Textile Studio
Part of the driving force: (l) Vessna Perunovich, Wesley Badanjak and Vanja Vasic
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