Holt Renfrew backs unknown T.O. designer

There are fashion designers and then there are people who know the fashion business (occasionally you will find someone who excels in both disciples). Many of the 'designers' I meet in Toronto who are actually making money in the field know the business - and not necessarily fashion but business in general.

This is why it is not overly surprising to learn that leading luxury retailer Holt Renfrew has recently brought in the JUZD Bamboo label (which we first featured here) - a collection of graphic tees made with bamboo.

Designer Jing Liu of JUZD (pronounced “joost”) has no formal training in fashion or design; no work experience in the biz or no art background but has managed to find a niche product that Holt Renfrew is confident will sell.

According to Liu, his success was foreshadowed in feedback from boutiques and consumers, “The fabric’s potential revealed itself when it was shown to boutique sales staff members and stylists. These are the trendsetters – they live and dictate style in our culture. Their excitement at the fabric and graphics really kept the dream, and motivation, alive from the beginning.”

The JUZD collection is scheduled to appear in Holt Renfrew in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton as early as next week.

Mass Exodus Countdown: Kat Marks

What is your collection called? INFUNDIBULUM – named after a term coined by Kurt Vonnegut in his novel The Sirens of Titan, meaning “those places in the universe where the different types of truths fit together”

Season? 3010

What/who are your influences? Dear Kurt Vonnegut: Thank you for your words. You have scratched my retinas clean and I can truly see the world from the outside looking in. I dedicate to you, Infundibulum, my vision of the world you put to paper.

What fabric(s) did you use? The majority of this collection is made with plastic, and a few sequins here and there.

Favorite piece from your collection? My favorite piece is the character named Instructor Bee. She is a teacher at the Schliemann School for Breathing for Martian Recruits. She’s fully dressed in sequins. She is my sick 80’s obsession.

Who did you have in mind when you designed it? I must have been dreaming of the women from Dynasty and those wicked costumes they wore. I would love to live in a world where that costume’s advanced to the year 3010. I think it’s obvious that I love shoulder pads.

What is your design philosophy? “Fuck it, I’m doing it.” My desire is simply to obtain an emotional reaction from the viewer of my work. I like it when people question my reasons.

Favorite piece from your closet? Men’s Tuxedo shoes found at the value village. I like to feel my feet swimming while I walk.

Can fashion be political? Fashion can be made political by the context to which it is used. Anti-fur fashion or sustainable fashion definitely has a political message for the world.

What has four years at Ryerson taught you? I’ve realized that sometimes one has to ignore what is being taught and as Fleetwood Mac says, “go your own way”. But I would like to thank S.T.P for the bag of shoulder pads she gave me in second year. I believe that influenced the rest of my time at Ryerson.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I will be welding metal together in my studio loft in Antwerp, Belgium. After having graduated from The Royal Academy in Antwerp, I think it would be safe to say I just want to make things, show people, and understand their responses. I also will be attempting to create a new mathematical theorem.

What does Canadian Design mean to you? Staying true to who you are as a designer, saying fuck it to anyone who thinks it should have been done another way. I’m proud to be a Canadian designer.

TFI Local Designers

by Tiff IngShirts and Cufflinks by Green Shag

I love discovering new designers. I love buying local. And I love scoring a great deal on fabulous clothing and accessories. So what better way to spend my Saturday afternoon than at the Toronto Fashion Incubator's Guilty Pleasures Designer Sale?

For the last few years, TFI has sponsored a brunch and sale just after Christmas showcasing some of their most promising talent. I skipped out on the brunch, but made it to the public sale, located at the Drake Hotel. The room was packed full of shoppers looking for great deals on distinctive designs from fifteen of TFI's best.

Highlights of the sale included online Boutique Elan—Tim Wu and his crew had some of the most sophisticated looks at the sale. The site sponsors a variety of designers working for the line and encourage trying before you buy with free return shipping. Definitely one to keep in mind.

Leah Bazian had stunning feathered coats and a shawl for every occasion on sale. Particularly eye-catching were the felted yarn and Chinese silk brocade scarves. Deuxme designers Denise David and Evol Williams brought sexy back with corsets and short shorts that would make Paris Hilton blink twice.

For men, Green Shag offered unique ties and adorable, super stylish cufflinks with sports and travel themes in bold colours. (Funky linings on the inside of the collar and French cuffs enable the Green Shag Original to take a gentleman from day to evening by simply unbuttoning the collar (to show a hint of a brightly coloured lining) or by re-fastening the cufflinks to show the cuff colour. Each Shag shirt comes with cufflinks.

Be sure to check out the next TFI sale when it rolls around—it's worth it just to find out about new designers and what's going on in the city! Check out our events pages for more sales.

Nada Yousif @ L'Oreal Fashion Week

Toronto L'Oreal Fashion Week, Spring 2008 Collections


Nada breaks into spring with a riot of rich, jewel-toned colours. Powerful print dresses allow two looks: tied up into a bubble or released into fluid, floor length gowns. Volume is added to raw silk knee length skirts, but remember these are best suited to the few amongst us with a twiggy figure.
Photos by Christina Pal

The Art of FASHION - Oct 5

Part 2 of a design competition, started during Nuit Blanche, culminated last week at Yorkville’s Heliconian Club. The club played host to The Art of Fashion Trunk Show and was also witness to the announcement and award ceremony for the winner of the Surreal Journey design competition.

The following is a list of the finalists for 2007:
Vanessa Lee Wishart (Vicerra) - http://www.vicerra.com/
Stephanie Storm (Glyphiks) - glyphiksdesign.com
Jennifer Fukushima (Paper People Clothing) - paperpeopleclothing.com
Elizabeth Pinter
Adrienne Butikofer - http://www.butikofer.com/
Natasha Lenart - http://www.natashalenart.com/
Tara White (Embody) - http://www.embodyclothing.com/
Gurleen Rai (g.rai)
Filip Karadzic/Rowena Jozic (babu et moi) - http://www.babuetmoi.com/
Christopher Cunningham (Christabel) - http://www.christabelcouture.com/

The winner was Vanessa! Well done to all the contestants. Toronto, as we all know, is bursting with design talent.

After the fashion show and flower pageant for the winner – the serious hard-care shopping began. Featuring the following vendors, offering those-in-the-know-guests super discounts! A TSF.com teamster snapped up an Adrienne Butikofer unique shoelace corsage for a song!

Jacflash Indie Glam on Queen West

by Siya Chen






Father-Daughter Duo Jaclyn and Geoff Genovese opened up the much-needed Indie-glam boutique Jacflash on West Queen St. West.
The beautifully designed store is stocked up with unique and hard to find independent brands from New York, Europe, Australia and Hong Kong. While the black sequined top by Alice + Olivia worn by Jaclyn at the opening night is definitely one of our favorites, the TorontoStreetFashion gang is even more happy to realize that there is a listening booth for independent music at the store. Goodie bag to go for the opening party is the stylish white leather water bottle holder. Now we could finally be fashionable even for those dull exercise routines!

Jacflash, 1036-38 Queen West

Girl's Night out with Men of Steel: CK Party

To celebrate Calvin Klein's 25 years in the booty business my friend and fellow fashion blogger Anita Clarke [I want I got blog] and I went to the Brant House on King St West, to party with 25 nearly naked men!

I decided to make the night all about Anita, and just take her photo with everyone! As she is just back from NYC fashion week and told me she wanted to get back into the Toronto loop. The night began with a CK underwear fashion show featuring hot bodies - men and women. Any free space around the raised runway [eye level with hips and butts = awesome!] was packed with CK fans and everyone had a camera or camera phone - my photos from the night feature more shots of other peoples cameras than anything. Why does nudity always cause a frenzy? I wanted to ask Anita, but she was busy given it the old 'Woot Woot' to the men of steel. Celebrity model Rebecca, the winner of Canada's Next Top Model, took to the stage in her CK nickers. Unfortunately she walks like a surf board and looks like she hates being on stage. Pouting is one thing and usually an acceptable model expression, but frowning. There were other people after the show who were critical of her lack of showmanship. It's lingerie honey - you got to wiggle a little!

Post show we hung out in the VIP area with Deep Dish's Rolyn Chambers and birthday boy MAHA who just happened to have a camera man has part of his entourage filming his every move including his breaking of a silver dome on the floor - he thought it was a chair to pose on. But he broke it and legs went flying akimbo, it was terribly funny!

Heading out Anita and get to the fun bit of attending events - The Gift Bag. We thought this one was pretty good. A CK Naked thong, a gift certificate for a pair of CK men of steel underpants [for the man in my life], CK flip-flops, a note book, a nail file, a business card holder and a wee 15 ml of Euphoria for men. You can tell from the look on Anita's face that it was a super fun night.

Crash, Burn, Yorkville

I heard that the new Chanel boutique was opening last night so.....I crashed the party. Hey, what do you expect - street fashion has no rules! I arrived late, suitable dressed in head to toe black, swinging my fake, second-hand Chanel quilted bag irreverently. Funny that nobody at the opening even came over to say hello - huff can't expect everyone to have manners. What to do? I chatted with the help; who were friendly enough. The new boutique has two levels crammed to the ceiling with more Chanel than you can shake a stick at! As most of the guests had left, I took photos of mannequins dripping in Chanel accessories.

The highlight of this reckless venture was creating my fantasy Chanel shopping list. And the ridiculously expensive Steinway & Sons piano, designed by none other than Karl Lagerfeld. If you have $97,000 laying about you can buy one. It is pretty cool for a piano; hand make in Germany and limited edition of course.

Still feeling reckless, I decided to keep crashing through Yorkville. Next stopping at the new boutique 119 Corbo [119 Yorkville Ave]. Owner Linda Perisa was holding court with some fine looking ladies, who are ready to sell you the latest in Chloe, Mui Mui, Sacai, Stella, YSL and Prada Sport. Ended up at the after party at some bar around the corner with well known Toronto fashion names all getting pretty merry on booze and good looking men. All in all, it was fun, but not really my scene. It was a fun peek inside another world, but with that I headed back to where I belonged - the streets which are Toronto Street Fashion.

Bend Me, Shape Me

Saturday at Dundas Square the Fashion & Design Festival gave the audience something different in the form of fashion. A live draping or moulding demonstration. Draping is a classic designer art form involving lots of pins and patience. Three Toronto Fashion Incubator [TFI] designers worked under pressure and threat of rain to pin fabric onto judy dress forms. Sharing with the masses some behind the scenes skills in the art of fashion design.

A big round of applause to Danielle Meder, Katya Revenko and Engelbert Gayagoy!

Highlight Toronto Designers Show

The Fashion & Design Festival producers came all the way from Montreal to celebrate design in the heart of Toronto. The street audience watching the show Thursday night in Dundas Square got a glimpse of some already well established Canadian fashion brand names.

Designs featured from collections by: Arthur Mendonca, David Dixon, Farley Chatto, House of Spy, Individual By I Clothingco, Izzy Camilleri, Joeffer Caoc, Juma, Kaadiki, Lucian Matis, Pat McDonagh, Pink Tartan, Rashmi Varma, Sunny Choi, Tevrow + Chase and Thieves.

We hope that one day they are all household names!

Fiorucci Find

The world of Fiorucci was introduced to me by one of my best fashion friends while I was living in the U.K. I love the way ‘Fiorucci’ sounds when you speak it; it makes you purse you lips like you are kissing the air. It sounds sexy and playful. So imagine my excitement when just the other day I discovered this vintage poster in my local charity shop. I wish I could post it to my friend Stephanie, but I think I will just send her a photo and make her immensely jealous, as it is one of her all time favorite fashion brands.

Elio Fiorucci was born in Milano in 1935. It was in 1970 that the Fiorucci brand became distinguished by the famous angel logo and hence the brands ultimate trademark. Today the Fiorucci name is synonymous with cheeky fun. The label is definitely collectible, so keep your eyes peeled when vintage hunting.

Profile: House of Spy

House of Spy, by Wendy Wong is based in Toronto but sells in dozens of boutiques all across Canada and the US. This womens wear line is popular among fashionable women for its use of bold colours and prints! This past summer, the 'Enchanted Forest' collection presented wild and amusing prints including palm leaves, cocoa beans and pussy willows in light and relaxed fabrics.

We can't wait to see what's in store for this fall 2007! Check for updates at www.houseofspy.com

TFW: Mendonca, Hardy

Each season, internationally renowned Toronto favorite Arthur Mendonca presents gorgeous gals in a tantalizing line-up of glamorous clothing. This spring offers up a Moroccan palette of mango, desert sands and blue seas fashioned into a collection of colorful sexy, frilly dresses, skirt suits and animal-inspired embellishment.

Paul Hardy’s muted color scheme of icy pastels, dull silver and off-white was inspired by “Icelandic ghost pirates”. For day, Paul Hardy shows layers of baggy, comfortable gauzes and linens, although a few corsets and cropped jackets added to the vision; remarkable, ruched evening dresses have almost a costumy look, suited for the beautiful buccaneers in his fairy tale.
Read Irene Stickney's "Paul Hardy: Poetry in Motion

Ula Zukowska Fall 2005

Toronto Fashion Week was spruced up with the cutting-edge, stimulating creations of Ula Zukowska. For her Fall 2005 collection, Zukowska sticks to what she does best: creating individual designs with energetic layers of texture, movement and depth.

Models graced the catwalk in gauzy, billowy skirts, crinkly chiffons, assymetrical jackets and inviting knits in mohair and wool.

Many items shown were consistent with what we've seen in previous seasons such as waffle look jodphur suits, high necklines and bold zippers - dark winter khakis with splashes of bright oranges. Tattered skirts, knit wraps and shredded blouses are gorgeous!

With personality emanating from each piece, any woman would look anything but boring in this wearable collection! Ula Z. can be found in Toronto's Yorkville area.

Cincyn Fall 2005

Cincyn is Toronto's most talked about label lately - especially after coming in first place at the tfi/Elle Magazine New Labels 2005 design competition last Spring. The winning Fall 2005 collection was inspired by the victorian/edwardian silhouette of Sherlock Holmes and his would-be lovers.

Looking beyond the incredible over-excessive use of fur, the collection features knickers and high-waisted trousers, animal prints and tweeds, and lustrous gowns in chiffon and charmeuse.

At the show, super cool styling helped gain well-deserved attention, I'm sure, as window pane knickers were teemed with custom "CinCyn" brass belts, and all accessories from belts to shoes to walking sticks were perfectly in place.

Beckerman winners at Gen Art Fashion Competition

Toronto label Beckerman joined 34 other design finalists in the prestigious Gen Art fashion competition and was featured in the New York Times:

Front Row Sisters, Sisters, By ERIC WILSON, May 19, 2005
THEIR collections are as aesthetically antithetical as those of Calvin Klein and Bob Mackie, but Rodarte and Beckerman were the most talked about new lines in Tuesday's design competition organized by Gen Art, the nonprofit arts group that showcases young designers. They also share a common thread in that both lines originated in the childhood dreams of sisters.
Read the full article at the New York Times...

Beckerman was also featured in Fashion Magazine, May 2005.