Free Fashion Workshops for youth under 29

A Passion For Fashion - Orientation Sessions

June 16 & 23, 2009
5:30pm Doors Open
6:00pm Session Begins

Youth Employment Services (YES) has teamed up with Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) to create this amazing opportunity for youth to learn about entrepreneurship and fashion design.

Sign up for one of these FREE information sessions to learn more. Targeted to youth aged 16 - 29 living in the Province of Ontario, who are not professional fashion designers, A Passion For Fashion participants will receive workshops on starting a business, fashion design and marketing, one-on-one mentorship and a chance to enter the Fashionista's Den Competition where one lucky youth will win $1,000 cash, a one-year TFI Outreach membership and 50 hours of business advisory and fashion mentorship.

Visit www.yes.on.ca for eligibility, program information and additional orientation dates and locations in the GTA. To register for the June 16th and 23rd sessions, contact Youth Employment Services at Gabrielle_zilkha@yes.on.ca or call 416-504-5516 ext. 233.

Toronto Fashion Incubator, 285 Manitoba Dr., Toronto

DIY: Bathing Suits

Sew Be It Studio offers sewing and pattern-making courses all year round, but this one caught my eye! How cool would it be to be able to make your own, custom-made swimsuit?!

In this three-week workshop, you'll learn how to make your own swimsuit that will fit you like a second skin, and flatter your body in ways most store bought ones can't. You'll be able to use the skills learned in this class so that you never have to buy another bathing suit again.

Three Week Course
Sew Be it Studio, 2156 Yonge Street, Toronto
June 20, Saturdays
Time: 2pm – 5pm
$95 + GST - Bring your own fabric (2-way spandex)
416-481-7784

Professional Help for Industry

Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) Introduces a New Team of TFI Consultants

Need some direction and advice to get your business moving in the right direction? TFI's Industry experts are available to help with advice and knowledge about the industry.

Members Only
TFI Outreach Members exclusively receive 120 minutes of one-on-one scheduled consultation time with volunteer expert consultants per membership year. Whether about retail, PR, exporting or sponsorships - this is an amazing opportunity to take advantage of.

TFI members also benefit from many other resources including networking events, a resource centre and production facility, meeting space and media events. $130/year. www.fashionincubator.com

TFI New Labels® seminar for DESIGNERS

In addition to the 40+ runway shows at the upcoming L'Oreal Fashion Week, the Toronto Fashion Incubator will be presenting its annual TFI New Labels® seminar in the Fashion Environment tent at Nathan Phillips Square. Gain tips and advice on how to develop a winning TFI New Labels® collection from guest speakers David Dixon, National Post fashion writer Nathalie Atkinson and 2008 TFI New Labels® winner Eugenia Leavitt.

About the Competition
TFI's prestigious, national fashion design competition is an annual event giving new designers a chance to win a prize package valued at $25,000 from ELLE Canada!

Friday, October 24th 2008 @ 2 p.m. Tickets for the TFI New Labels® seminar are available for $25.00+GST and can be purchased online here >>>

A Collective Look at the Fashionable Year

(thoughts on Canuck fashion continue...)Sonja Snoops 2007: Predictions, hopes and inspirations from various visionaries in Toronto's style community

Torontstreetfashion.com solicited the perspectives and opinions from visionaries in the Toronto style community including a club owner, model agent, fashion event producer and fashion editor.

We hope that these visions will provoke some thoughts of your own about the state of fashion and style in Toronto.

Read what the collective has to say…….

Have a Clothing Swap

What a great way to freshen a wardrobe: We had our first quarterly Clothing Swap at The Drake Underground, Sunday Jan 21, 2007.

About 20 stylish gals brought bags, suitcases and even bundle buggies full of pre-loved clothes and accessories to pawn off to her fellow shopper! All items were sorted and displayed on clothing racks where participants could browse and pick their faves.

Every corner of the room was turned into impromptu changing rooms while hats, shoes, dresses and coats circulated until new owners were found! Overall, this was a fabulous and fun time - sort of like an intimate shopping experience with all your girlfriends!

For those thinking of organizing a swap:
Set guidelines - This is important so guests don't clean out their closets at your expense! We asked for good condition designer, vintage and classic pieces so everyone was on the same page.
Set an intake time - We didn't specify an intake time so the early birds missed out on bags of clothes that came afterwards.
Recruit volunteers - our swap required many hands to keep it smooth. Thanks a bunch to stylist Daniel Wilson; Joseph, Kate and Tiff who hung and displayed; Carolee for organization and Katherine for doing follow-ups.
Plan B - we had bags of clothing left over after the event which we carted over to a local women's shelter.

Working with the Media

2nd Part of Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) and P&G’s Business of Beauty Series: “Working With the Media”
by Adrian Corsin

Feature Speaker: Rita Silvan, Editor-in-Chief of ELLE magazine

What is an Editorial & How do you get an Editorial?

Everything in a magazine that is not advertising or a paid ad is an editorial. Rita says that there are three very important things you should do to get an editorial.

#1. “Masthead is key!”

Masthead is the list of staff/contributors in a magazine. She warns that some magazines pad their masthead. Contributing editors, for example, are not on staff, but are just affiliated with the magazines. She recommends to look for the word “Editor” in someone’s job title, as a general rule of who to contact.

Read more >>


#2 Understand what people do at the magazine.

Rita says the Fashion Director is the most important person to pitch your product to. However, she recommends to speak to the editorial assistant first. Ask them, “Who is the best person to see?” Rita says it is all of matter of getting over your fears and just making a cold call to someone at the magazine. It’s the first step in making some contact, but she cautions against stopping by the office without making a call first.

She also warns that approaching the Editor-in-Chief will sometimes dilute your chances of success, just because they are so busy.


#3. Acknowledge that people are Busy and Always Be Polite

With whoever you are speaking to, Rita says to ensure that you acknowledge that they are very busy. She adds that while politeness is common sense, it goes a long way.

It is okay to send samples and make follow up phone calls to get feedback about the product. She says that as long as you are kind and courteous, people will be willing to help you.

Everything You Need to Know About Press Kits

Rita says that images are key! No images, she says, means “Game over!” CD or e-mail is ideal and adds that “short and sweet” is the best way to go. For press releases, she says that a page or less should be the goal.

As for how often you should send press kits and press releases really depends on the magazine. Rita recommends to develop a relationship with someone at the magazine to help you “feel out” what type of publication it is and how often they want to see new things from you.

Should designers use a PR person?

Rita says that she truly likes to speak to designers themselves and create that human touch. Especially if you are a junior designer, she says that is not expecting to see a slick presentation.

She adds that some PR people are very annoying and it can have a negative impact. However, if the magazine is already connected to a PR person, the magazine would likely be more inclined to see your work.

Employment at ELLE (and other magazines)

ELLE magazine offers many entry-level internships. Rita says this is the ideal way to get your foot into the magazine and build contacts.

Working with Stylists

The Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) and P&G presents:
Working with Stylists (and how to become a stylist)

Refine your brand and imagery to capture the attention of media and buyers

As new sponsors on board, P&G have made it possible for TFI to offer a new
six-part education series for people in the fashion industry. Ever so
convenient, a new online format allows people from all over the chance to
participate from home! Not only can you watch and listen to the real-time
webcast (key points are also typed in), you can also ask questions and add
comments that are relayed by a mediator.

Panel: Howard Barr, hairstylist; David Goveia, make-up artist; and Michelle
Paino, wardrobe stylist

Runway and Editorial:
A stylist can help designers with the overall look and essence of a
collection for either runway shows or print work such as editorial coverage
or promotion material (look books, brochures, etc.) When working with
stylists, all three panel members strongly encourage designers to maintain
clear communication, and be assertive and prepared.


>> read the rest of the article >>


"I've showed up to shows and had no communication with the designers," says
David Goveia, "We don't want to overshadow the designers, so you must tell
people what you want."

It is very important to find someone who can do what you need that fits into
your budget and timeline. Many stylists will meet with designers to help
figure out ways to make the situation 'work', so it is very important to
work out a budget early so these stylists have time to prepare. A wardrobe
stylist needs to shop around, so the more time the better; while some hair
and make-up people can plan early and are then able to walk onto a set
before a show and do their thing.

Fees
(Approximate fees for a wardrobe stylist: junior $500 per day/show, experienced
up to $1200 per day/show. Plus 20% agency fee - all negotiable)
Even if you don't have the cash, don't be intimidated to approach a stylist
- Sometimes you can find entry-level people who are looking for experience
(remember: you get what you pay for!), and sometimes you can barter for
services and pay people in merchandise, etc. Either way, it is a good idea
to build relationships with these people in the industry that can
potentially help your brand to grow.

How to Become a Stylist

School
In most cases you need some sort of education, whether from college,
occasional courses, workshops, etc. From here, it's up to you to further
your knowledge base and skills.

Volunteer
Assist, assist, assist! Nobody makes it to the top without paying their
dues! It is of the utmost importance to find other stylists to assist
(contact an agency) and help out where you can. Volunteer at charity fashion
shows and events. Work your butt off and don't expect to get paid!

Build your Portfolio
One of the most effective ways to build your portfolio (which could take
years) is to contact a stylist and lend your expertise to "creative" photo
shoots - again, non-paying. It's like getting a bunch of friends together
(photographer, models...) and producing your own photoshoots. Be patient and
build a good team. This is a great way to meet a lot of people in the
industry.

How to become a fashion editor

How to become a fashion editor

Last week Toronto Star fashion editor Bernadette Morra and stylist Derick Chetty answered fashion editing and styling career queries in their weekly "Naked Lunch" q&a blog:
http://thestar.blogs.com/nakedlunch/2006/07/how_to_become_a.html