This is going rogue, vogue-style.
Two of Toronto's biggest fashion labels pre-empted Toronto's LG Fashion Week, which starts Monday. And one has opted out entirely.
"Our way, we have more creative control," says Kirk Pickersgill, part of a duo with Stephen Wong behind it-label Greta Constantine, which staged its fall fashion show last night at The Courthouse. "From the moment we put pen to paper right up to the runway show ... we are control freaks."
And there's this: "That whole tent situation (at Fashion Week) always has the same people," says Pickersgill. "Our way, we get to pick and choose the people we want to invite."
Toronto Fashion Week, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is a bi-annual event with a mandate to showcase local talent. So what happens when the local talent stage their own shows instead?
Fashion Week organizers yesterday did not return numerous calls for comment.
Thien Le, however, renowned for couture-level craftmanship, wasn't shy to share his view.
"It's a lot of money and you know what, I'm not going to get anything out of it. What's the point?"
The no-nonsense designer caters to jet-set clients at his downtown studio. "A lot of people live on hype. I don't. My clients don't care."
Le showed his collection at Fashion Week last season but won't participate next week.
Designer Philip Sparks, whose Thursday show at the Burroughes Building near Queen and Bathurst Sts. evoked the Russian musical fairy tale Peter and the Wolf, was careful to attribute his pre-Fashion Week staging to esthetics and scheduling, not politics.
"We wanted that hardwood floor, that raw industrial space instead of the slick look of the runway at the tents," he said, noting buyers enjoy the laid-back vibe.
"A lot of our boutique buyers are more inclined to come to a smaller, off-site show than to the tents, which can be overwhelming."
Fashion Week has a few hurdles, most notably price.
A new designer pays $2,500 to show at Fashion Week; a designer label can pay up to $10,000 and a retail chain can pay up to $25,000.
"You are basically a no-name and you're trying to compete at a price point with companies that have major advertising budgets," says designer Izzy Camilleri, whose business is currently on hiatus. "You think that putting yourself on the stage of Fashion Week will help. It does help get you press. I've had a tonne of press. But it doesn't help with sales." In fact, Camilleri says she showed at Fashion Week for four consecutive years but the exposure didn't lead to a single order.
Joeffer Caoc, a well-established designer who has been showing at Fashion Week for nearly a decade, begs to differ. "The media that we get out of it – that is our marketing for the season."
And if what fashion-watchers have witnessed so far is any indication, you can't see the controversy for the clothes. At Greta Constantine last night, feathers, lamé, neoprene and car seat belt celebrated the female form.
Ceri Marsh, editor-in-chief of Fashion magazine, hailed the collection as "lovely and glamourous."
"That's the great thing about fashion, there will always be designers who want to do their own thing," she said. "And people who love fashion and follow fashion will always go wherever they show."
Two of Toronto's biggest fashion labels pre-empted Toronto's LG Fashion Week, which starts Monday. And one has opted out entirely.
"Our way, we have more creative control," says Kirk Pickersgill, part of a duo with Stephen Wong behind it-label Greta Constantine, which staged its fall fashion show last night at The Courthouse. "From the moment we put pen to paper right up to the runway show ... we are control freaks."
And there's this: "That whole tent situation (at Fashion Week) always has the same people," says Pickersgill. "Our way, we get to pick and choose the people we want to invite."
Toronto Fashion Week, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is a bi-annual event with a mandate to showcase local talent. So what happens when the local talent stage their own shows instead?
Fashion Week organizers yesterday did not return numerous calls for comment.
Thien Le, however, renowned for couture-level craftmanship, wasn't shy to share his view.
"It's a lot of money and you know what, I'm not going to get anything out of it. What's the point?"
The no-nonsense designer caters to jet-set clients at his downtown studio. "A lot of people live on hype. I don't. My clients don't care."
Le showed his collection at Fashion Week last season but won't participate next week.
Designer Philip Sparks, whose Thursday show at the Burroughes Building near Queen and Bathurst Sts. evoked the Russian musical fairy tale Peter and the Wolf, was careful to attribute his pre-Fashion Week staging to esthetics and scheduling, not politics.
"We wanted that hardwood floor, that raw industrial space instead of the slick look of the runway at the tents," he said, noting buyers enjoy the laid-back vibe.
"A lot of our boutique buyers are more inclined to come to a smaller, off-site show than to the tents, which can be overwhelming."
Fashion Week has a few hurdles, most notably price.
A new designer pays $2,500 to show at Fashion Week; a designer label can pay up to $10,000 and a retail chain can pay up to $25,000.
"You are basically a no-name and you're trying to compete at a price point with companies that have major advertising budgets," says designer Izzy Camilleri, whose business is currently on hiatus. "You think that putting yourself on the stage of Fashion Week will help. It does help get you press. I've had a tonne of press. But it doesn't help with sales." In fact, Camilleri says she showed at Fashion Week for four consecutive years but the exposure didn't lead to a single order.
Joeffer Caoc, a well-established designer who has been showing at Fashion Week for nearly a decade, begs to differ. "The media that we get out of it – that is our marketing for the season."
And if what fashion-watchers have witnessed so far is any indication, you can't see the controversy for the clothes. At Greta Constantine last night, feathers, lamé, neoprene and car seat belt celebrated the female form.
Ceri Marsh, editor-in-chief of Fashion magazine, hailed the collection as "lovely and glamourous."
"That's the great thing about fashion, there will always be designers who want to do their own thing," she said. "And people who love fashion and follow fashion will always go wherever they show."
No comments:
Post a Comment