TORONTO - More than 35 runway shows, dozens of the nation’s top designers and a flurry of activity converge this week in Toronto for the biannual love-fest known as LG Fashion Week.
LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oreal is the full name of the event which kicks off tomorrow, with a new venue and the theme Wear Love.
“Wear Love is about a group of like-minded people who love fashion and have similar energy, purpose and commitment to creating and celebrating fashion in Canada, and globally," says Robin Kay, president of the Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) which produces the event.
"Wearing love is about going the second mile and actually walking the walk and talking the talk.”
The fashion shows will preview the latest designer collections and forecast the key fashion trends and colours we’re likely to wear next spring.
Excitement and anticipation are running high as many have spent months preparing for the event.
“The entire process takes months and is quite consuming, but is well worth the effort to be able articulate my vision on the runway," says Vancouver-based designer Cheri Milaney.
"The preparation for our spring 2010 show began immediately after our last show in March."
Although the event takes place in Toronto, fashion week’s reach stretches wide, with many designers, including Calgary’s Paul Hardy, Vancouver’s Vata Brasil, Halifax-based Katrina Tuttle and Montrealers Travis Taddeo and Andy The-Ahn, hailing from near and far.
Others, such as New York based designer Romona Keveza, Mumbai-based Vibygor and the Dubai-based Frame design duo, are part of an international contingent who are also strutting their stuff.
“We’re launching our first commercial collection here at LG Fashion Week. We feel it’s the perfect foundation for building a recognizable brand and look forward to immersing ourselves in the fashion community,” says Dubai-based designer Stephen Frame of Frame.
This week’s spate of shows will include retail offerings and present a wider representation of menswear than at some fashion weeks.
Designer menswear collections include those by Lizares and Bustle, as well as the clothes of several Canadian designers and manufacturers that will appear on the runway of local retailer Gotstyle Menswear.
Retailers Joe Fresh Style, Sears Canada and Rudsak will show their spring collections, while Alberta-based Triple Flip will make their Ontario debut by staging a runway photo shoot to showcase trends for tweens.
Holt Renfrew also shows highlights from featured designers at a by-invitation-only, off-site event that takes place during tomorrow evening’s cocktail hour.
Tomorrow‘s official opening gala featuring "100 Years of Beauty by L’Oreal Paris" combines fashion and drama with a special presentation of garments from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
“We’ve teamed a number of items from festival designers with current looks from the fall 2009 collections, and have also selected four period costumes to illustrate the historical influence on the designs we are seeing today,” says Erika Larva, one of the show’s producers.
Toronto’s week of fashion takes place at a new, two-acre venue at 1030 King St. W. which allows for more space and activities, more guests and greater accessibility.
“We’re excited about our new location as we feel it helps make us more visible and accessible to the street and the people, and helps us to show all those who love fashion, that fashion is alive and well,” says Kay.
There’s an extended main runway which is said to be close to a mile long and another area for by-invitation-only gatherings, such as the Hot Lights fashion photography panel discussion and book event which takes place on Wednesday afternoon.
While a few events may be private, much of what goes on will be public.
Although LG Fashion Week logically attracts a large attendance from retail buyers, designers and other industry insiders, this year’s larger facility hopes to attract more members of the fashion-loving public.
Want to go?
For those who are interested, but unable to get tickets, there are street side windows which will allow those outside to view what’s happening.
However, more seating should translate into more tickets for sale to the public.
“There’s more room for seating and about five percent of the available tickets are reserved for sale to interested consumers who want to attend the shows,” says Megan Loach, the FDCC’s Director of Communication.
Along with the runway shows, there’s at least one exhibition.
Fashion Forward will be staged by the Ontario College of Art & Design Professional Gallery in the Fashion Environment tent for all to see.
According to OCAD Curator and exhibition organizer Charles Reeve, the exhibit shows how clothing designers tackle important social needs with their creations, including the need for wearable tech. Designs on display include items such as heart monitor vests and LED –equipped dresses.
While there are sure to be many memorable moments in the days between opening and closing nights, the fashion shows end on a strong note on Friday night with the Dare to Wear Love Fashion Show and after party.
The Dare to Wear Love Fashion Show, produced by Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell of Hoax Couture, will feature the creations of about twenty-five fellow Canadian designers who have been “dared” to create luxurious gowns made of materials sourced from African communities, and to raise $100,000. each, to help the Stephen Lewis Foundation support African communities affected by Aids.
“We’re creating a celebration of talent, of music, of the achievements of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and of the resilience of the people who participate in the projects that the foundation supports,” says designer and producer Chris Tyrell of Hoax Couture.
