Fashion Art Toronto — recently renamed from Alternative Fashion Week — is Fashion Week’s younger and more expressive cousin. Held in a loft space on Sterling Road (next to the Nestlé chocolate factory, which emits mouthwatering aromas), the festival gives up-and-coming designers a chance to expose their creations to an open-minded and alternative crowd. Alongside the runway shows you’ll find this fashion event’s unique selling point: art, and lots of it.
This year, attendees can meander through an installation exhibit featuring video projections and live performances. There’s also a wall of fashion photography, presented in conjunction with Germany’s Goethe-Institut, showcasing the work of select Berlin-based photographers. All this makes for a rather convivial atmosphere, although admittedly we did miss the live music acts from last year’s event.
The event is held over four days, each with a different theme. The first day focused on landscapes, while day two explored cityscapes. Standout designers from the first half of the week included Armour by Seema, Angela Sum, Parade and the well-loved Emily Woudenberg. While Fashion Art Toronto does sometimes have overtly crafty leanings — and a fondness for fetish gear — these designers have coherent visions that translate into strong market potential.
Check out the gallery below for pics from the shows
Emily Woudenberg — one of the top 20 finalists for the Mercedes-Benz Start Up — is a talented designer who refuses to stick to just one design outlet. Having recently crafted unique concrete jewellery for Line, the designer’s fall/winter collection was inspired by ’90s fashion and media egos. The androgynous garments were all covetable; a look worn by a male model paired an emerald green and black tee with hunter-green trousers, while various garments featured a taupe Ben-day dot print. Accompanying most looks were hefty rope necklaces starring beetles suspended in resin.
At Armour by Seema, designer Seema Patel matched feminine floral-print garments with masculine leather pieces, which referenced historical body armour. The opening look featured a tan leather corset fitted over a cotton dress, while a leather “sleeve” elevated a basic tee into something far more avant-garde.
Angela Sum’s collection was inspired by wintery things like snowstorms, ice and glaciers. The designer played with texture, and used a colour palette of white and its closest kin; a softened neon green broke up the monochromaticism. Favourite looks included a knobby, slouchy knit that fell off the shoulder with ease, and a gently draped silk gauze dress with a hint of neon green and pink at the hem.
At Parade, Ryerson grad Cailin Banks matched boiled wool with metallic leathers to great effect. Although some of the pieces featured leather patchworks — somewhat reminiscent of those ’90s patchwork leather bags — the majority of the garments use the leathers in a more restrained manner. As of late, we seem to be seeing more use of metallic and lamés on the runway; unfortunately more often than not, they read as cheap. Banks managed to avoid this pitfall by adding just a hint of it; a sliver of pale green peeked from the back of a cape, while a pair of well-cut wool pants was edged in dark blue. Meanwhile, patchwork bandeaus would be a fun addition to any outfit.
Fashion Art Toronto, 213 Sterling Rd. To April 28.
