Toronto’s longest running fashion showcase, 1664 Fashion Week hosted by Fashion Art Toronto (FAT), took place this past weekend at T3 Bayside, drawing the city’s most fashionable into one space. Top designers from across the country — including Lesley Hampton, NARCES and L’Uomo Strano — showcased their latest collections on the runway, and attendees ranging from influencers to creatives to Raptors dressed their best for the occasion. A palpable buzz was in the air as attendees celebrated the organization’s 20th anniversary milestone, one which has seen fashion director and Toronto icon Vanja Vasic build the showcase from the ground up — evolving from guerilla style street shows through various Toronto venues, including The Distillery District, to its most recent iteration at the sky-high waterside venue that FAT adopted last fall.
The consensus among attendees both new and seasoned is that FAT has always been a space for people to express themselves, whether that means aiming for best dressed, or donning their most outlandish clothes. It’s home to a community that many consider family — one that is always enthusiastic about the arts and never judgmental.
“Though we’re really small, unlike other fashion weeks, like New York or Paris, we’re really tight knit,” says Hillz, an attendee who explains they’re presently experimenting with their style. “We’re not too serious, yet we’re very professional about it. It’s a loving and caring community, everyone is loud and expressive and it gives a space for everyone to be seen.”
For many fashion week guests, seeing FAT reach 20 years is a testament to how needed an event like this is in the city.
“They have really opened doors for many diverse models, designers and fashion professionals who use fashion as a way to find a safe space. And that’s what FAT has been doing for 20 years — making safe spaces,” says Armando Perla, artistic director and chief curator at the Textile Museum of Canada.
Fashion Art Toronto, arguably more so than even the top fashion weeks globally, is a place for those off the runway to go big, bold and experimental with their own looks.
“We just saw the show, but then we get a second fashion show when everyone walks out. I love seeing what Toronto is wearing, what Canada is wearing,” stylist Tess St. Pierre says of her experience at FAT.
While the crowd bestowed compliments upon compliments onto each other’s looks, Streets of Toronto rounded up 20 of the most stylish attendees to document their outfits, and learn about what FAT means to them.
Designer Litta Xandr enjoyed seeing so many incredible Canadian designers walk the runway, including Lesley Hampton, L’Uomo Strano, reclaimed textile brand Sagradesa and Toronto’s Mario Fugnitto on day one.
“For me, it’s very important to elevate Canadian artists here, especially in Toronto. Having it run for 20 years is very special,” she says. “It’s very heartwarming to see that there is an audience for it here in our city, and that it’s forever growing, potentially even internationally. I think it’s important to bring up the arts and have people in these fields come out and show their creativity.”
Xandr’s friend Mariana Campos noted that, from the perspective of someone who isn’t in the fashion industry here, “it’s so amazing to be able to get closer to high couture, like what you see in like Paris or Milan, in our own city.”
For attendee Elise Tremblay, FAT is more than just a fashion show. “This community is my family, my people. Coming here and seeing people who look like me and fit my vibe is my favourite thing in the world. I work in the beauty industry and beauty and fashion always come together in such a beautiful way. I love to see how people express that.”
Day two featured a special accessories showcase with three emerging Montreal designers, as well as Toronto designer Neechi by Nature’s runway show and a sustainable hand-dyed collection by Wong Kwok Shing.
For model Surudge Mistry, FAT reflects their perception of Canadian fashion as a whole. “I’ve been in the community for just a few years and it’s surrounded with such lovely people. The fact that its lasted for 20 years is fantastic, and it’s the exact energy that I see in fashion in Canada, so it means everything.”
Makeup artist Francine Padilla says the environment at FAT is unlike any other. “I’ve worked a lot of fashion shows, but I feel most respected and at home here. I recognize so many faces, and meet new people, and everyone’s so kind.”
Day three attendee, and first-time FAT-goer, Matt Foti was particularly impressed by the looks sported by those off the runway.
“Not only do you see these different fashion designers being able to express themselves, and the narratives they’re playing with, but you also see that in strangers, which you typically don’t encounter day to day walking on the street, because fashion at that level of honesty takes a degree of risk and earnestness,” he says. “It’s wonderful to be in an environment where people are not only allowed but encouraged to be genuine and honest to parts of themselves, and things that they’re experimenting with.”
Read more street style from last year’s Fashion Art Toronto event.
