The line Upcycled by Miu Miu has collaborated with Levi Strauss & Co. to reimagine a selection of vintage denim clothing. Miu Miu put its recognizable pearls, crystals and floral embroidery on iconic Levi’s garments like men’s 501 jeans and original trucker jackets, masterfully creating a play between masculinity and femininity. Other than a pink Levi’s/Miu Miu branded tag fastened to each piece, no two items are the same. The looks are now available for purchase online at miumiu.com.
The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize digital exhibition opens on May 25
Photography courtesy of Despo Sophocleous.
The fourth edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, hosted at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, opens its exhibit next week. This year’s event is completely digital, using technology that will enable viewers to “walk” through the museum halls and view the featured works of 30 contemporary craft finalists from around the world (narrowed down from 2,920 submissions). Amongst the finalists is Canadian jewellery designer Despo Sophocleous, who creates necklaces by interlocking wooden shapes. On the grand opening of the show on May 25, a winner will be announced and awarded a €50,000 prize.
Saint Laurent collaborates with Memphis Milano
Photography courtesy of Saint Laurent.
From now until June 23, Saint Laurent is hosting an exhibit for Memphis Milano which features an array of the legendary home design brand’s pieces — furniture, textile accessories, ceramic objects; even a selection of rare books will be on display. In celebration, Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello has designed an exclusive limited collection that includes ready-to-wear and shoes that encapsulate the colourful and geometric Memphis vibes. For anyone outside of Paris and Los Angeles who can’t check it all out IRL, hop on ysl.com to peruse and shop the capsule and Milano pieces.
New collection Cycora by Ambercycle makes wardrobe staples from landfills
Photography courtesy of Cycora.
Landfill turns to garments in the new Cycora by Ambercycle collection. The earth-friendly array was designed in Los Angeles by designer and sustainability advocate Madeleine Lyon and knitwear designer Jodi Lee, with the goal of showing consumers how interconnected our world is. How exactly are they doing this? By working with Ambercycle to convert end-of-life textile “waste” into new yarns which are then turned into clothes.
Each piece in the Cycora collection has its own unique scannable QR code, so you can follow your garment’s journey from beginning to when it’s bought.
Reitmans has launched a limited-edition clothing line to celebrate cultural diversity in Canada
Kicking off with a new campaign called Diversity is the Fabric of Canada, Reitmans has launched a limited-edition collection designed in collaboration with seven Canadian women. Each one inspiring in their own way, this diverse set of collaborators — Sandy Kaur Gill, Sarahmée, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, Alexandra Diaz, Mariana Mazza, Angela James and Chan Hon Goh — highlight their unique style and cultural background in the form of T-shirts, scarves and tote bags. For each item sold, Reitmans will donate $2 to a cause selected by the participating women.
Naked Cashmere has partnered with skincare brand Dr. Barbar Sturm on an exclusive capsule
Photography courtesy of Naked Cashmere.
A moment of self-care awaits you in the form of luxurious loungewear. The newly launched Dr. Barbara Sturm x Naked Cashmere capsule collection features four 100 percent pure cashmere pieces: a cardigan, bralette, shorts and cashmere-covered hot water bottle, all available in taupe or grey colourways. Shop the wares, alongside Dr. Barbara Sturm’s new skincare line, the V Collection, on drsturm.com and nakedcashmere.com.
If you’re looking to up your accessory game (applicable to both video call moments AND emerging into the wider world one day), New York-based jewellery brand Edoeyen offers pieces that are both significant and spectacular. Founders and sisters Edo and Eyen Chorm launched the label late last year, inspired by their Khmer roots and the legacy of finery within Cambodian culture.
“Not a lot of people know about it,” Edo notes of the Angkorian civilization; the mythology of this ancient Buddhist/Hindu society, found in the region now known as Cambodia, mesmerized the duo as children. Edo was born in Cambodia and her sister was born in Thailand; their family had fled Cambodia in the wake of the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge, living in Thailand and the Philippines prior to traveling to America “seeking a better life,” says Edo. “We were literally rolling stones, as it was part of the grueling process of seeking alyssum as refugees.” Despite the distance to their ancestral country, the pair’s parents ensured a piece of their heritage was always with them.
“Our mom always told us stories about the Angkorian people,” Eyen says, adding that they also watched movies made during the 1960s and early ‘70s which featured the elaborate traditional costuming of the Royal Ballet. The sisters also learned about the lavish jewellery worn by Angkorians thanks to participation in Cambodian classical dance during their youth. Edo says she was always entranced by the regalia worn by older people in the troupe, and aspired to one day don such extravagant pieces herself.
Thanks to their mutual experiences in the fashion world (Edo is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology and Eyen used to model), the two eventually came to the idea of creating a jewellery line that honoured their Khmer identity, preserving the artistry of historical accessories while infusing a sense of modern cool into the range.
Edoeyen launched with its Face collection, composed of the Neang Neak ear cuff, the Phkachhouk 1.0 and 2.0 earrings, and the bold Kbang crown. Fashioned in New York City’s Diamond District from a choice of either precious or costume materials that are either recycled or new and ethically sourced, the pieces are certainly beyond the ordinary. And that’s exactly the point.
“I love tiaras,” Edo says when highlighting the Kbang’s crowns design and how it instantly elevates a look to royal status. She adds that the piece took a long time to bring to market because of its size and the complication of the design. In fact, all of Edoeyen’s offerings possess a level of intricacy that has largely been absent from the contemporary jewellery landscape thanks to a focus on daintier, minimalistic pieces in recent years.
The sisters, who are self-taught in the area of jewellery design, emphasize that an element of theatricality and grandeur has to be retained in their concepts. After all, they’re reminiscent of the accessories worn by kings and queens. The Neang Neak ear cuff, for example, is an homage to Queen Soma, the purported original monarch of Cambodia. And the Phkachhouk earrings are meant to symbolize hope, rendering the revered Lotus flower in two stages of its growth. The design was influenced by the only publicly-known pair of ancient royal regalia earrings in existence, which are displayed at the National Museum of Cambodia.
While Edoeyen’s pieces amplify the traditions of their ancestry, Eyen says that she and her sister are excited to “bring the designs to the world.” Edo adds that such cultural representation also “helps people have a voice in the [fashion] industry.” The duo recently dropped a teaser from their upcoming Hand collection, due out this summer; a ring boasting a wrap-around serpent-style silhouette.
“We didn’t create this brand to meet a demand,” Edo notes of their measured and curated approach to collection ideation and releases. “It’s to grow an appreciation of this type of art. I know it goes against all the marketing rules, [but] we’re having fun and that’s all that matters for now.”
It is officially Gemini season, and we’ve got you covered with gifts for every ~multi-faceted~ Gemini on your list. The zodiac sign represented by twins — not The Row’s Olsen twins, though they do happen to be Geminis — has a reputation for being irrational, but the sometimes impulsive air sign has many strengths, too. Intellectually curious, playful and passionate, a Gemini is a wonderful leader. Honour that skill by gifting your fave Gemini a standout piece for their next big Zoom meeting, like a retro floral blazer.
True chameleons, Geminis can easily master the ebb and flow of multiple social scenes, effortlessly merging with any friendship circle. After a loooooong year of distance from friends, this social butterfly will appreciate goodies to elevate summer park hangs — think a bluetooth speaker for blasting tunes, a breezy puff-sleeve sundress from Wilfred or a punchy eyeshadow duo that’ll look cute peeking out over a patterned summer mask. And although they may have been voted “life of the party” senior year, this air sign values alone time to create, daydream, read and reset. It can be difficult for a hustling Gemini to push pause on the plethora of things they’ve got going on, so help them carve out solo time with Constance Stellas’s The Little Book of Self-Care for Gemini and a relaxing room diffuser.
Click through below for our favourite gifts for the Gemini in your life.
Before she was cast as legendary Broadway star Liza Minnelli in the Netflix limited series, Halston, actor Krysta Rodriguez was familiar with fashion designer Roy Halston’s persona, but that was the extent of it. “I didn’t know the whole story of Halston’s journey and legacy, and what led to his anonymity as we see him nowadays,” she says. Rodriguez knew that Halston — portrayed by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor — and Minnelli were from the same era but she had no idea of their close-knit friendship and the common threads that held them together. “I didn’t realize how deeply enmeshed they were in each other’s lives and careers, and in actually creating each other as American icons.”
For her own part, Rodriguez was already well-versed in all things Minnelli by the time she landed the role. The actor has an off-Broadway background and Minnelli has long been lauded in the Broadway world (she has four Tony awards). In fact, Rodriguez was doing an off-Broadway play that was in intermission when she learned that she had been cast to play Minnelli. “But I still had to research her because you can’t possibly know enough about someone to think about playing until you do that research,” she tells me from her home in Los Angeles. Rodriguez began immersing herself in everything Minnelli. “For months, there wasn’t a day that went by when I wasn’t reading something or watching something for months.”
Photography courtesy of Netflix Canada
Still, channeling Minnelli for the series — streaming now — wasn’t something that came easily to Rodriguez. “I was very cautious and nervous about articulating the part properly,” she explains. “You have so many chances to get things right in the theatre, and there are so many roles that you get to create from scratch because no one really has a point of reference. But that wasn’t the case with Liza: not only is she a legend but she is a living legend. The weight of what I was doing stayed with me the entire time.”
Comfort in the creative process included the need to feel at home in Halston’s designs. “This is why, for many reasons, the costume designers wanted to create everything from scratch,” she explains. “Most everything was recreated. Some of Halson’s pieces are in museums while other designs don’t exist anymore. We wanted to create designs afresh so that they felt authentic to the people wearing them.”
Photography courtesy of Netflix Canada
The buttercup-yellow pantsuit that Rodriguez wears in the scene where Minnelli marries second husband Jack Haley Jr., for example, was a recreation, designed to fit her meticulously. “The suit felt more authentic to me because had I put on the actual Halston suit I would have looked like someone wearing the costume,” Rodriguez tells me. There is a pantsuit that Minnelli wears in Studio 54 — the legendary New York City nightclub where Halston and Minnelli, among other friends such as jewellery designer Elsa Peretti and model Bianca Jagger were fixtures — that was in a museum and couldn’t be used. “The famous fashion designer Naeem Khan — who was Halston’s protégé in the seventies — recreated that pantsuit from the original pattern of Halston that he had. Because of COVID, he had the time to do it,” she says. “It is as meticulous and close as you can get without having the original.”
Rodriguez remembers one moment when the genius of Halston especially struck her. “I was in a fitting and I happened to see some of the patterns,” she tells me. “I was in awe. The patterns were basically like decorative origami.” Rodriguez was taken by how a lot of Halston’s dresses were minimalist in design but complex in construction. “You can do the whole dress with one theme and I don’t think I understood what it takes to make a dress like that. It feels wrapped around, but it’s so very meticulously thought out and quite a mathematical process. To make something intricate look so effortless takes a lot of mental gymnastics, not to mention very deft fingers.”
Photography courtesy of Netflix Canada
Rodriguez says that while some of Halston’s pieces (a formal caftan, for instance) might not be worn as readily by women today, for the most part his designs are timeless. “I think what makes his fashion so classic is that they are meant for all kinds of women’s bodies. He was very deliberate about dressing all shapes and sizes and that’s what kept him universal for as long as it did. He brought fashion to the masses in a way that wasn’t really done before him.”
In this day and age, Rodriguez believes it’s very difficult to have a designer as ubiquitous as Halston. “It could be that the era of designers like Halston is gone forever,” she says. “That’s not to say that designers today don’t have a great impact. Of course they do. But it’s like television. We used to be a society where everyone would gather around one program. But now we’re heading to a place where we all get our own individual television network. I’m being hyperbolic but with social media the influence is so targeted that it’s almost impossible to have everyone look at the same thing at the same time.” But in the sartorial seventies, everyone was looking at Halston.
Photography courtesy of Netflix Canada
Since the series wrapped, Rodriguez has found herself looking to Halston once again. “I launched my interior design company Curated by Krysta Rodriguez last week, and I was inspired by Halston and Minnelli and their 1970s design aesthetic so much that it influenced my own design style,” she says. Indeed, Halston himself was heralded as a household name having trademarked everything from perfumes to interiors before he lost the rights to design under his name.
“We say this a lot and it’s true: Halston was the original influencer,” says Rodriguez. “He put his name on everything. And money was one only part of that equation: I think he just loved showing off and he loved being good at a lot of things. It was a real high for him to be the arbiter of taste in every arena.” She pauses, then adds, “And he was.”
The Fernanda Ly you see walking down the runway and posing in editorials and ad campaigns is the personification of cool. She exudes both a quiet magnetism and an air of mystery that some might interpret as her being standoffish. Fernanda Ly in real life is warm and self-effacing, with softer edges. For someone whose presence commands attention on camera, she’s pretty much attention-averse when she’s off the clock. Except for when it matters. That’s when Ly shows up and isn’t afraid to speak out.
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Jacket, $5,700, and top, $630, Celine by Hedi Slimane. Skirt, $3,250, Chanel. Boots, $1,900, R13. Hat, $695, Prada. Bag, $1,755, Alexander McQueen.
Her YouTube channel provides perhaps the most intimate look at the real Ly, showing many facets of her prismatic personality. Originally intended as a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like being a working model in the fashion industry, it has evolved, thanks to the pandemic, into a channel for Ly’s varied and sometimes niche interests — her luxury handbag and shoe collections, her adventures in building a mechanical keyboard and her love of beauty, anime and cosplay. But she also doesn’t shy away from digging deeper, especially when sharing the realities of being a model — the good and the bad. “The fashion industry is really secretive, even though it has such a luxurious image,” says Ly on a Zoom call from New York. “I want potential models to be aware of what they’re signing up for and to bring awareness to the unsavoury parts.”
Ly first came blazing into the fashion world at age 19 with her pastel-pink hair, turning heads on a runway full of notables as she walked Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2015 show. She was booked by creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, who signed her on for a five-season runway exclusive. Ly not only mesmerized attendees of Paris Fashion Week but also drew the fashion world’s collective attention — it practically vibrated with excitement.
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Top, $1,180, leggings, $675, and belt, $515, Etro. Sunglasses, $185, Lu Goldie. Earrings, $390, Nickho Rey. Bag, $2,790, Burberry. Bracelet, $310, Sportmax.
This was a pretty impressive feat for a girl who’d been scouted just two years previously, before her final high-school exams, at a shopping centre in her hometown of Sydney, Australia. Before that, Ly had lived a relatively normal existence. She was born to Chinese parents who had moved to Australia from Vietnam in search of a better life and was raised in the suburbs of Sydney. The honours student was pursuing an architecture degree at the University of Technology Sydney until her career was catapulted by a single catwalk appearance. Once the work started pouring in, she pressed pause on her studies and turned her full attention to modelling.
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Top, $2,190, and skirt, $1,280, Burberry. Bag, $5,750, Louis Vuitton.
Ly went on to book shows and ad campaigns for fashion heavyweights like Dior, Chanel, Tiffany & Co. and H&M. She also travelled the world — from Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve (to raise awareness for elephant conservation) to near Mount Fuji for a photo shoot. Meanwhile, her quirky fashion sensibility made her a street-style favourite and her striking pink hair topped every beauty mood board. (FYI, her much-lauded cotton-candy strands were a DIY dye job, thanks to some bleach and Manic Panic.)
Despite her success, Ly strove to be more than, in her words, “a hanger.” In 2017, she contributed to a series of personal essays on Models.com, bringing light to the sexual harassment within the modelling industry. She shared her experience of being inappropriately touched by a stylist and pointed out the various ways models are mistreated. Many of the models who also shared their experiences for the website’s survey chose to remain anonymous. “I also heavily considered that,” she admits, before adding: “It feels more personal when you know who and what someone experienced. I wanted people to know that they’re not alone.”
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Top, $1,410, and shorts, $1,505, Dolce & Gabbana. Shoes, $335, Larroudé. Necklace, $310, Lele Sadoughi.
This decision might seem at odds with the model’s reticent personality, especially since Ly has always safeguarded her personal space. “There are some things that I believe are more important than my privacy, which is why I choose to speak out about them,” she explains. It’s why the thoughtful slivers that she does share carry more weight.
Ly inadvertently became the cool Asian model, which came with its own set of pressures and expectations, especially for someone her age. “People had an image of me, and I wanted to reach that image and be who they thought I was without really knowing who I was within myself,” she shares.
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Dress, $4,325, Stella McCartney. Belt, $1,130, Alexander McQueen.
She also became aware of how the industry tends to view Asian models. “Asians are not a monolith,” says Ly. “Everyone thinks an Asian person is Chinese, Japanese or Korean. They always think of East Asia, but there’s also Southeast Asia. And when they want an Asian model, it’s always a model with black hair and pale skin. People don’t realize that we also come in many different colours and varieties. There are billions of Asians out there, so why would people think we all look the same?”
When it comes to identity, Ly has struggled with being put into boxes and never quite neatly fitting into any of them. She’s too Australian to be the Asian model, too Chinese to be the Australian model and not Chinese enough since her parents are from Vietnam. Once she moved abroad, she realized that she actually feels Australian the most. Ironically, it’s the part of her identity that she gets questioned about most often.
Earlier this year, anti-Asian hate crimes grew and gave rise to the Stop Asian Hate movement, which added another layer to a pandemic that was already rife with challenges. “It’s about time that people became aware of our experiences, which aren’t just limited to America,” she says. “They’re shared global experiences and something that the Asian diaspora has grown up with. The situation has gotten worse in the past few years, where casual racism has become very openly accepted.”
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Blouse, $1,860, shorts, $790, necklace, $685, leather belt, $700, and chain belt, $1,670, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
Ly is no stranger to it either. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an Asian person who hasn’t experienced racism of some sort in their life,” she says. “I have — through work. People try to talk about me, not knowing that English is my first language and that I can understand them. It seems small, but it builds a lot of anger and resentment within you over the years.”
As more people get vaccinated and there’s a glimmer of hope, Ly’s uneasiness remains. “There’s always this lingering sense of sadness and anger because we’re all worried about what the next big thing will be,” she says. Something as simple as stepping outside has become a big deal. “It’s supposed to be safe to go outside, but it’s still just very scary. What if I’m next?” When her friends go biking, in addition to their masks, they wear sunglasses and a hat and tie their hair back so they won’t be easily identified as Asian. “This is something they’re supposed to be doing for leisure,” laments Ly.
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Collared shirt, $235, Danielle Guizio. Green top, $1,540, and skort, $2,530, Valentino. Earrings, $180, Alison Lou.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, there have been some silver linings. Ly, who admits to being a homebody, has learned to readjust. She taught herself video editing for her YouTube channel. Last December, she brought home a kitten named Butter who has kept her smitten and entertained. When the fashion industry pivoted to Zoom shoots, Ly welcomed some of the creative control she got as a model. “We had to do our own makeup or wear our own stuff, which was really fun,” she says. And the pandemic has also strengthened some of her friendships.
Right now, her modelling work has started to pick up again. Another thing that likely won’t remain the same for much longer is Ly’s hair colour, which has been blond for the past two years. When she dyed it after almost seven years of sporting the same shade, she decided that this was the new her — older and wiser. But whatever colour palette she lands on next, she has already proven that she’s more than just “the girl with the pink hair.”
Photography by LILY & LILAC. Blazer, $2,945, cardigan, $975, bra, price upon request, shorts, $975, bike shorts, $275, bag, $1,925, necklace, $500, bracelet, $700, Versace.
Photography byLILY & LILAC.Styling byDAVIAN LAIN.Creative direction byGEORGE ANTONOPOULOS.Hair byBEN JONES FOR BRIDGE ARTISTS/REDKEN.Makeup byALLIE SMITH FOR BRIDGE ARTISTS/MAC.Manicure byELINA OGAWA FOR BRIDGE ARTISTS/ZOYA.Photography assistant:CHRIS COOK.Fashion assistants:PIERINA CARLIN, JACQUELINE BENN SCHUPPE.Makeup assistant:TOMOMI GONZALEZ.
The seventh annual CAFA Awards took place on May 19, playing out virtually for the first time ever. Hosted by Canadian actress Amanda Brugel, the ceremony popped in and out of the homes of presenters, guests, winners and nominees in real time, helping the fashion community feel as connected as ever after more than a year of isolation.
“Toronto, we’ve been going through a lot of hard times. Our industry is very small, but together we can build it and make it stronger,” expressed Kirk Pickersgill, co-creator at Greta Constantine. The beloved Canadian label, seen in recent months on global stars like Viola Davis and Amanda Gorman, took home the Womenswear Designer of the Year award. “We have to stay together, we have to play together and we have to be together, no matter what we go through.”
The annual CAFA Awards shine a much-needed spotlight on the vibrant talent and emerging creatives in Canada’s fashion landscape. Montreal milliners Alex Surprenant and Melodie Lavergne of Fumile took home the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent (Accessories), and Victoria Hayes was awarded the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent (Fashion) for her eponymous label. Both recipients received a $10,000 honorarium.
Hayes is Toronto-raised and New York-based, just like International Designer of the Year recipient Tanya Taylor. “This year’s provided me a lot of time to look back at how and why I’ve started this brand, and a lot of it is rooted in being Canadian,” said Taylor.
“When I moved to New York, I didn’t know anyone in the industry or the city, and I saw something I wanted to change. I wanted the fashion industry to feel more inclusive; I wanted to provide more joyfulness; I wanted it to be rooted in community. I wanted more women to wear clothing that allowed them to express themselves. When I look back at how I was raised in Canada and what a lot of the morals are of Canadians, it’s that, ‘diversity is beautiful.'”
Grace Lee gave an impactful acceptance speech, too, winning the Makeup Artist of the Year award. Lee’s success is reinforcement that determination and hard work pays off. “I’ve been doing this job for 24 years, and I’ve heard a lot of ‘no’. I want to thank those people who have said those really important ‘yeses.’”
The Outstanding Achievement Award went out to FASHION Magazine’s April 2020 cover co-star Maye Musk, who, at 73 years old, proves that women can achieve success and recognition at any age. Twenty-five years ago, Musk was living in a rent-controlled apartment, supporting three teenage kids, working toward her Masters degree at the University of Toronto while modelling part-time and establishing her dietitian business. “Some of you who have not received such wonderful awards yet, just keep going,” she said.
See the full list of 2021 CAFA winners, along with each categories’ nominees, below:
The Womenswear Designer of the Year Award
Greta Constantine, recipient
Beaufille
Eliza Faulkner
Judith & Charles
UNTTLD
The Menswear Designer of the Year Award
3.PARADIS, recipient
Dime
Frank and Oak
HAVEN
Hip and Bone
Raised by Wolves
The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Fashion
Victoria Hayes, recipient
Luxton
Mani Jassal
RVNG
Spencer Badu
Steven Lejambe
The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Accessories
Canada’s oldest retailer is set to launch the Hudson’s Bay Fashion Fund, an annual grant of $25,000 paired with a three-year mentorship program, aimed at fostering emerging BIPOC Canadian designers.
“George Floyd’s death was a galvanizing moment for many,” says Tyler Franch, VP fashion director at the department store. “At Hudson’s Bay, it was apparent that we needed to look at how we do business and how we support the BIPOC community. The Fashion Fund is one of many steps we have [taken] and continue to take to accelerate racial equity in Canada.” The choice to offer this opportunity to BIPOC designers, he continues, was an acknowledgement of the “systemic disadvantages” these communities can face. “As Canada’s fashion retailer we need to be accountable [to] and reflective of all Canadians,” says Franch, “to ensure diversity in the brands we offer, as well as the designers we work with.”
Hudson’s Bay has also recently released its “Charter For Change” which marked the company’s 351st anniversary by acknowledging a need to “reconcile its past” (which includes a troubled history with Canada’s Indigenous people) and “change for a more equitable future.” That includes a commitment of $30 million over ten years for the Hudson’s Bay Foundation to support anti-racism education and create career opportunities for BIPOC people. “[The Fashion Fund] is part of a holistic approach Hudson’s Bay is taking to build an equitable Canada for all,” says Franch.
The fund combines a monetary grant with a mentorship program that will give the recipient the opportunity to learn from various departments across Hudson’s Bay — product development, material sourcing, finance, marketing — as well as the opportunity to have their work featured on the retailer’s website or in their brick-and-mortar stores. “While the financial support is obviously incredibly important, investing long-term in the growth of the brand through mentorship and real-time experiences is really what sets this fund apart from others,” explains Franch of the model they’ve chosen. “With a national footprint of stores combined with the 5th largest e-commerce business in Canada, Hudson’s Bay can provide unparalleled insider access to Canadian retail.” The program is designed to “build a thriving brand and business,” he continues, nodding to the knowledge gap that can often exist in creative industries between creating beautiful things and actually being able to make a living from it.
For Franch, who helped to spearhead this initiative within Hudson’s Bay, helping to build that bridge between talent and opportunity is what this fund is all about. “As a former [magazine] editor, I recognize that the market is looking to support and showcase emerging Canadian designers, but they often do not have the runway to succeed,” he says, noting that the dream of this fund is to be the launching pad of say, the next Virgil Abloh. “We want to be part of their success and bring global attention to Canadian design.”
While the exact details — including eligibility criteria — have not yet been announced, the fund’s recipients will be chosen by an advisory board that Franch says will be “a diverse panel of some of the country’s leading industry and societal change-makers.” Applications open this September.
