Cookie Cutter Bloggers

Isn’t everyone tired with looking at cookie cutter style from these fashion bloggers on social media? Do you notice some of the styles have such close resemblance that you can’t even recognize who is who? Sadly, this is the case and it’s very boring and bland. Nothing in their style makes it interesting when it is supposed to be exciting, questionable, and fun to look at.

There is one problem from a random viewer’s perspective like myself and maybe you as well.  Did you know some of these famous fashion bloggers are sponsored by a great number of brands with different styles?

These trendy fashion bloggers are wearing sponsored products no matter whether they like their style or not.  Brand sponsorship money can be lucrative and enticing.  Some fashion bloggers would quit their normal jobs or schooling to pursue on marketing themselves even further to build their portfolio.

A majority of fashion bloggers, I am certain that they do have fashion sense, understanding, and knowledge in fashion based on their own-curated taste, which is a pleasure to see for normal people. I mean that’s how they became famous, right? But after they gain more popularity and when being reached by these sponsors, it’s not easy for them to refuse free products and the money, even though the fashion brand’s images, styles don’t go along well with their own unique style. That’s how the fashion bloggers’ world works these days; you get paid to wear clothes.

With social media, they became more famous all over the world and they are considered as celebrities in the fashion circles.

There is one fashion blogger that I absolutely enjoy looking at her style, written articles and learning so much about fashion from.  It’s Leandra Medine who is a founder of the website “The Man Repeller”.  She’s also a writer, a fashion blogger and a considered a game changer in fashion industry. Her blog has become an inspiring fashion website that post a lot of content to read, see and even a podcast that’s fashion- related. I particularly like that she has a good sense of humor and quirkiness about fashion that is always treated so seriously.

Leandra Medine definitely has her own style that is very unique and distinctive. I would say she is such a genius at mix-match. Her outfits are never boring but fun and stylish at the same time. She has different ways of putting things together and they always turn out very nicely. What I like about her is that she doesn’t just feature the products or items from sponsors meaninglessly; she is the woman who speaks up her voice and tells the public her honest and critical opinions on fashion trends.

According to the interview with Marie Claire, September 10. 2015. She claimed that she wants to connect with her readers through fashion. “I think fundamentally Man Repeller is a voice for women to connect with; they can come and try it on for size and be a part of it, and if it works for them, they take it with them. Of course the site is going to be bigger than I am, that's realistic if we're talking about Man Repeller as an attitude and not just the pastime of a single person. A really good piece of advice that I got from a friend was, don't cater your instinct to the people around you.”

She also gave an advice to fashion newbies who try to incorporate bolder pieces into their wardrobe "That comes down to confidence, which is also about honesty. So don't integrate anything into your wardrobe that's going to make you feel hugely uncomfortable when you leave home. Get the comfort thing down first–baby steps. If you love a huge shoulder-padded jacket, but you know you can't leave home without it because it's just going to make you feel uncomfortable, try putting tissues inside one of your shirts first. Ease yourself into the pool." This pretty much sums up what she thinks about fashion. She always tells you shouldn’t think about what others feel about how you dress, but be your authentic self.

This is why Leandra has been honored in Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business" and Business Insider's "Most Inspiring Innovators and Entrepreneurs Under 40," and twice named to Forbes' "30 under 30."

As a fashion student, she is the best example and the most inspirational person in fashion industry and I attain so much information from The Man Repeller website. I strongly recommend to all fashion students to read her site at lease once a week.  Her website contains so much information that is helpful, informative but fun as well. Every time when I read about her article and gives me the feeling how this person loves what she does and that could be the best feeling in one’s life. 

This is a Women`s world. The power of women entrepreneurship.

As the time goes by very fast and the graduation is at the door, students start to make their plans about further pathway in career. Thankfully, these days women can have everything on their plates: to be a mother, wife and a successful businessperson at the same time. This article is about experiences and advices for women  how to start your own business and where to get inspiration for it.

From the local view, there is one very motivational story about two women that started their business and opened a fashion store together even without knowing each other’s last names. The store name comes from the location : The Store on Queen. It is located downtown Toronto in a fashion blooming location. The store owners are proud of their story and empower others by their successful experience, as well as promote women designers from North America.

Another example of prosperous businesswoman is a founder and chief of Nasty Gal company, Sophia Amoruso. She started her own business when she was young and became one of the most influential women along with a role model status for many young entrepreneurs. She published a book called Girl Boss to navigate females through the stages of business path. After some time, the book turned into the foundation with its own movement to support women around the world at their starting points of becoming successful.

Last year, the “Intern” movie was released with Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro in main roles. This movie shows what is happening after an online fashion website was founded and is being run by a young entrepreneur. It gives an idea that the hardest part is not about starting your own business, but about managing it after and keeping further growth perspective.

Fortunately, there is an endless amount of useful internet resources for young women that want to be their own boss. One of the most trendy websites fulfilled with career advices for young females is careergirldaily.com. This website has immaculate database of tips, advices, inspirational guides that every female needs on the start of her business path.  As well, careergirldaily.com is not forgetting for other aspects of life like fashion, lifestyle and beauty.

Facebook groups are also great for getting support at any stage of your business life, connections and sharing ideas with others. There is a group of female business owners called Savvy Business Owners, where members are sharing their tips, chatting and learning with each other and call themselves as ladypreneurs. Another one group called Female  Entrepreneurs Collaborate is full of support, inspiration and knowledge to share from it`s 9000 members. The Creative`sCorner  is a community focused group and an amazing place for everything about empowering, engaging and creativity.

Along from the internet, books are still a great source of knowledge for young business starters too. For example, the Stop Chasing Influencers book, written by Kimanzi Constable & Jared Easley, is an amazing piece for making your own business dream to come true. It explains and guides you through the activities necessary for set up and continuous growing of your business. This book is available in paperback and kindle versions on Amazon.

Another one book called Hack the Entrepreneur by Jon Nastor is a must have fulfilled by ideas and tips for starters. The author of this book can be that mentor that you were looking for but never had. This book contains mini courses of self-confidence, strategic and tactical thinking, creativity brainstorming and much more that makes it investment worth. This book is available in paperback and kindle versions on Amazon.

Luckily, nowadays women power in a business world is stronger that have never been before. Women around the world have a choice to start their own businesses and nobody can stop them anymore. There are endless sources to get the information, financial support from foundations and a good advice at any moment of the own business pathway if needed. This is a women`s entrepreneurship world now too. This is what it calls a game changing.

A Man About Gown: How Christopher Paunil is changing the face of Toronto Fashion

Calm, cool, and collected. Hardly the first words that come to mind when asked to describe the expected atmosphere at a designer’s studio the week before his very first Toronto Fashion Week runway show. Yet, as I enter Christopher Paunil’s bright, serene, open concept studio in the Artscape-Regent Park neighbourhood of Toronto, this is exactly what comes to mind. The studio is spacious and sunny, with a table of plants and succulents surrounded by comfy chairs, a large drafting table, a lone intern at a sewing machine and several racks of the very gowns that have earned their place in the prestigious Kleinfeld’s Bridal Boutique.

With a philosophy as clean and simple as his work space, “meticulous design and production for the contemporary woman”, Christopher Paunil, established in 2010, was “created to make women feel their most beautiful and powerful, from their big day to any day of the week.” Paunil achieves this feat by putting himself in his customer’s shoes, asking himself what he would want to wear, what features he would want to accentuate and others he may want to conceal. He finds inspiration in designers like Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Monique Lhuillier, and Victoria Beckham’s early designs that helped define her brand. From his bridal collection and ready-to-wear line to the custom gowns and evening wear he specializes in, Paunil’s designs are classic, the silhouettes flawless, and the details as meticulous as promised. Using laser-cutting and figure-flattering shapes with movement, Paunil’s designs are fashion-forward, while remaining elegant, classy and undeniably “Christopher Paunil”.

Paunil achieves this high level of quality by doing all of the pattern-making himself, remaining extremely hands-on throughout the entire production process, though not without the help of a small, but mighty, team surrounding him. Paunil has two interns and a business partner, Chalo Barruta, who is with him every step of the way. Paunil is quick to praise Barruta as a true partner, without whom, he would not be where he is. Barruta is very hands on with the financial and business side of things which is, admittedly, Paunil’s least favourite part of the job. His most favourite? Viewing the finished product, and seeing a satisfied customer looking and feeling great in one of his designs, which is particularly special when that piece happens to be a wedding gown.

Growing up, Paunil watched his Grandmother sew, until his mother eventually taught him how to use a sewing machine. Though he was a natural, sewing remained a hobby until the end of high school when he was still unsure of what to do next. Always interested in fashion, he decided to apply to school for design, the only problem being his lack of portfolio. In a move that can be described as somewhere between MacGyver and Lagerfeld, he began to deconstruct and take apart pieces of clothing from his own closet, using them as pattern pieces to make his own clothes, which he showcased and used during the application process. A graduate of the George Brown Fashion Design Program, I ask him what the most important thing was that he learned at school. “Pattern-making would be the most important technical skill I learned, but I also learned the importance of sticking to deadlines. Deadlines are really important in the real world. If you have an order worth $10,000 and you don’t have it ready in time, you’re out $10,000, they will cancel the order and you have now ruined a business relationship because, chances are, they will not be placing another order with you again.” After his first semester, Paunil’s GPA was not where he felt it should be, which he saw as a wake-up call to pull up his socks and start taking school more seriously. He stopped missing classes, worked hard and made sure he met deadlines, ultimately graduating with an impressive GPA, and ready to take on the world. Deadlines are equally important day to day, as there is always a team waiting for you. If Paunil does not produce the designs and patterns on time, the team cannot grade, cut, and sew, which throws off the entire production schedule and can affect the buying season and trade shows.

Even in the face of deadlines, stress, and adversity Paunil is measured, unruffled, and relaxed, the kind of person you would want in charge and running the show. He does not demand respect, but rather commands it, with his logical and rational outlook. “Getting stressed and freaking out is not going to fix anything or make the situation any better” he says reasonably.

So if the last minute preparation for his inaugural runway show at World Mastercard Fashion Week is not enough to get a rise out Paunil, what does? Interestingly enough, the topic comes up at the very end of our interview. I ask Paunil what else he wants the public to know about him or his line. He thinks for a moment and responds, “I don’t want to get too political, but the lack of diversity in the fashion world makes me angry. We had a model casting with about 150-200 girls and there were barely any ethnically diverse women. Bring me women of different backgrounds and I am more than happy to cast them, and do!” He adds that this is simply his own personal experience of flipping through magazines and being disappointed by the inherent lack of diversity, “I flipped through a 400 page bridal magazine counted exactly two black models, and one was from my campaign.” From lookbooks to runway, it is important to Paunil to show a diverse group of models, at his debut show in fashion week more than half of his models are ethnically diverse, and he is committed to doing whatever he can to ensure we see a range of more relatable faces in fashion.

I, for one, will be sitting in the front row, watching this game-changer change the face of fashion in Toronto, and eventually the world, one…well…face at a time.

Business of Fashion: How to be a Game Changer

Starting out in the fashion/retail industry can be tough because of course you want to make a good impression while still taking something away from your experiences. Many of us start out as interns and part time employees, which can make it tough to leave a lasting impression on your employers. Knowing what your employers are looking for can be difficult in its self, what attributes are most important to them and their company. I met with Juliana Miranda to discuss just this.

 Juliana Miranda did not start out wanting to work in the fashion/retail industry she just happened to fall into. Ms. Miranda studied Political Science at York University and from there went on to work at a trading and consumer show company called MMPI where she worked for nine months in the Communications Department. Ms. Miranda was head hunted to work for a company called Octo where she took on a Human Resource roll. From there Ms. Miranda was able to make her way into the Fashion industry. The Chief Talent Officer at Octo was hired to be the president of Holt Renfrew and six month later he hired Ms. Miranda to work in Human Resources at Holt Renfrew. After three years of working in Human Resources at Holts Ms. Miranda was transitioned into the Special Projects team and from there to exclusive services. Talking to Ms. Miranda I could tell she had a broad knowledge not just of the fashion industry, but also of how a retail company should operate and what they look for in terms of employees skill sets.

What attracted Ms. Miranda to the fashion industry was the business of retail and what retailers are looking to achieve “It was important to me not only to look at fashion and the industry as a business, but understand the strategic direction of a retailer”. Ms. Miranda has always been interested in fashion, but never wanted to pursue the creative side of the industry and was more interested in the “business of fashion”. With her personal love for fashion and mind for business Ms. Miranda was able to navigate her way into a career path she truly loved and has been able to succeed within Holt Renfrew.

With Ms. Miranda’s wide range of experiences within a retail company and years of experience, I then inquired about what make an invaluable employee and how to be a game changer within your industry. She explained that there are a few key things to always do when starting out in the industry; “never have blinders on when going into a new job, have an open mind.” If you limit yourself to one specific job you will never learn the functions of other jobs within the company. This will limit your opportunities to learn and grow. Skills that will help you leave your creative stamp on them is “being a creative thinker, thinking outside the box, pushing the boundaries and not always adhering to the status quo.” When working within a company there will always be templates and certain ways to do things. However, if you want to leave your mark and better the way things are done then you need to find ways to push the status quo, but doing so respectfully.

Early on in Ms. Miranda’s career something that was beneficial to her was knowing what questions to ask, “knowing how to look at something through a critical lens, meaning is there a smarter way of doing this?”. It is important going into a role and observing how everything works and understanding why things are done a certain way and from there evaluate what can be improved. If you are able to do this you can then leave your mark and make yourself invaluable to a company. If you are able to make something your own this will show your superiors you are passionate in what you do and that you are going to put in the time to make it perfect.

When starting out in your career you should always be asking yourself where do I want to be, what are the steps that will take me there and how do I accomplish those steps, but still keeping an open mind. When starting your career you will change career paths several times, which is good and why you need to keep an open mind and continually ask yourself these questions. “One should always be eager to learn and take all opportunities as a learning experience even if you don’t see how your role at the time is going to benefit you in the future.” Even if you are in a job that is not necessarily the one you want it should be used as a stepping stone to the dream job you are striving for because every skill you learn can be applied in other fields even if it is just understanding how another field operates.

Ms. Miranda’s key piece of advice being a game changer is “always be eager to learn, take on new challenges and don’t be scared of a little risk”. Always seize opportunity and this is what will make you remember-able to people you work for or with. These key skills can take you to the next level and allow you to leave your mark, which in turn will open a lot of doors for you while navigating your career path. 

Dainty Girl: an Online ‘Game Changer’

            As more and more blogs invade the Internet, there has always been one that has stood out to me the most. Maybe it’s because I got to actually meet my favourite Canadian blogger in person a couple of years ago. Because of this wide array of blogs, it’s hard to make your blog standout, but when it comes to Canadian talent, it becomes a lot easier to fall in love and relate to them. To be a ‘game changer’ in this society means to inspire others in a way no one else can, and that’s what Dainty Girl does, in my opinion anyways. My intention while interviewing her was to answer my question of how to become a successful ‘game changer’ in the Canadian Fashion Industry.

Nicole Wilson is a Toronto-based fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger, and created Dainty Girl in 2012, as one of her new year’s resolutions. When interviewing her, I realized that people really do underestimate social media careers (because I did), and don’t think much can come from it; but their impact is real and is tangible. A lot of people start blogging as a hobby, and start to develop a passion for reviewing everything from a new makeup brush, a skincare product, to a local music band. One of the things I admire most about Nicole is that she’s all about supporting local designers and brands, to bring awareness of the huge amount of amazing Canadian talent there is.

I decided to interview one of Toronto’s most prestigious Fashion bloggers, and the reason why was because I really wanted to know what it takes to become a fashion blogger, what kind of work load do they have, if they can have another job while writing blog posts, but more importantly, how would they define ‘game changers’ and how does one become one?

Nicole Wilson has been writing on her blog for over 4 years, and continues to improve and grow each day with new and inviting opportunities. She started writing as a New Years resolution, and decided to write for friends and family, never thinking she would reach so many people. Not only this, but she never expected to get sponsors, or brands to give her products for her to review on her blog. Consistency and networking skills are vital when it comes to blogging and becoming a ‘game changer’, says Wilson. She also says that to post blog posts on the same day or days every week is crucial, since it ensures your readers will come back that day and read your new blog post.

Nicole also said that in order to be a successful ‘game changer’ (in any area, really) is to always educate yourself before you post or say anything. There’s a lot of help available online that will ensure you are prepared and up to date in terms of trends and whatnot. Not only is it important to be educated on trends and brands, but also on your competition. What are they doing that you aren’t? Is it working for them? Would it work for you? Wilson says that this is one of her strengths, and it has helped immensely in becoming a successful ‘game changer’. She’s very close friends with her ‘competition’ (fellow bloggers) and they’re constantly sharing tips and tricks, which has helped her come out on top.

Dainty Girl has always felt strongly about local talent, and trying to recognize as many as she can in her blog posts, since she feels this will benefit her at the end of the day, and will help her gain more and more Canadian followers. Most people follow American or European bloggers, since they’re more ‘sophisticated’, but it’s more important to support your own country’s talent, since it will be more relatable to you and will ensure you are getting accurate and more up to date trends/products. She also said that the fact that she can work from home, in her comfy pajamas, really works as a major incentive to create amazing material for her readers, since she’s completely relaxed and in peace while writing her blog posts.

She has collaborated with Hudson’s Bay, Forever 21, John Frieda, Master Card, Ann Taylor, Toronto Eaton Centre, Holt Renfrew, Vince Camuto, etc. She has a wide variety of sponsors and contributors which has built her quite the impressive resume that will continue to invite more and more readers.

            Even though being a Fashion blogger isn’t my all time dream, or my ultimate goal, after interviewing Nicole I feel very intrigued and curious about it. It’s something that I can really enjoy, and get more and more familiarized with the fashion industry. It can begin as a hobby, and then you never know how big it may grow, or what people I might meet in the journey. She also inspired me to be my own ‘game changer’ and to pursue my dreams, since they will always be different than other people’s and will encourage me to channel my true self. Like everything in life, if you have passion, you have EVERYTHING!  

How Did Just ‘Working Retail’ Turn into Your Career?

Yes, a retail job. When that first comes to your head what do you think of? A job for teenagers during the summer to make a little spare cash then jump into their junior year of high school? Yes, that may be the first thing you think of but for many a retail job is all they ever known. Now of days, starting off in retail can be a jumpstart to your life long career. You all have heard of the dreadful term many of you guys start off as before… a sales associate. You know, the job you get anxiety going into where the customers are your number one cause for your worst headache. Where you have to clean up everyone’s mess because the customers forgot their manners at home. Also, while forgetting that you are a real person too only here to do your one job as a sales associate not a counselor. You know those customers that spill their life story to you thinking you care? As if you care?! But you go along with the flow and shake your head with a polite smile while thinking; who the hell cares? Not me. Or personally my favourite customers are the ones who take out all the crap that has ever happened to them and treat you like garbage because they obviously forgot their glasses at home because they can’t tell that the sign says ‘Buy one get the second 50% off’ and no you’re not getting them both for 50% off. I could go off about the word sales associate meaning so much more and did I mention only getting paid minimum wage? But I’ll save that for another day. In all truth, a sales associate is an excellent stepping stone to future career paths. All supervisors, mangers, store managers, and district mangers have all been in the shoes of a sales associate before. Yes, it is not that fun but in the end hard work does pay off with promotions and your paycheck getting bigger and bigger while you’re laughing to the bank thinking that you started off as just a sales associate.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2014, Sales Managers can make upward of $126,040 a year with an average hourly wage of $60.60. Just that alone would give me motivation to become a sales manager and make retail my future career path. Is that why so many people stick out the struggle of retail and stay forever? Yes, the money can be a main motivator as well as the flexibility of the job.  Many other jobs you are forced into strict hours that could mean 12 hour work days 7 days a week with very to no flexibility. I asked the ‘How Did Just Working Retail Turn into Your Career?’ to many of my fellow colleagues. Haleema Singh answer stood out to me, who is a mother of two girls aged 17 and 15 loves the flexibility being a supervisor allows. She said “It’s great! Still working 40 hours a week I still have the time to be a mother to my girls. Most of the time I can still send my daughters off to school because it not a 9-5 job. I pick my schedule to work around my family… My family cannot revolve around my work schedule. Life goes on and being a supervisor allows exactly that, freedom!” That is why so many people currently in retail picked this as their career path because it provides two amazing things; flexibility and a salary that is very comparable to other jobs that you would have to gone to college for and waste even more money when money is already tight. When you could have your career already there for you and room to grow in the business. What more can you ask for? You just have to have the guts to stick out the struggles of that oh so wonderful ‘retail life’. If you want something more creative than the more cookie cutter jobs like supervisor or manager but want retail you can try something in the field of visual. All retail stores have a visual department that can let you be more creative in the same field. All these reasons are why retail became many peoples career path for life.    

Is the fashion industry selling an impossible dream?

From a complete outsider’s point of view, being in the fashion industry probably seems like one of the most glamorous, privileged, and unimpaired ways of living. This may be the case, however, there is another side to this world that many people don't know about. Many aspects of the industry that in fact, are the polar opposite of perfect, although it is never showcased unless you are in the world yourself... Or have a secret insider telling you all…

The allure of fashion is based on illusions, not the reality achievable to most consumers. What I mean by this is the industry tends to select models, during Fashion Week for example, who are not a proper representative of the ‘general pubic’ (a size 12 for the average woman). Consumers aspire (by design) to follow current fashion trends but how can this be reasonable when the majority of consumers do not resemble (in height, body shape, or size) the models who bring the fashion trends to life on the runway and in magazines? It does not make much sense in many ways but at the end of the day, fashion designers continue to showcase their collections this way.

David Graham is a set designer, as part of the “Design Team” for Jerry Schwatrz, a high-end Fashion Photography Group based out of NYC. David was born in London Ontario and followed his dream of becoming a photographer, which led him to go to New York City where he then was introduced to Jerry. He has worked for Anna Sui, Perry Ellis, Neiman Marcus (among many others) and I got the opportunity to ask him for some inside scope that relates directly to the illusions of the fashion industry. David described the long and very “unglamorous” end of the fashion industry that involves the endless hours spent creating the set (the background, props, landscapes) for fashion shoots and fashion shows (including NYC Fashion Week). He has witnessed, first-hand the “hypocrisy” of the fashion world in which what the consumer ultimately sees bears no resemblance to the individual parts before the ‘illusion’ began. For example, models who, when they arrive at the photo shoot or fashion show, appear to be very young (14 - 15 at times), exhausted, pale, thin to the point of being frail, drinking energy drinks to stay awake…. followed by a 2-3 hour sit in a chair where their hair and make-up are done (by 4 - 6 experts) while the model tries to stay awake by focusing on her IPhone - Then, when the model enters the set (at least for still shoots) everything is “fake” according to David; clothes are held together (hidden, at the back) with clothes pins, 90% of the models have hair extensions, the lighting and editing experts remove any perceived “flaws” (such as freckles, birthmarks, scars) and they even contour the models’ bodies (via Photoshop) to make them more voluptuous (enlarged breasts, wider hips, thinner waists).

To David, the whole scene is both “fascinating and revolting” (Graham 2016). It is lucrative but he does not personally agree with the “selling of unattainable beauty” that is most often based on artificial premises. He loves the creative aspect of it, like when he painted the sail with butterfly images for a Nieman Marcus magazine cover and when he created an artificial field of grass filled with daisies so that the model could lie in it and be photographed to sell Joe Fresh Clothing. He feels conflicted because, as the father of a 10 year old daughter, he wants her to aspire to be her best “original self - whether that is an auto mechanic, lawyer, writer or painter” When asked if he would approve if his own daughter chose to be a model, he said, “God, I hope not, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Look what her dad does for a living.” Ultimately, he is thankful for his job and the opportunities it gives him to take his daughter away from the big city while he also admits that he has taken her to 3 NYC Fashion Week events and concedes that “she was absolutely thrilled by it all.” Therein lies the complication. While we may intellectually reject the premise of false representation that the fashion industry perpetuates, we are nonetheless drawn to it.

Although there is also an opposing side to the topic of whether or not fashion is selling us something impossible.. Are things changing? Is the fashion industry becoming more accessible? More ‘realistic’? Some people are taking a stand and doing things differently than the standard, photo shopped, unachievable lifestyle given off by the majority of the industry. Many Advertisers and the fashion industry as a whole have taken some recent strides to offset the perceived hypocrisy of the “unattainable dream.” They are beginning (in some ways) to recognize the need to CONNECT more closely to the ‘average’ consumer:

Someone really using her voice to make a change is 28 year old body activist Ashley Graham. A size 16 model on the rise of stardom! Sports Illustrated Magazine Swimsuit edition (its most popular annual edition) has sent shockwaves through the swimsuit modelling industry by selecting Ashley Graham, a plus-sized model for its 2016 February cover. Ashley says in no way shape or form was the cover picture of her on the beach in a bathing suit edited or photo shopped; “They (Sports Illustrated editors) did not retouch me,” she said. “They did not take out things. They didn’t reshape my body in any way, shape or form.” (PeopleStyleWatch 2016)

Countries are also taking a stand for change in the industry as a whole. Israel, Spain, Italy, and most recently France as they enforce new rule to ban excessively thin models from model activity. Anyone who is below the Body Mass Index (BMI) proposed by health authorities (18), are no longer legible to be showcased in any form (runway to still photo-shoots). Fashion agencies that use models with a BMI under 18, could face charges of six months in jail and a fine of $82.000USD. This will hopefully positively affect the way society is influenced by the fashion industry due to the fact that more realistic women and men will be showcased on runways and in editorials, therefore no longer giving off an unattainable, unreachable, and unrealistic standard of what is ‘in’ in the industry.

This shows how fashion can EVOLVE and adapt to meet the current needs of its consumers whether that is creating an illusion that only few can attain, or promoting a style or brand that can be emulated (copied) by more ‘average’ consumers.

Say "Yes" to the Journey

Say “Yes” to the Journey

Charlene Martin, Toronto fashion designer and expert, argues that the journey to becoming an entrepreneur in fashion is just as, if not more, noteworthy than the destination.

It was only at the tender age of 9, that Charlene Martin first experienced her true and profound love for fashion. Her mother, who owned her own clothing store in downtown Toronto, had young Char at her side, accompanying her to vendor meetings and factories and helping out in the store on weekends, “That was basically my childhood” Martin recalls. With all of the premature exposure to entrepreneurialism, Char had already begun her action-packed journey to success without even knowing it yet. Fast forward about 24 years, and accumulating 14 years of experience in the fashion industry, Charlene’s journey as an entrepreneur had been nothing less than action-packed. With perseverance and saying “yes” to keep on her journey Charlene now finds herself working on a new project that she claims is “Something that I believe my past experiences led me to do all along.”

Sons of Odin

Back in 2013, Charlene along with business partner and also once boyfriend of 8 years, Zakariah Milanahich, launched their very own clothing brand by the name, Sons of Odin. The collection encompassed the pairs shared vision, impressive design skills and fashion forward knowledge. The brand grew a very reputable and large following so much so that their Spring/Summer 2015 collection walked down the runway at the Toronto Men’s Fashion Week and was being sold in Holt Renfrew Toronto, locations in New York City as well as L.A. Major celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Ludacris and Kardinal Offishal (to name a few) have been seen in their pieces and known to be fans of the brand. As her success with Sons of Odin sounds all well and good, Charlene did not hesitate to leave out the many crucial pieces that paved the way for her journey, “I think to be an entrepreneur you really need that internal drive that makes you keep going even when it gets tough. You have to wake up in the morning and create your schedule on how you’re going to be profitable and use your time wisely. There is no boss managing your time or your work ethic, it's you! There is no room for laziness. The biggest lesson I learned is that networking is key. The more people you know and support what you are doing the more help you will get.”

Staying True to Your Path

Martin really stressed on the importance of networking, especially as an entrepreneur, the fashion industry has many challenges and is notorious for being highly competitive so having a solid or extensive network of industry professionals or other is key in the journey, “It’s always good to keep a good network of people that you find you respect and connect creatively with…Other competitors will imitate your designs and you have to take it as a compliment and create something bigger or better. Always stay true to your vision and to not let others try to market you in any other way.” Martin admits that through her journey, there were difficult or stressful moments that she had no choice but to take head on, however, she managed to remain as her own motivator. Her burning passion to create and design and the urge to bring all of her ideas to life was exactly what kept her pushing through, “I had my hand in every facet of the business. From sketch to design, to sample creation, sampling fabrics for manufacturing/sourcing fabrics. I also managed the other side of the business from marketing, branding, selling at trade shows in New York City and Las Vegas to buyer meetings. Seeing your creative ideas come to life is the most rewarding experience an artist could feel.” Charlene experienced everything first hand and powered through each obstacle with her end goal as her main motivator. Charlene had patience, drive, passion and support to keep her going and she had a clear understanding that her projects were not going to happen over night, “Having your own business there are ups and downs and you may not have a steady pay check for a while or even no pay check until you start becoming profitable. That may take a while maybe even a year, but you have to make sure you will be okay during this time. However, the long term benefit will be that when you do become profitable there is no limit because you are controlling your success and the sacrifice you made during the early years would have been all worth it.”

A Message to Those Embarking on Their Own Journeys

As someone like myself, who has already commenced down the path of entrepreneurialism and continues to maintain an end goal or goal(s) in mind, I had to ask for her advice, not just for me, but for all of those that are hoping to one day bring our own ideas and creations to life. Charlene intelligently answered my question with another posing question, “I wish I was asked this when I started, are you ok with being poor? Are you okay to work countless hours for free with no reward or recognition? Are you willing to give everything you got for maybe a chance to be fortunate enough to have the career of your dreams? If you said yes to all of this I wish you luck!”
Charlene Martin definitely validated that sometimes the journey will teach you more than what you initially knew about the destination, but the only way to really find out for sure is by continuing to say “yes” through each obstacle.

Who defines Toronto fashion these days?

Who defines Toronto fashion these days? Runway designers? Trend forecasters? Merchandisers? Fashion editors? Bloggers? People on the street? Someone else?

Toronto and Canada based fashion brands

Who can define Toronto fashion these days? There is no doubt that these Torontonian and Canadian local fashion retail brands can be the first to talk about. These fashion brands is Roots, Joe Fresh, Club Monaco, Canada Goose etc., they have a deep effect in Toronto fashion.

Let’s talk about one of the Torontonian fashion brand- Joe Fresh. Joe Fresh is a Toronto fashion retailer founded by Joe Mimran in 2006. Known for its brigh orange logo, the semi-eponymous Joes Fresh brand. Joe Fresh now has almost 400 clothing stores including locations in Canadian supermarkets and superstores, as well as standalone locations according by the article What Is Joe Fresh? Canadian Retailer Known For Its On-Trend, Affordable Clothes. (CITATION) Why Torontonian love Joe Fresh? Joe Fresh is a much-loved in Canada, and is one of the few budget-friendly brands that has legitimate street cred. To keep up its high profile, Joe Fresh puts on Toronto runway fashion show in these years. (Tejada, 2013) Why Torontonian so in love with Joe Fresh? Joe Fresh is a fashion retail chain to provide stylish and affordable men’s, women’s and chicken’s wear and accessories. It always located with Canadian supermarkets and superstores. There are some standalone locations as well.

Not only Joe Fresh, but also other fashion retail chain such as Roots, Club Monaco, Aritzia have high popularity and reputation in Toronto fashion scene.  Most of Torontonian tend to buy Canada and Toronto based fashion brands instead of other brands from other regions. It is obvious to see that Torontonian tend to follow Toronto and Canada local brands according by these brands’ popularity and reputation in Toronto. These fashion brands can actually define Toronto fashion these days instead of the runway designers.

Why runway designers cannot be the fashion definer in Toronto? Toronto has fashion show in every two seasons of the year, and there are enough runway designers present their collection in Toronto fashion show. However, the list of Canadian designers not on the official calendar includes long-time supporters of Toronto fashion week such as Comrags, Arthur Mendonça, Joeffer Caoc and Evan Biddell. (CITATION) Many Canadian designers are moved to New York City, Paris or London instead of staying in Toronto. So we cannot say that these Canadian runway designers can actually define Toronto fashion scene, don’t even Canada fashion scene. Most of the designers are moving to the “better place” to let the world to know them.

From the article Toronto Fashion Week promises a new beginning, for example, Jeremy Laing, the Greta Constantine label by Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, are more comfortable previewing their collections in New York or Paris. (Manzocco, 2015) These runway designers can affect the cities’ or regions’ fashion scene but not in Toronto. And there are few left in Toronto probably can define Toronto fashion scene, but it will be little.

People live in Toronto

Why and how Torontonian define Toronto fashion scene?  There are some evidences to indicate that people who live in Toronto are the one of the fashion definers in Toronto.          

The interview called Culturalite Interview | Thelonius Poon of NOZO Toronto from Josephine Le, she had interviewed Thelonius Poon, who is the co-founder and lead designer of the Toronto based hip-pop street wear store called NOZO Toronto.  When JL(Josephine Le) asked about to introduce about Thelonius Poon himself and how he interested in fashion, TP(  Thelonius Poon) stated that he had met David Forteau, the president of NOZO Toronto. David Forteau also is a professional dancer, choreographer and motivational speaker for Unity Charity. David had introduced fashion and NOZO Toronto to him. He started interested in fashion when he went to a school where people were dressed as if they were competing for the top slot on lookbook.nu each day. And now he’d achieve the top spot, because he is supplying the lookbook.nu leaders with their gear now. (Le, 2015)

JL is curious about how TP to define Toronto’s fashion scene, and ask him the question. TP said that within the realm of hip-pop street fashion in the past few years it has been quite sparse, but steadily growing. Toronto is ready for it’s fashion renaissance now.  It is lucky because everyone contributing artwork to theirs studio base in Toronto right now, it is hungry to make theirs mark on the city. And they are all in this together. (Le, 2015)

JP is not a professional expert from the fashion industry, but he created his own brand and logo. His store and studio is affecting lots of youth to have inspiration and create art works in Toronto. These people are not fashion experts as well. They are random people who live in Toronto. In most cases we 100% sure fashion scene of a place are runway designers, trend forecasters or fashion editor. However, the masses had defined the fashion scene quietly and frequently. The publicity should be the “runway designers” because all the inspirations from fashion designers and fashion brands are given from them.

And now we have a new identification the definer of Toronto fashion scene, they are Toronto and Canada based fashion retail brands and Torontonian. These fashion brands are the supply, and we all know that supply can always determine demand. The other definer is absolutely the Torontonian. They are the group of providing most inspiration and trend of the Toronto fashion scene and they are always affecting the fashion world in Toronto.