Four designers make social statements through clothing.
Jenn Nguyen
Contributor
Fashion. Art. Toronto. ([FAT]) celebrated Toronto’s alternative arts, performance, and fashion scenes for the seventh year this April. Fashion produced here was aimed at personal creation and artistic expression rather than the market.
There is a strong sense of community at |FAT|, which aims to support local designers and products over upscale items produced elsewhere. The week attracted members of the fashion and art communities from Toronto, as well as from around the world. Its festivities celebrate the art of fashion and challenge the boundaries of the industry.
For four days, an old industrial building in the Bloordale area was booming with lively music, coloured lights, and a 40-foot runway.
With a roster of 200 talented artists this year, |FAT| is a multi-faceted, rebellious fashion experience.
Emily Woudenberg
Emile Woudenberg, a York and Sheridan College graphic design student, displayed her third collection, EGO, from her clothing line WOUDENBERG.
“EGO examines the concept of the ‘fashion ego’ and how the industry and media affect the way society perceives a designer’s work,” says Woudenberg. The concept of the ego was incorporated into the performance, as models strutted down the runway with sass, to a song with the lyrics, “I want to be famous.”
Woudenberg, who designed custom graphics for some of the collection, is highly influenced by her field of study. The line sported a pair of tri-circle patterned pants with black translucent strips down the outer pant legs. The pattern itself is the RGB circle palette, which is a colour mode in graphic design and printing.
This year, Woudenberg had male models sporting rectangular plastic necklaces with beetles to challenge the norms of the fashion industry.
Rachel Sin
Known for her sleek, feminine, and contemporary designs, this architect-turned-fashion-designer turned back the clock, and brought vintage to the runway. The focus of the collection was “the working woman”, much like Sin herself.
Sin translated her architectural skills onto fabric, as this collection was professional, crisp, and clean.
The make-up and hair resembled that of vintage trendsetter Edie Sedgwick. Like Sedgwick, models had their hair teased back into large puffs, accompanied by strong eyebrows and smokey eye make-up.
The looked reflected the 1960s with the new and empowering perception of beauty at work that women had control over. Now, women are beginning to dress for themselves, rather than wearing what men want to see them in.
This smart-looking line is perfect for a night out, or a formal business party.
House of Etiquette
House of Etiquette’s slogan, “High Fashion Latex”, was in full force in this year’s collection, titled Desire Transformed. The concept was to transform a person’s sexual nature into what they were wearing, turning them inside out, reflecting the raw, inner sexuality that people are afraid to express.
Female models walked the runway in sky-high platforms and skintight latex outfits, leaving the audience in awe, further adding to the concept with their highly provocative body movement, almost channeling a sexier, more fashionable version of Catwoman.
A highlight was the high-waisted miniskirt with a black latex bra and red corset with a zipped-up cape, which captured the essence of the line. If this is an expression of peoples’ inner sexuality, there might be some cause for concern.
Worth by David C. Wigley
Teaming up with Torontonian knitting extraordinaire, Dylan Uscher, this edgy, eclectic, avant-garde menswear collection had one-of-a-kind, ready-to-wear pieces.
With an overarching theme of the cycle of life and death, the show opened up on a darker note, with the first outfit consisting of a long, hooded black cape, and black fingerless gloves paired with high-cut combat boots.
The audience saw a transformation from death to life as the colours of the outfits gradually lightened, going from eerie blacks to earthy beiges, whites, greys, and khakis, which introduced the idea of coming to life. The line then moved to vibrant printed pants and blazers, demonstrating the colourful zest of life.
Wigley worked with eco-friendly fabrics which many other designers will not spend the extra buck for, fitting well with the life theme of the collection.
Worth by David C. Wigley is great for males looking to put some edge into their wardrobe.
