Happy 40th Birthday to FASHION! Here’s How We’re Celebrating This Milestone

“In an age of materialism and mass distraction, these works explore and expose the fragile relationship between the superficial and the spiritual” says Benjamin Shine of his medium. “The pieces aim to evoke a sense of self reflection, contemplation and meditation – a moment to slow down; to discern order from chaos and to connect with a feeling of clarity and the true self within.”
But how does it feel to see your own face emblazoned in tulle? “I’ve never seen work quite like Ben’s,” says cover star, Amber Witcomb. “It’s so incredibly timeless and beautiful. I’m sure I’ll always remember it once my modelling journey is over.”

“There’s much talk about disruption in fashion (and the media), but that’s a very ‘in the now’ way of thinking. Every time period is in flux, and I think that is what we wanted to get across for this anniversary Style section.” says executive editor Jacquelyn Francis. “So we spoke with one of the greatest fashion magicians of the last 20 years, the runway producer Alexandre de Betak, whose thoughts on the fashion press and establishment are quite powerful but also non-traditional thinkers like a chemical engineer turned blazer designer and a museum curator who wanted to build an exhibit around ‘Garments that Changed the World’. Fashion is in constant motion, it’s unnerving but this is how it has to be.”

“I went to New York for a exclusive customization experience with Coach before the service comes to Canada,” recalls FASHION’s associate fashion editor, Eliza Grossman. “When making our bag I chose pins and embellishments to honour FASHION’s anniversary. The marigold 40 is an obvious nod to our age, but the spaceship was chosen to represent the future and the dice to symbolize good luck. The hangtag says #1977 in silver for the year it all began.”
Coach is giving away two customized leather handbag experiences (one in Vancouver and one in Toronto). For a chance to win, enter here.

“Like black and white, blush has a timeless beauty,” says fashion market editor, Caitlan Moneta. “No matter how the fashion tides may turn, I could see myself wearing any of the special pieces we pulled for this story today, tomorrow and 40 years from now.”

“It seemed only appropriate in a milestone issue to talk to an artist—or in this case, artists—who were celebrating a milestone of their own” says FASHION’s features editor Greg Hudson. “This year Tegan and Sara were celebrating ten years since they released The Con. What’s interesting about that milestone for them, though, was how difficult putting out that album was, and yet it is still something that is great enough to be celebrated a decade later. There’s a life lesson in there about the benefits of adversity, or perspective, about how you’ll never know how life will be once you’ve weathered whatever storm you’re experiencing now. But mostly, I just wanted to talk to Tegan and Sara. My sister is a super fan.”

“For our 40th, I asked Sali Hughes, a beauty writer and author whom I greatly admire, to write about the current state of the industry as well as where she’d like to see it go,” says FASHION’s beauty director Lesa Hannah. “Elsewhere, we wrote about a new breed of beauty influencers who actually do research and know their shit. We also wrote about small batch skincare with expiry dates, and how cleansers are moving from not just functional but experiential.”

“Amber is a very modern beauty who embodies the current direction of the fashion world. To photograph her, I kept things classic – daylight, hand-painted fabric backdrops and mid-century modern furniture,” says Owen Bruce, photographer for November 2017’s “She Walks in Beauty” editorial. “Overall, it was a nod to classic masters of photography and fashion.”

“My parents came to Canada so their children could have a better life; they didn’t even know what ‘modelling’ was. Most magazines didn’t have black women on their covers. When I landed this, I thought, ‘Maybe I’m changing the face of fashion in this country.’” Model Lana Ogilvie speaks on being a model and a woman of colour in 1980’s Canada in our anniversary retrospective.