Toronto Fashion Week: The 4 new designers on our radar for Fall 2013
At long last the fashion-week train has pulled into Toronto. The 10-day (or so) extravaganza kicks off tomorrow night with The Shows before moving to King West on Monday for World MasterCard Fashion Week at David Pecaut Square. A truly Canadian affair, both of the Toronto Fashion Week enterprises bring a wealth of global experience and influences home, and for the Fall 2013 season there’s no shortage of world-class newcomers on the roster.
In addition to our tried-and-true favourites (Chloé Comme Parris, Jeremy Laing and Pink Tartan), we’ve got our eyes on four promising Toronto runway first-timers: Steven Tai (who presents his latest collection at The Shows fresh from its debut at Paris Fashion Week) and Lacerda, Maison Matthew Gallagher and Thomas Bálint, all to be featured in the tents. Put together, these labels have combined experience in São Paulo, New York, Milan, Berlin, London and Macau. For some, this season will be their international coming-out party, though one of them has already found a fan in influential Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto.
Lacerda
Designer: Vinicius Lacerda, 23
Aesthetic: The high-school uniform of the coolest girl you knew in the ’90s.
Bio: Born in São Paulo, this Toronto-based designer cut his teeth at Line Knitwear. This is his debut collection.
What to Expect: Clean silhouettes, eccentric prints and textures, menswear-inspired tops and pleated, knee-length skirts.
Steven Tai
Designer: Steven Tai, 28
Aesthetic: Geek chic with a hint of Céline.
Bio: Born in Macau and raised in Vancouver, Tai attended Central Saint Martins before showing his debut collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin. He’s also interned at Chalayan, Viktor & Rolf and Stella McCartney and counts Yohji Yamamoto as a fan.
What to Expect: The colourful, oversized pieces were made with a trip to the Alps in mind and feature experiments with customized silicon and showpiece embroidery.
Maison Matthew Gallagher
Designer: Matthew Gallagher, 26
Aesthetic: Old World elegance meets twenty-first century minimalism.
Bio: This Canadian designer spent time in New York, Halifax and Montreal before moving to Milan in 2008 where he attended the Istituto Europea di Design and worked as a freelance illustrator for Ports 1961. He launched MMG in 2010.
What to Expect: Sophisticated eveningwear in a palette of neutrals, with pops of maroon and a sexy thigh-slit or two.
Thomas Bálint
Designer: Michael Thomas Bálint, 28
Aesthetic: Dark and stormy with a Hungarian twist.
Bio: Trained in sculpture at OCAD University in Toronto, Bálint co-founded Thomas in 2010 before striking out on his own. He also mans a flagship location in a second-floor studio on Queen West.
What to Expect: Androgynous pieces built for a multifaceted layering inspired by the designer’s background in sculpting.
 extravaganza kicks off tomorrow night with The Shows before moving to King West on Monday for World MasterCard Fashion Week at David Pecaut Square. A truly Canadian affair, both of the Toronto Fashion Week enterprises bring a wealth of global experience and influences home, and for the Fall 2013 season there’s no shortage of world-class newcomers on the roster.
In addition to our tried-and-true favourites (Chloé Comme Parris, Jeremy Laing and Pink Tartan), we’ve got our eyes on four promising Toronto runway first-timers: Steven Tai (who presents his latest collection at The Shows fresh from its debut at Paris Fashion Week) and Lacerda, Maison Matthew Gallagher and Thomas Bálint, all to be featured in the tents. Put together, these labels have combined experience in São Paulo, New York, Milan, Berlin, London and Macau. For some, this season will be their international coming-out party, though one of them has already found a fan in influential Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto.
Here’s our insider intel on what these talented additions to Toronto Fashion Week are bringing to the runway »
Lacerda
Designer: Vinicius Lacerda, 23
Aesthetic: The high-school uniform of the coolest girl you knew in the ’90s.
Bio: Born in São Paulo, this Toronto-based designer cut his teeth at Line Knitwear. This is his debut collection.
What to Expect: Clean silhouettes, eccentric prints and textures, menswear-inspired tops and pleated, knee-length skirts.
Steven Tai
Designer: Steven Tai, 28
Aesthetic: Geek chic with a hint of Céline.
Bio: Born in Macau and raised in Vancouver, Tai attended Central Saint Martins before showing his debut collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin. He’s also interned at Chalayan, Viktor & Rolf and Stella McCartney and counts Yohji Yamamoto as a fan.
What to Expect: The colourful, oversized pieces were made with a trip to the Alps in mind and feature experiments with customized silicon and showpiece embroidery.
Maison Matthew Gallagher
Designer: Matthew Gallagher, 26
Aesthetic: Old World elegance meets twenty-first century minimalism.
Bio: This Canadian designer spent time in New York, Halifax and Montreal before moving to Milan in 2008 where he attended the Istituto Europea di Design and worked as a freelance illustrator for Ports 1961. He launched MMG in 2010.
What to Expect: Sophisticated eveningwear in a palette of neutrals, with pops of maroon and a sexy thigh-slit or two.
Thomas Bálint
Designer: Michael Thomas Bálint, 28
Aesthetic: Dark and stormy with a Hungarian twist.
Bio: Trained in sculpture at OCAD University in Toronto, Bálint co-founded Thomas in 2010 before striking out on his own. He also mans a flagship location in a second-floor studio on Queen West.
What to Expect: Androgynous pieces built for a multifaceted layering inspired by the designer’s background in sculpting.
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