Unbound – Fanshawe to show new faces of Canadian designers
This year's concept — poetic decay — is not about typical beauty and is a reflection of where fashion is going, said Stephanie Connell, the executive director of the show.
“Every season there are new themes and moods for fashion. This is for spring/summer 2011, we're designing a year in advance,” she explained.
The show is a graduate portfolio
for those fashion design students in
their last year. To prepare, the class
looks at “trends in interiors and
fashion,” taking common ideas and
translating them into the overall
theme, added Kristie Holden, marketing
and promotions coordinator.
But Unbound, which takes place
on April 16 at Museum London, is
more than just presentation of the
students' work — it is a true industry
show, said Connell.
Each student has a five-piece
collection that is marked and
assessed by teachers. But beyond
marks, it's the people who attend
the show whose opinion is also
valued. Local and Toronto industry
VIPs will be making an appearance
as well as those from across
Canada.
“The whole purpose is to get our
name our there,” said Connell.
One important name is Canadian
designer, David Dixon, who
recently showed his fall/winter
2010 collection at LG Fashion
Week. He will be one of the judges
at the evening show.
There will be a show in the afternoon,
featuring every student's
collection and is a chance for
friends and family to see the
pieces. These collections will be
critiqued and the selected few will
be shown in the evening show, to
be judged by the big name judges.
Audiences will get a huge variety
of fashion as students were able
to choose what market category
they wanted to focus on. The show
will feature everything from lingerie,
to evening wear. While the
theme is poetic decay, each student
has their own theme unique to their
particular collection as well.
Fashion lovers can expect to see
something a little different, not
necessarily just ready-to-wear
looks.
“There's contemporary tailoring
and crazy stuff,” said Holden.
“One girl is designing with LED
lights.”
The quality of fabrics can also
be touted as some of the finest, said
Connell. The students picked them
in New York on a field trip. This
means the prices for some of these
garments are beyond a student's
pocketbook — from $200 for
swimwear to evening wear in the
thousands.
Unbound's got everything from
eerie, aged looks that lean closer to
the theme to vibrant and rich
colours.
They're also featuring a chance
to get your hands on some fashionable
goodies by purchasing a $20
mystery bag that contain items
with an overall value of more than
$350.
“It's a high calibre show,” said
Connell. “It's London's finest, for
sure.”
