Christopher Bates showcased his fall/winter 2014 collection this Wednesday at the World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto. For those who do not know about Bates, he is a Toronto based menswear designer who was trained in Milan. After living and training in Italy, he started designing clothes with a heavy European influence. He is open minded when it come to his designs taking inspiration from various sources such as architecture, asymmetry, the 80’s and street style. A fun fact about Christopher Bates: two of his biggest style icons are Freddie Mercury and David Bowie!

Since launching his line in 2008, Bates' market has been growing every year. At this week’s fashion show for the fall/winter 2014 season, several of the largest luxury buyers were present including Holt Renfrew and The Hudsons Bay Company. This season’s collection features sharp designs with beautiful tailoring, ranging from casual to formal. I can’t wait to see what he does next!

              Taken                                                                                                                                               by Kalmacraft on Instagram

Taken by fashionecstacy on Instagram                                                    Taken by thestylehunterdiaries                                                                                                                                                                    on Instagram

                                                                                                                 Taken by elitetoronto on Instagram

Art of Fashion - Head Shot Fundraiser

Art of Fashion – Head Shot Fundraiser

Art of Fashion was first established in 1998, Michelle Planche, CMP, President of Paradigm Events, launched Art of Fashion with the goal of facilitating the professional development of Canada’s rising fashion talent. Since, the organization has sought to provide a superior level of early-career support modeled after fashion hubs New York, Paris and Milan. Through critically acclaimed events, Art of Fashion has dramatically influenced the careers of hundreds of designers. The organization is driven entirely by the support of volunteers and sponsors from industries ranging from fashion marketing to finance.

On Monday February 24^th – Tuesday February 25^th from 9:00am - 9:00pm Art of Fashion is once again organizing an exciting and rewarding opportunity to support Toronto’s rising talent. The Art of Fashion Head Shot Fundraiser is a first in the 16 years of the organizations existence. The Head Shot Fundraiser offers designers, supporters and friends the chance to obtain a professional head shot. It’s a great opportunity to update your professional portfolio or your LinkedIn picture.

The Fundraiser event however would not be possible without two amazingly supportive contributors – Light Monkey Photography and Joy Bistro. Light Monkey Photography has generously donated their time over the 2 day period to take the professional head shots as well as detail them for final release to participating artists. As you scroll through Light Monkey Photography’s Blog you cannot help but be fascinated with the pure creative beauty that is their work, from architect, to business professional images and beyond- like catching the pure wonder or fire performers through the lens. It’s a thrill in itself to have captured the time of these wonderful professionals at Light Monkey Photography and have them assist emerging artists through the Head Shot Fundraiser – We cannot wait!

Our event space is Joy Bistro - located on Queen Street East it is “The Heart of the Neighborhood”. This delightful bistro has graciously donated their elegant space for the Head Shot Fundraiser. This cozy area can be beautifully transformed for weddings, birthdays, holiday events and more. The venue is fully licensed and the chef’s offers fresh innovative cuisine with influences from around the world. Co-coordinating with the venue has been fantastic the team has worked hard to suit the needs of the Head Shot Fundraiser; they have been professional, caring, and friendly throughout the planning process.

It is with the support of volunteers and sponsors that Art of Fashion continues to be able to offer these exciting opportunities! It is truly undeniable that together we are helping to nurture and build Canada’s rising fashion talent, and professionals in the arts fields.

Art of Fashion Head Shot Fundraiser will have 72 slots open over the 2 day period, book your session for $30.00 now to obtain a professional head shot and support Art of Fashion – another step towards success.

100% of the proceeds go to The Art of Fashion 

www.artoffashion.org

Art of Fashion is a non for profit organization dedicated to supporting emerging fashion designers in Canada. 

Photography compliments of Light Monkey Photography

www.lightmonkey.ca

Art of Fashion Head Shot Fundraiser Event Page

https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/1374959362765526/

For inquiries about the Head Shot Fundraiser please contact Sarah at:

Office@paradigmevents.com; or (416) 760 0360 

Fresh Collective - Shaping Designer Dreams

Greetings from Fresh Collective HQ! My name is Allison and I’m excited to get to write the this blog post for Art of Fashion through their partnership with Fresh Collective!

A fun aspect of this partnership is getting to do these very posts on the AoF blog in which we can provide key learnings that have shaped and grown our business throughout our 10 years in the Toronto fashion retail industry.

Our business mission is to provide transformation to everything we touch, and provide inspiration and joy to designers  to help them live the life of their dreams. It was a no-brainer for us to say yes when AoF asked us to share in the journey of several new designers and gave us the opportunity to share what we know with them.

The Fresh Collective business is designed to send waves of transformation out into communities and to the world; to inspire people in a viral way. We are very much looking forward to helping foster and develop new talent in the Canadian fashion world!

Fresh Collective CEO/Founder Laura-Jean Bernhardson, Marketing Manager Jenna Cloughley and Social Media Manager Allison Dunnings

Three things you should know about Fresh Collective:

1. We are committed to success!

Fresh Collective provides the opportunity for local, Canadian and select international designers to reach new audiences through our retail stores. Our customer service, marketing support and online community build a network for our designers to reach their audience, learn what they want and create products that come together to form a complete look. We’re committed to our designers successes. Every day we refine what that looks like so we can support them with business knowledge, numbers, systems and communication.

2. We sell more than just clothing and accessories through our stores

We know we don’t really sell dresses, skirts and tops. We sell confidence, beauty and self-expression through fashion. We inspire women to let their outer self reflect their inner self, and think of fashion as a daily form of communication and art that tells the world just who we are.

Web finance guru Shannon Simmons and fashion blogger Nicole Wilson admire images from the Fresh Collective REAL WOMEN campaign - featuring FC fashion shot on our staff and designers.

3. We have an amazing team!

Founded and built by Laura-Jean Bernhardson in 2003, the Fresh Collective team has been built and refined over the last 10 years. Our team is founded on a commitment to communication, action and accountability. We do what we say we’re going to do, by when we say we’re going to do it and, if we can’t, we communicate about it. The business is built on the e-myth system of doing what you love by building the structure and team around you to support your dream. Laura-Jean’s background is in neither fashion nor business – she simply followed her heart and did what she loved. Through that she built a team around her of retail sales experts, marketing and promotion gurus, designers and curators. We all work together to provide the best customer service, the best of unique, beautiful fashions and products that make our customers feel special, and the best business advice and support we can to our partners to help them live the life of their dreams.

Fresh Collective CEO, Laura-Jean Bernhardson (center), with designers Jennifer Fukushima (Paper People clothing), and Marnie Kramer (The Blushing Maple).

Stay tuned for monthly guest blogs from Fresh Collective and keep up-to-date by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and at www.freshcollective.com!