This season at Toronto Fashion Week, brilliant storytellers, fashion professionals and business leaders will converge for timely, thought-provoking conversations covering a wide array of topics impacting the fashion and creative communities. Both Fashion House (TFW’s dynamic new event space at 78 Yorkville Ave.) and the Hazelton Hotel will host to a number of lively industry panels and podcast tapings throughout the week. Each a unique opportunity to learn from the experts and explore emerging industry themes in an intimate setting, here are the events you don’t want to miss.
Fashion Talks with Donna Bishop
Fashion Talks, the popular live-taping podcast, returns to Toronto Fashion Week once again, with host Donna Bishop leading intimate conversations with some of the country’s top fashion and accessory designers for a series of “Designer Spotlight Episodes.” Franklin Benjamin Elman, Ron White and Kimberley Newport-Mimran are among the guests who will be discussing their creative process and origin stories with Bishop this season.
“[These designers] are all incredibly compelling and I cannot wait to sit down with each of them,” says Bishop. “There are stories of strength, longevity, perseverance and love of beauty within each of them. Beyond their notable career achievements I want to dig a little bit into who they are. What is their origins story? What made them the creative and business forces they are today? Let’s get to know them as people as well as fashion designers.”
According to Bishop, Franklin Benjamin Elman, the designer at Trigère—a historic label that’s been dormant since the early 1990s—is a talent to watch. “I think he really understands the forward thinking nature of the label and that is exciting,” says Bishop. “I love his quote ‘Madame Trigère was a refugee, a single mother, and a female entrepreneur…What could be more au courant?’ Bringing that power effectively and authentically into his collections definitely makes him one to keep an eye on.”
With iconic shoe designer Ron White, Bishop hopes to explore the arc of his career—and his charity work—over the past two decades. “He has been around the block and seen such changes in the industry in very specific category,” explains Bishop. “How did he stay focused? How did he scale? What keeps him inspired? These are just a few of the tangents I want to mine with him.”
Bishop is also excited to chat with womenswear designer Kimberley Newport-Mimran about her new label, Kim Newport (which will be debuting at Toronto Fashion Week), and the future of fashion. “Kim is a pillar of the fashion industry as a creative mind and as the president and design director of Pink Tartan, which of course she founded in 2002,” says Bishop. “What continues to fuel her fire? How does she stay on top of the fast-paced evolution of retail? What are her thoughts on the future of fashion? What are her thoughts on the Canadian landscape?”
The Brand is Female: In Conversation with Women Who Are Disrupting Fashion
On September 5, 2019, sit in on a taping of The Brand is Female, a podcast by Canadian marketing expert Eva Hartling at the Hazelton Hotel Screening Room. Speaking with a panel of leading female founders, including BonLook’s Sophie Boulanger, Hartling will touch on retail innovation, the importance of brand experience, and how to thrive as a brand in a constantly changing market.
Responsible Fashion—an Oxymoron?
Presented by men’s style destination philip, this panel discussion on the fashion industry’s shift towards a responsible, sustainable and more creative approach will be hosted by Stacey Fruitman, founder of Style with Substance on September 4, 2019.
Talk the Walk, presented by City MOGULS
In partnership with Toronto Fashion Week, City MOGULS will be hosting an original speakers event this season called “Talk the Walk.” The panel, which will cover the topic of “Building Your Brand with Impact and Story Telling,” will host founders and brand strategists from across the fashion and entrepreneurial communities. Proceeds from tickets sold will support Dress for Success Toronto.
More information and selected tickets are available online.