FASHION Magazine

From the upcoming Versace for H&M collaboration to Danier’s ongoing Canadian-on-Canadian capsule collections with the likes of Mark Fast, Greta Constantine and FASHION contributor George Antonopoulos, high-low team ups are continuing to bring luxury designs to the masses. We haven’t had enough. In fact, we vote for more! Here are four mega-designers and Canadian stores that we think should get together and jump on the bandwagon post-haste.

Here are the 4 team ups we’re dreaming of »

With its sleek, sophisticated shapes and signature asymmetric details, Ela Kowalewka’s debut handbag collection, Ela (elabyela.com), is sure to be on every stylista’s lips—not to mention shoulders—this fall. “I wanted to focus on essential must-haves that also offer great functionality,” says this Canadian designer, referring to her M.I.L.C.K. (money, ID, lipstick, cell and keys) envelope clutch (shown).

Jumping on the Canadian fashion bandwagon has never been easier, thanks to the opening of Meese’s second location, Meese on 124 (10240 124th St., Unit 006, Edmonton, 780-418-1388, meeseclothing.com). Dedicated exclusively to Canadian and local talent, co-owner Tressa Heckbert has stocked the store with bold frocks by Frank Lyman Design, vintage-inspired designs by Cinder + Smoke, separates by Preloved and, of course, Heckbert’s own label, Sessa Wearables, a collection that caters to the urban professional.

Everyone loves a Canadian designer in London. From Erdem to Mark Fast to Thomas Tait, it’s a whole new boys’ club over there. But they better make room for one serious creative force of a girl: Kat Marks.

The Calgary native graduated from the Ryerson School of Fashion in 2008. I’ve never forgotten her work at the grad show. While most of her peers were fussily reinventing the cocktail dress, Marks was making balloon-shouldered bodysuits and plastic torsos with jutting hips. Think Margiela, but at a sex shop. Soon after leaving Ryerson, off Marks went to the London College of Fashion, where she got her Masters in Fashion Artefact and all the right kinds of attention.

Today, Marks’ fashion film, The Karass, premieres at SHOWStudio.com. No big deal: it’s just the major-est, most respected avant-garde fashion force in the whole UK. And yes, the short is shot by the site’s mastermind and genius image-maker, Nick Knight himself!

Experience the video for yourself, but be sure to keep in mind that every interchangeable piece of these hyper real tuxedo-like breastplates was made by Marks’ own hands: the vegetable-dyed, heat-moulded leathers, the manipulated bits of brass and the Perspex, which was hand-etched (“tattooed,” she says) with ink.

How did Marks and this bizarre, wearable-but-just-barely work get such a spectacular break? She didn’t. She sent an email. Alexander Fury, fashion director of SHOWStudio, “got it” right away. “It is rare to see pieces as distinctive and strong as Kat Marks’ work,” he says in a press release for the film. “Rare on the catwalks, and certainly rare in a designer so young.”

And so here’s the mega-talented Ms. Marks in her own words, typed over Skype and delivered straight to you.

It has been a whirlwind first year for Christina Remenyi, the designer behind the sophisticated, vintage-inspired lingerie label Fortnight Lingerie (fortnightlingerie.com). The Toronto-based company launched in February 2010 with their Super Sexy CPR instructional video, which is exactly what it sounds like and which received over 2.3 million hits mere days after its launch. “I wasn’t really sure how it was going to be received,” said Remenyi who designs and manufactures her handmade pieces with assistant designer and pattern maker Alison Chown. “I mean it was a great video and I had full confidence in how wonderful it was but you never know how people are going to react and it was really great to get all that amazing response back.” The Fortnight Lingerie founder and owner chatted with FASHION Magazine about her made in Canada approach and what it takes to make it in the Canadian fashion industry.