FASHION Magazine

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For this black and white photo shoot from our November 2013 issue, we pull from our own talent pool and prove that Canadian models in Canadian designs make perfect pairings this fall. Check out the best from homegrown talents like Rad Hourani, Sid Neigum, Duy and Travis Taddeo and more as worn by standout models hailing from right here in the Great White North.

By Derek Lall Though it represents but a fraction of the overall fashion industry, Haute Couture is still the highest it gets. With only a handful of designers officially invited to show during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, it makes it all the more meaningful for Montreal native Rad Hourani, who after showing his first […]

The post Rad Hourani becomes the first Canadian member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Fashion Television (RIP) was ahead of its time in several ways, and here is one of them: In 1985, when executive producer Jay Levine launched the program, he imagined it might become a channel for short narrative videos about clothing. Fashion films, now so inescapable a phenomenon, were then just a thought without a name: if music videos could revolutionize the way we consume pop, couldn’t a little cinematography do the same for clothing? The ’70s had seen then-living legends Guy Bourdin and Richard Avedon experiment with the moving image, and as film-recording cameras became less expensive, it seemed likely they’d land in the hands of younger, emerging lensmen. As MTV was to music videos, so might Fashion Television be to this new mode of image-making.

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Montreal native Rad Hourani managed to make fashion history not just once, but twice last week: not only was he the first Canadian to show during haute couture week in Paris, but he was also the first designer to ever show a unisex haute couture collection.

He described his collection as “unisex, pure and complex” to FASHION Montreal editor Patricia Gajo last month, and the collection was all that and more: luxurious, sleek and meticulously tailored. The makeup and hair was also true to the Jordan-born designer’s bare-boned, androgynous style. At the hands of senior M.A.C artist Luc Bouchard, models were sent down the runway in a palette of neutrals inspired by “angelic creatures,” their slicked back hair baring their minimalist faces.

2012 marks FASHION Magazine’s 35th Anniversary! To celebrate, each issue, we’re pairing up with a different Canadian who is also celebrating a milestone. We invite our readers to enter for their chance to WIN the designers’ featured show pieces. Good luck!

Enter to win this Rad by Rad Hourani coat »
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If the fashion universe hasn’t already noticed, Jordan-native/Montrealer Rad Hourani is taking Paris by storm (fitting that his name means “thunder” in Arabic), never mind making history. On July 3, the model scout/stylist/designer/visionary will be the first Canadian to present an haute couture collection in the City of Light. This event is also unprecedented in that it will make Hourani the first unisex haute couture designer on the planet. Not bad, considering his label only celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. Not bad either when you remember he’s only 30, just turning so last Friday!

I managed to catch hold of the jetsetter just before he boarded a flight to Hong Kong. He was on his way to attend an exhibition in his honour, “Five Years of Unisex,” at I.T Hysan One, laudably one of the most artfully designed department stores in the world. Here’s the Rad update:

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For his fifth anniversary show Friday evening, Rad Hourani opened with a multi-screened, black-and-white video presentation set to an ambient soundtrack of chirping birdies. But before long, the runway was taken over by an army of androgynous models, hair centre-parted and slicked back, in a parade of beyond-streamlined belted coats and tight pants. The classic Rad by Rad Hourani uniform of black-on-black was given an earthy punch of mossy green; nearly every model carryied a sleek, sharp-angled leather bag. With spring barely here, I’m already getting excited for the fall, if only to wear Hourani’s futuristic take on the varsity jacket.

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He’s no lady. Boy wonder Andrej Pejic brings his dry wit and supermodel moves to the top Canadian designs for spring.

Watch our video with Andrej Pejic »
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Rad Hourani was recently home in Montreal between jaunts to Paris and New York City to shoot his Spring 2012 look book and video. I popped by his all-white Mile End atelier to find him perched in all black behind two tripods—both focused on the iconic model Kirsten Owen, who drove in from Toronto that morning.

Alternating between Ice Queen and Alien, Owen quietly unravelled before the lens, each flash igniting a fierce thunder in her eyes. Between takes, Hourani and I chatted about his personal inspiration. I discovered his name Rad means “thunder” in Arabic and “clothing” (how serendipitous) in an African language. The designer also added, “Le Rad in Paris is the last bar of the night that is open—a cool bar. It’s not trendy.” If you know anything about Hourani’s avant-garde philosophy, you know it’s not a stretch to make the connection. And, well, I don’t think I have to tell you what “rad” means in English. Here are more snapshots of our conversation.

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L’Oreal Professionnel‘s holiday campaign is one of the coolest concepts we’ve seen in ages. Collaborating with such style makers as Trusst co-founders Melissa Matos and Andrew Ly, who’ve worked with the likes of Aldo, Aritzia, Vice Magazine, and even FASHION, and video dynamo Kevin Calero, who’s worked with Rad Hourani, the team was set on […]

The post Video: We go behind the scenes of L’Oreal Professionnel’s stylish new campaign appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

First we shared our favourite picks for the ultimate summer in Toronto. Next, we crossed the country with our western editor, Joy Pecknold’s top picks for how (and in what!) to spend the summer months in Vancouver. Next up, we give you the best bets for a magical summer in Montreal. From checking out top musical acts at Osheaga to donning a pair of mega-angular shades from homegrown talent Rad Hourani, Montreal editor Patricia Gajo has got you covered.

View the guide now! »

Stylist turned designer Rad Hourani (radhourani.com) has a cult following for his unisex, seasonless clothing, sold at Reborn (231 St-Paul St. W., Suite 100, 514-499-8549, reborn.ws). He recently debuted a fragrance, and is launching a shoe collaboration with Aldo. Although the Montreal expat now commutes between Paris and New York (but manufactures his lines here), he says the universe is his home. It’s true—he’s out of this world.