One of our interns Alexandra Espinosa (age 20) who’s in her third year at Ryerson University, had taken the initiative to shoot a creative interpreting our VAWK Spring Summer 2012 Collection. We are proud to showcase her work. Bravo!.
Model: Emily Magowan (Ford) | Photographer: Jeffrey Carlson | Art Director/Stylist: Alexandra Espinosa |
Stylist Assistant: Julianne Costigan | Make up: Caroline Levin | Hair: Render Y (Complections)
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With our collections, it all begins with the inspiration and then the sketches. Usually there are hundreds of sketches, the sketches of each look are small and not very detailed (about 5″ tall and 1.5″ wide). It’s like the ultrasound image of the idea that seeds the fabricating process of the garment. The garment is the evolution from sketch to process to final look. See below how each garment began from my sketch.
Selected items are available at The Room at The Bay
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Please Don’t Stop the Music… Music is one of the key things that inspire our collection and is the heart beat to our studio. Below is our current playlist. It’s filled with our favorite female artists.
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Rabee Michel Younes, an up-and-coming Toronto photographer, interprets our Spring Summer 2011 collection.
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At VAWK we try to incorporate hand detailing in all our collections, for Autumn/Winter 2011 collection we’ve looked at hand knitting as one of the subtle details that help communicate our winter theme. In the process of piecing together the collection, We were lucky to find our knitter, Jacqueline Schiller, in a Queen West Yarn Shop behind the counter. Over a few coffees we were able to collaborate on the perfect knit to add texture to our collection.
Jacqueline Schiller is a textile artist and a graduate of Ontario College of Art and Design where she majored in drawing and painting. Her work has been shown in both solo and group exhibitions in Canada and abroad. In 2007 she spent a year studying in Florence, Italy and is heavily influenced by the traditional processes and incorporates them into contemporary practice. Though only 24, she has been knitting for 20 years. She currently lives and works in Toronto, Ontario.
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Each season, the first question the media asks Sunny is his inspiration for the collection. What is it? Where did it come from?
How did he find it? Indeed, having Sunny share his inspiration with me at the start of each season and watching how he interprets it into the collection is one of the most interesting processes. In the past, Sunny has found inspiration from film, travels and art.
But the idea of where designers find inspiration has taken a new turn with crowd-sourcing – when designers ask the public for their ideas and input on design. While the idea may work for food or consumer products, there is great debate on whether it will work for fashion.
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This video shares a dynamic debate on the topic. Moderated by Vanessa Friedman, Fashion Editor for the Financial Times, the debate features Natalie Massenet of Net-A-Porter, Margareta van den Bosch of H&M and Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing at NYU.
The discussion focusses on whether the customers still want strong curators or prefer bringing in their own ideas and designs. While I think businesses always need to listen to consumers in general, I agree with Galloway’s position for the fashion industry: “The biggest success comes from those who trust themselves and ignore customer preferences for their own vision – for example Steve Jobs.” As you listen to this debate, consider your position on the topic. Do you think fashion should rely on consumers to provide inspiration, or should consumers trust designers’ vision.
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