3.PARADIS
Image Source: 0.5 : Post Dystopia Collection (Above)
The up and coming collection from Montreal’s 3. Paradis will serve as a refined collision of Japanese and Parisian luxury streetwear. Partners Emeric Tchatchoua and Raymond Cheung have continued to deliver trend-inspiring and innovative designs since their inception in 2012. Their most recent collection, 0.5 : Post Dystopia, provided utilitarian and militaristic influences in a crisp RTW delivery. The show at World MasterCard Fashion Week will provide a needed lens into the pair’s world, given their limited and eclectic retail footprint in Toronto, Vancouver, Germany, Nigeria, Hong Kong, and the UK.
MIKHAEL KALE
Image Source: MIKHAEL KALE 2015 FW
Fresh from winning the 2015 CAFA Womenswear Designer of the Year award, Canadian-born Mikhael Kale is the highly anticipated opener at WMCFW next week. With his classical French training at Central Saint Martin’s, Kale is prepared to once again transform the textures of womenswear for the better. His extended play with textured fabrics has truly cemented Mikhael as one of Canada’s premier designers. With major endorsements from Beyonce, and Gigi Hadid, Mikhael is poised to be the standout at WMCFW.
FINEZZA – AU NOM DE L’HOMME
Image Source: Toronto Men’s Fashion Week
HOMME FINEZZA tows the line between delivering standard suiting RTW collections and providing tailoring services to its Montreal client-base. The combination bespoke tailor and prep designer delivered previously this year at TOM, and is expected to leverage their shirting and suiting expertise. The driving force behind HOMME FINEZZA will be the collection’s reflection of menswear for every event in a gentleman’s life. Golf, tennis, and evening attire allow HOMME FINEZZA to bob and weave through traditional fashion guardrails, and deliver a holistic collection that truly reflects their choice customer.
HONG KIYOUNG
Image Source: Hong Kiyoung, 2015-16 A/W Vancouver Fashion Week
The Korean-based luxury streetwear player, Hong, Kiyoung, is stepping into the WMCFW forum with international expansion at the front of mind. With the interplay between Hong Kong streetwear and traditional luxury, Kiyoung’s label is hoping to continue their hot streak following their show at Vancouver Fashion Week. Tracking the brand’s development from collection to collection, it is possible to see the trend-focused and borrowed influence in Hong Kiyoung’s previous work, but his debut in Toronto will serve as yet another platform to showcase impressive silhouettes and loud patterns.
S.P. BADU (Mercedes-Benz Startup)
The underdog in this year’s WMCFW, Spencer Badu’s gender-bending efforts has the potential to outshine his peers at the Mercedes-Benz Startup event. Badu has made his imprint with clever unisex designs that provide refined and palatable streetwear. Spencer has continued to focus on gender’s ever-present boundaries in the fashion- world, and has valiantly sought to confront them at every turn with his previous work. The masculine streetwear overtones coupled with the feminine subtlety in the details has provided Badu with a unique approach to the blending world of post Rick & Raf gothwear. The Mercedes-Benz startup event may be the stage Spencer needs to launch himself into the stratosphere of his influencers.
Other key shows include Rudsak, Mikael D and Jacqueline Piron.
By Amit Kalra #TPGAmit
