Lead Copy Editor: Jacob Marion
Copy Editor: Janne Boecker
Graphic Designer: Sandy Andraos
All images are taken by Jack/@cosplay for FAT 2023 fashion week.
A puffer set. Laser-cut bows laced together. A dress made of premium silk scarves. Corsets and white gowns, knitwear and sleek cuts of tailored womenswear. And then—then came the cheers, the applause that was louder than the music vibrating underneath the audience’s shoes.
Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU)’s showcase at Fashion Art Toronto, Toronto’s longest-running fashion showcase, was a sight to behold. It was, perhaps, the most anticipated show of the season for us at StyleCircle. Curated by Mic Carter, the creative director of the legendary L’Uomo Strano and mentor at TMU’s fashion zone, the show featured designers and alumni from the School of Fashion. The visual story that the show conveyed was a true testament to the range of design disciplines at TMU, and how we are, and will continue to shape the future of fashion.
The show opened with a stunning series of pieces: a deep green cargo vest with a contrasting zipper, the aforementioned puffer set, a flight jacket, a denim vest, and denim shorts; it’s a collection of brilliant aviation-inspired workwear pieces.
A heart-stopping corset-skirt set followed, with metal details, pretty puff sleeves, and buttons sewn irregularly throughout the set. Corsets and structured skirts are notoriously difficult to get right, but what followed proved that theory wrong. A hooded corset gown, experimental fibres and colours, pink doll-like tops with equally dreamy skirts, and a pair of bloomers.
To watch TMU students showcase their work is to watch the future come to life before you. It’s unexpected and fresh, yet there’s an undertone of sophistication. The designer’s intention is clear, and there’s not a thread that feels out of place.
Take, for instance, the fringed machine knit dress. The sleek, tailored collection of blues, khakis, and an iridescent sheer, or the pleats and tailoring details that breathe life and movement into the garment. Expert, avant-garde millinery designs and sleek, subdued cuts of coats. The examples are each as brilliant as the next.
Trusting one’s instinct throughout the creative process is a unique skill, but TMU students and alumni go beyond that. They let their deep, almost primal obsession with their craft show.
Fashion Art Toronto showcased pieces from fashion students and alumni Adia Morgan, Audrey Chen, Cali Greenidge, Camilla Leonelli Calzado, Curtis Matysek, Delfina Russo, Jina Kim, Jingfei Liu, Joseph Arruejo, Joyin Rey, Kat Wu, Mirabellle Zhou, Miss Harlow, Portia Alight, Precious Ayolade, Riya Pareek, Scarlet Dunlop and Shan Ali.
