COMRAGS
Joyce Gunhouse and Judy Cornish have always played by their own rules. Since launching their label in 1983, the duo often declined a spot on the traditional fashion week calendar, instead focusing on hosting shopping events for their devoted base of customers. The success of Comrags is due, in large part, to the fact that each collection is a continuation of the last. "People can build their wardrobes," says Gunhouse. "We don't often have to buy new colours of threads because there's always a little bit that we've done before in terms of colour and mood."
The Comrags aesthetic can be best described as contemporized vintage; in the case of their spring collection, a frilled plaid dress is made with a print that's been treated with a bleach-like substance to give it a washed-out look. Slouchy shapes and the addition of floaty bow details heighten the relaxed, romantic feeling of the pieces. "We sort of live in our own little vacuum," Cornish says. "So we're not slaves to trends, or what's happening generally in the world of fashion. We're able to do what we want." www.comrags.com
JENNIFER TOROSIAN
Making its runway debut during Toronto Fashion Week last spring, Jennifer Torosian's brand has steadily gained momentum since its launch in 2013. Having established her label as sportswear with a luxurious touch, Torosian built on her stable of well-tailored separates for spring, and introduced more event-appropriate pieces including a black cocktail dress embellished with a strip of jersey in shocking pink. "My customer is looking for pieces that are versatile, easy to wear, easy to layer, and that have a point of view," she says of her collection favourites, which rely on a combination of comfortable silhouettes and technical fabrics.
One of Torosian's signatures within each collection is an emphasis on prints – this season, florals dominate, appearing in a 3-D stretch jacquard and a new lace fabrication. "Our lace is custom made in Switzerland," she notes. "I'm able to source these cool details and products from around the world and make a really great product in Canada." Torosian will showcase her spring 2017 line as part of the FashionCAN event held at Yorkdale Shopping Centre on Oct. 17 – and the line has been picked up by the department store Simons for spring. www.jennifertorosian.com
HILARY MacMILLAN
Having only launched her eponymous label in 2012, Hilary MacMillan has already amassed a fan base with collections that focus on novel fabrics, including exclusively made prints, and retro-tinged silhouettes. “I’ve always been inspired by the seventies, and you can see a glimpse of that seep into the [spring] collection with a lot of culottes, maxi dresses and a kind of Moroccan print that comes in as well.”
For her fall 2016 collection, MacMillan mandated that moving forward, her work would not feature leather, fur or feathers, so it’s not surprising that the starting point for her new collection comes directly from nature itself. “The inspiration for this collection is swans,” MacMillan says. “I’ve always been inspired by different kinds of birds, their majestic colouring and the beauty of them.” The result is a range of pieces done in white, blues and golds, some featuring a silk-screened avian print and other garments that draw their detailing from the fine ruffles of feathers, like the delicate swath of fringe on the line’s chambray separates. www.hilarymacmillan.com
EWANIKA
With a Toronto boutique that focuses on contemporary women’s-wear brands that convey a quieter notion of style, designer Trish Ewanika’s own label is similarly subdued, rooted in function but retaining a sense of elegance. “I was struggling for something to wear that felt cool, comfortable, but that was still stylish,” she says of what spurred the creation of the all-white cotton Tencel linen blend pieces for her spring line. “And I always look back to early sportswear and leisure wear from the 1930s.”
Though the pieces are connected by their sense of ease, there’s still a variety of silhouettes to appeal to a broad array of consumers, including a flared jumpsuit, slouchy pyjama-style jacket and prim wrap-style skirt. It’s a group of options that could seamlessly transition from day to evening. “When I get dressed in the morning, I’m not thinking I’m getting dressed for work, or on the weekend I’m not thinking I’m getting dressed for an outing, or play time or whatever you want to call it. I get dressed with the idea in mind that whatever I’m wearing in the morning will get me through the day.” www.ewanika.ca
Styling by Odessa Paloma Parker. Hair and makeup by Sheri Stroh for Plutino Group/Bite Beauty/Kevin Murphy. Model: Sam Rayner at Elite Models.
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