Eleven minutes. For most fashion designers, that’s what a year’s worth of hard work, maxed out credit cards, sleepless nights, disgusting levels of caffeine consumption, little to no sex and dwindling social circles comes down to: an eleven-minute fashion show that makes it all so worthwhile (or not). OK, so fashion isn’t rocket science and it’s not going to solve world hunger and designers are known to be a tad dramatic, but believe me, the last weeks involved in preparing a fashion show are as unglamourous as it gets. And, if you’re a relative newcomer, pretty nerve-wracking too.
For this special Toronto Fashion Week(s) edition of the Creative Process, two Canadian designers invite us into their studios just days before revealing their S/S ’12 collections.
Adrian Wu
When I met up with Adrian, the 21-year-old self-starter was not only anxiously getting ready for LG Fashion Week, but also in the middle of renovating what will be his new studio (and boutique). Opening day? Just hours after his runway show, the space will double as afterparty venue. Although he’s shown during Vancouver and Ottawa Fashion Week, he says debuting at LG Fashion Week in Toronto is another level.
That doesn’t mean he’s not ready. As he discusses his anxiety about the show on October 21st, he says, in very no-nonsense fashion: “I have to be in the mindset that I’m gonna run a multi-million-dollar company one day. I just have to. Do you get what I mean?” His confidence is catching: by the time I leave, I’m ready to bet Adrian Wu is the next Karl Lagerfeld. And I don’t even gamble.
For Adrian, creativity depends heavily on research. “Designing is quick,” he says, “but I spend so much time researching what has and hasn’t been done.” Titled Creatures of the Photons, his S/S ‘12 collection is inspired by quantum physics’ double-slit experiment (also known as Young’s experiment).
Days from completion and steps from Dundas and Bay, Studio Wu looks like this.
Press clippings meticulously stored.
Pieces of Spring ’12.
Adrian illustrates concepts on his iPad. Here’s an example.
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Jessica Mary Clayton
Jessica had us over just hours before she was due to present her debut collection–her first during Toronto Fashion Week after having showed at Alternative Fashion Week five times–and if she was feeling labour pains, she didn’t show it in the least. The redhead’s relaxed demeanour matches her designs: Jessica, who graduated from Ryerson in 2009, creates lovely womenswear in simple, flattering cuts that let the prints do the talking. Jessica says she designs only clothing that she’ll ultimately want to wear herself (she’s wearing a top from her S/S’12 collection in the photo above), and while we hear this often from other female designers, Jessica I can actually believe. I can easily envision any piece of her collection on the girls I know–including myself.
For the spring ahead, Jessica was inspired by Edward Burtynsky’s photos of oil sands, on display at the ROM this past summer; they reminded her of her hometown. With her frequent collaborator (and boyfriend) Chris Bahry of Tendril Design, she used drips, splatters, and spills to create beautiful Rorschach-like prints.
Studio reflections.
A wall of vivid fabric swatches, past illustrations and a lone gem chart.
A few pieces from Jessica’s Spring/Summer ’12 collection.
By mixing ink and oil and adding drops of the solution into water, Jessica and Chris take pictures that are then digitally printed onto fabric.
