Avril Sequeira
Life Reporter
The Transitions Runway Show, held last Tuesday at Capitol Events theatre in downtown Toronto, was not only great publicity for up-and-coming designers, but also a chance for Humber College students to get a taste of the demands of real-life fashion event planning.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” said Emily Edwards, a second-year fashion arts student who was running the staging area for the night.
“Trying to get everybody to get together at one time, organize everything, get everybody on the same page. I mean, we covered everything from staging, lighting, sound, advertising . . . absolutely everything.”
Forty-five fashion arts students from North Campus participated in the show, which is offered as an option to final year students who can choose between photo styling and event planning.
The show was a tremendous success, selling out tickets, and raising money for Sketch, a non-profit organization that offers homeless and street-involved youth a chance to get involved in the arts. Paintings produced by artists helped by Sketch were also sold throughout the night in an attempt to raise awareness as well as funds.
Second-year fashion arts student, Patricia Warmuz said the decision to donate the proceeds was a collective one.
“While we were searching for a venue we actually stumbled upon the Sketch organization and it was brought to the class and we voted on it. We really liked it – we thought it really worked with the whole theme. It’s original and it’s creative . . . as is fashion.”
However, for graduating students, creativity is not always enough to make a living and Edwards said that while she is looking to open her own business, it is especially hard to get started when the fashion industry in Canada is poorly funded.
“I don’t think the government recognizes it at all,” she said. “I think if you do want to be in the American market, you have to move there. There’s no real chance of you doing anything in Toronto, personally.”
Co-ordinator of Humber’s fashion arts program, Susan Roberton said the program attracts a wide range of students, many of whom already come from a design school background and are now looking for the business skills needed to manage a fashion career.
“It’s unbelievably demanding,” she said. “It’s beyond a 24/7 commitment. Because when you’re first starting out, you may have the talent but if you don’t have the financial resources . . . you’re doing everything. And you have to be just as adept at sitting down with the bank and the accountant as you do at the cutting table.”
Having worked in the fashion industry for over twenty years, Roberton said it is especially hard for a new designer to find success in the Canadian market.
“You’ve just got less opportunity in Canada than you do in the States. The Macy’s store at 34th and Broadway in New York, which is their flagship store, they have 100,000 people walking by that corner every day. There just isn’t anything close to that here and we live in one of the highest consumer rated cities in the country.”
However, when Project Runway launches the Canadian version of its successful television reality show this summer, one lucky contestant will receive everything he or she needs to bypass the initial struggle.
The winning designer, out of twelve, walks away with $100,000, a spread in a fashion magazine and the opportunity to show their work at a major fashion event in Canada. Applications for the show can be found on Slice network website and are due April 13.