Pop-R&B superstar Ariana Grande dropped her sixth album of 14 tracks earlier this week and it turns out the singer is sporting Toronto-born false eyelash brand Velour in the music video for her lead single Positions. Grande’s seamless makeup was done by makeup artist Michael Anthony who used Velour’s You Complete Me mink falsies ($39) to complete the singer’s sultry eye look. Get your hands on the lash set here.
Three Ships founders strike a deal on Dragon’s Den
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Connie Lo and Laura Burget, the Toronto-based duo behind affordable clean and vegan skincare brand Three Ships, appeared on Dragon’s Den on Thursday and inked a deal with businessman, venture capitalist and long-time Dragon Jim Treliving. “What a story. Skincare is a tough game but these Three Ships leaders are ready for it,” Treliving tweeted after the episode aired. “Been in this Den a long time. Watch out for the Three Ships team,” he continued. Lo and Burget first launched their skincare brand in 2017 with only $4,000 in the bank and have since grown and rebranded their label, which now holds a revenue projectory of $1.5M this year alone. What’s more, Three Ships has secured distribution deals in both the US and Canada, including Whole Foods and the Hudson’s Bay Company, and will be launching in over 500 Target locations as well as on Target.com come January 2021. Watch the Dragon’s Den episode here.
Sephora Canada kicks off its holiday savings event
Calling all Sephora Beauty Insiders. ICYMI, the beauty giant launched its holiday savings event on Friday where all Beauty Insider members can save 10 (for Insiders), 15 (for Rouge) and 20 (for VIBs) per cent on beauty goods by using the promo code HOLIDAYFUN at checkout over the next few weeks. For more details on the multi-day sale event, click here, and if you’re not signed up as a Beauty Insider member yet click here.
Green beauty brand Antipodes drops an ultra-rich, water-gel moisturizer
Photo courtesy of Antipodes
New Zealand–based skin care brand Antipodes, beloved by famous faces like Cara Delevingne, Elle Macpherson and Sam Smith, is known for its clean, plant-powered formulas that boast natural ingredients, many of which are sustainably sourced and grown right in New Zealand. This week, the green beauty player has just added a new product to its certified-organic line-up, Baptise H2O Ultra-Hydrating Water Gel ($52). Featuring key ingredients like New Zealand manuka honey, hyaluronic acid and hibiscus flower, the lightweight gel moisturizer quenches thirsty, dehydrated skin while revitalizing skin cells and protecting the complexion from environmental aggressors.
Cooler Canadian temperatures can mean lackluster manes, among other hair issues, but Monat is here to defend your strands. The hair and skincare brand’s new Studio One Glossy Shine Mist ($52) is packed with over thirteen nourishing botanical oils and extracts, like grapeseed and sweet almond, and works to tackle frizz and add hydration while leaving behind a glossy shine with each spray. Bonus: It has been formulated to work on all hair types.
Say hello to the Canadian-founded luxury watch brand called Vieren
Photography courtesy of Vieren.
Co-founded by Canadian fashion designer Sunny Fong and entrepreneur Jessica Chow, the new Swiss-made watch brand Vieren just launched four unisex hand-crafted inaugural styles that feature automatic movements and take six months to craft. If you want to get your hands on one, hurry – only 100 pieces in each look have been made.
You can now get Club Monaco’s pieces through Hudson’s Bay
Photography courtesty of PRNewsfoto/Hudson’s Bay.
In need of a one-stop shopping experience? Canadian retail icons Hudson’s Bay and Club Monaco have joined forces, meaning a selection of Club’s minimalist-minded wares are now available at 21 Hudson’s Bay stores as well as online. Expect to find closet essentials from cashmere sweaters and tailored trousers to WFH must-haves like hoodies and tees.
Métis artist Christi Belcourt has collaborated with Montreal-based label Katrin Leblond
Photography courtesy of Katrin Leblond.
Using former Valentino collaborator Christi Belcourt’s happy-making Bee print, designer Katrin Leblond developed a capsule of playful basics including leggings, track pants, a tunic and more. “Something I’ve wanted to do for a while is fabric design,” Belcourt explained in a press release, adding, “I’ve always wanted to have pieces that I myself would want to wear. I am a plus sized person and am now 54. I wanted to be part of creating clothing that I would find accessible, comfortable and beautiful for all ages, sizes, shapes and occasions.” Leblonds adds, “Fashion for me is about making wearable art. It’s a way to make art that’s affordable.” A portion of proceeds from the collection’s sales will go to Nimkii Aazhibikong, a year-round, land-based Anishinaabeg language and traditional arts camp that Belcourt is actively involved in.
Sentaler kicked off its current #SENTALER4SickKids campaign
Photography courtesy of Sentaler.
This week, Toronto-based outerwear and accessory brand Sentaler began the fifth instalment of its #SENTALER4SickKids initiative, meaning proceeds from the brand’s signature ribbed accessories sold from now until March 30th, 2021 will go to the SickKids Foundation. “In our children’s ‘new normal’, they can no longer play closely together as they once could,” Bojana Sentaler wrote in a letter about the launch. “They cannot hug or hold hands with their friends. Often, they cannot even see when their teachers are smiling at them from behind their masks. These are just the surface effects on healthy children who are attending socially distanced schools or learning virtually from home. But what about those who were already fighting their own battle? What about the children who were already facing health challenges before COVID-19 impacted our lives?” In an added gesture of kindness for those who need it most, Sentaler has also sketched colouring book pages to distribute to SickKids patients.
The Goodee Hoodie now comes in three new colours
Photography courtesy of Goodee.
Known for being a marketplace for ethical wares from around the globe, B-Corp certified and Black-owned Montreal-based business Goodee just released a new batch of its Goodee Hoodie in three fresh colours: a dusty rose, cheerful yellow and buoyant blue. Each hoodie is made in partnership with Kotn, meaning they’re fabricated from super-soft Egyptian cotton. Time to get cozy!
From an upcoming movie co-starring Celine Dion to a new Drake album, here’s everything that made headlines this past week.
Celine Dion is making her acting debut
Celine Dion’s voice may be an integral part of one of the most iconic films in cinematic history, but next year the singer herself will be making her very first silver screen appearance. According to Entertainment Weekly, the Quebec-born music icon will be making her acting debut in Text For You, alongside co-stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan. An English-language remake of a German box office hit, the romantic drama revolves around two grieving people whose paths cross thanks to a twist of fate.
4 Canadian drag queens are coming together to celebrate Sam Smith’s new album
This weekend, four Canadian drag queens are celebrating the release of Sam Smith’s new album, Love Goes, with a virtual drag show. Hosted by Canada’s Drag Race contestant Tynomi Banks, the show will feature Jada Hudson, Ivory Towers and Miss Jade, who will be performing to Smith’s catalogue of music. The show will premiere on YouTube on Saturday, October 31 at 8pm EST, with a 15-minute pre-show party during which Banks will answer questions and chat with fans. Get details here. For our interview with Smith about their new album, click here.
Drake dropped a teaser for his new album
Toronto’s very own Drake confirmed the release date for his new album Certified Lover Boy—January 2021—and also released a one-minute teaser featuring visuals recreating his past album covers. In addition, Drizzy is celebrating the upcoming release of his sixth studio album with a merch drop in collaboration with Nike. According to Women’s Wear Daily, “the collection includes puffer bomber jackets in black and pink with a quilted heart pattern and inside chest pocket with a poem, graphic T-shirts, hoodies, socks and a cap bearing Nike branding and the album title “Certified Lover Boy” and its shortened version “CLB” and artworks like hearts, kiss marks, and a masked Cupid in a balaclava.”
Goop launched a fair-trade coffee line
Gywneth Paltrow’s wellness empire has now extended into the caffeine space, with the launch of a fair-trade coffee line. The Arabica beans are sourced from Astrid Medina, a third-generation grower from Tolima, Colombia, and roasted by Common Room Roasters, a gourmet coffee shop in Newport Beach, California. “It’s so good—this coffee is just what I need right now,” Paltrow told Vogue. “It’s the richest, best-tasting coffee we could find, and the farmer, Astrid Medina, is a brilliant female founder I’m so proud to support.” The coffee is currently not shipping to Canada, but stay tuned for updates.
Sandra Oh is appearing in a film with Awkwafina Deadline reports that Sandra Oh and Awkwafina are teaming up for a sister comedy for Netflix. Oh reportedly stars as “a lonely recluse whose life is upended when her train wreck of a sister vows to mend their relationship by helping her fulfill her lifelong dream: to be a contestant on her favourite game show.” Watch this space for more details.
When it comes to horror movies or TV shows, stylish or fashionable isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind. But nothing sets a creepy or foreboding tone quite like a costume designed to elicit fear, confusion or apprehension. Who can forget the blue nightgown in Rosemary’s Baby or Delia Deetz’s kooky ensembles in Beetlejuice? Read on for our picks of the most fashionable horror movies and shows to binge this Halloween weekend.
Lovecraft Country
This HBO miniseries is set in the segregated United States but thanks to the supernatural premise and plotlines involving time travel, the story weaves from the 1950s to the ’20s to the late 1800s; from Chicago to Tulsa to Korea; from Jim Crow America to Jazz Age Paris. Accordingly, the fashion on the show spans various time periods and influences, resulting in a rich and wide-ranging costume wardrobe.
image courtesy hbo
In Fabric
This British horror-comedy follows a haunted red dress as it torments various owners, like a twisted take on The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Purchased during sale season in London in January 1993, the dress in question comes with a message— “You who wear me will know me” —sewn right into it. “I think clothing is inherently haunted to some degree,” director Peter Strickland said in an interview. “Once it’s been worn by someone it contains its own power, whether it’s the power to disgust you, the power to turn you on, or the power to make you cry.” Watch at your own risk.
The Craft
This ’90s cult classic centering around the story of four young witches in high school has remained an iconic fashion film for its tartan skirts, leather chokers and chunky boots. 2020 saw the release of a sequel to the hit film, focusing on a new modern-day quartet. Instead of looking back at ’90s fashion, costume designer Avery Plewes created contemporary bold looks of her own. In a recent interview, Plewes tells FASHION how she she built a current, Wiccan-worthy wardrobe. The starting point: “Crystals for each of the four main cast members – ones that connect to the ‘elements of ritual’ each girl symbolizes (earth, fire, air, water).”
image courtesy of columbia pictures
The Cell
Legendary costume designer Eiko Ishioka created the bold looks worn by Jennifer Lopez in this psychological thriller. Lopez plays a child psychologist who, when hooked up to an experimental machine, enters the “dreamscape” of a serial killer, where she appears dressed in ornate head pieces and jewellery, sheer dresses and even a Virgin Mary-esque ensemble in crimson.
image courtesy of new line media
Midsommar
Ari Aster’s second horror film (following his breakout hit Hereditary) explores themes of the occult, revolving around the rituals of a pagan cult in a remote Swedish village. Florence Pugh stars as a young American woman caught in the middle of it all, with a nightmare of epic proportions unfolding against picturesque fields and flower-adorned pastoral outfits.
image courtesy of A24
Twin Peaks
One of David Lynch’s most enduring works, this ’90s-era sci-fi series is packed with memorable outfits: preppy pleated skirts worn with oxfords and socks; oversized cardigans; plaid shirts tucked into high-waisted trousers; and many a leather jacket.
image courtesy of ABC photo archives
Suspiria
Like Dario Argento’s original 1977 film, Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 remake is set at a prestigious dance academy in Berlin run by a coven of witches. Awash in disquieting shades of red, the film’s 1970s setting is evoked through dramatic caftans, printed pussy-bow blouses, midi skirts and patchwork cloaks. Oh, plus there are some dresses “made out of real human hair extensions.”
image courtesy of amazon studios
Rosemary’s Baby
This 1968 horror movie sees Mia Farrow dressed in mod frocks and blouses with Peter Pan collars, all in angelic pastel hues. Despite her chic outfits, rounded out with berets and leather satchels, Rosemary Woodhouse’s most iconic look, arguably, is probably her blue nightgown.
image courtesy of paramount pictures
Swallow
Released last year, this psychological thriller follows a neglected pregnant housewife who begins ingesting all manner of inedible objects—from batteries to thumbtacks to marbles. Suffering from a psychological disorder known as pica, the woman nevertheless tries to keep up outward appearances, dressed in tailored separates and surrounded by sleek midcentury-modern furniture.
image courtesy of ifc films
Persona
Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 psychological drama centres around two main characters: a renowned actress, who is sent by her doctor to a cottage by the sea to recover from a strange affliction, and the young nurse tasked with looking after her. Stills from the film are impossibly chic—think black turtlenecks, cat-eye sunglasses and boater hats—but they belie the tensions of identity and self-image swirling underneath.
image courtesy of AB Svensk Filmindustri
Queen of the Damned
In her last film role before her death in 2001, R&B singer Aaliyah plays vampire queen Akasha decked out in regal, Cleopatra-inspired outfits. Think ornate head pieces, chunky jewellery, and long skirts worn with a body-armour-like bodice.
image courtesy of warner bros.
The Hunger
Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon star in this 1983 erotic horror film, which went on to inspire Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 1996 collection. ’80s power shoulders, bold hats, and leather jackets made up Deneuve’s wardrobe, which was provided by Yves Saint Laurent.
image courtesy of MGM Studios
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
This gothic horror by Francis Ford Coppola won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1993. Spearheaded by Eiko Ishioka, the wardrobe comprised of gilded gowns, tailored suiting, embroidered robes and sculptural accessories.
image courtesy of columbia pictures
Beetlejuice
The most family-friendly pick of the bunch, this 1988 cult hit created several sartorial icons: Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz, dressed in monochrome with whimsical accessories (who can forget the glove-as-headband?); Winona Ryder’s Lydia, outfitted in head-to-toe black; and Michael Keaton’s Betelgeuse, who wore his dandy suits with a darkly comic flair.
image courtesy of warner bros.
Crimson Peak
Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston spend their screen time in Guillermo del Toro’s gothic romance walking around in elaborate Victorian costumes. Although the world around them is dark and bleak, their costumes are rich and sumptuous—heavy silks and velvets in shades of ochre, midnight blue and of course crimson.
image courtesy of universal pictures
When you’re ready to take a break from binge-watching horror films, check out our other ideas for a safe Halloween at home.
Sam Smith is on their last interview of the day to promote their new album, Love Goes, at a London hotel and has been rewarded with a vodka martini. It arrived, however, with an olive instead of the twist they requested. Many stars, especially of the Oscar- and Grammy-winning variety, would have sent it back, possibly even had a little hissy fit. Not Smith. They shrug it off and sip contently while we have a Zoom chat to talk about the album, which drops today along with a livestream performance from the iconic Abbey Road Studios at 4pm EST.
The album is Smith’s most varied work yet – from the poignant acapella Young to the bouncy Diamonds, which was released in September.
“I was in the studio pretending to be a really, really rich woman whose husband had left her and taken all of her diamonds and possessions in a nasty divorce,” Smith describes. “She was left in a mansion by herself, in her wedding dress, drinking wine. That’s what I was imagining when I wrote the song. This disco, Diana Ross character came out of me.”
How true to life are the lyrics?
“I only have these diamonds they’ll have to rip out of my ear to get,” they say, pointing out the two solitaires in their right lobe. On the other hangs a vintage pearl, worn at the suggestion of stylist Ben Reardon, who dressed Smith for the album art shot by fashion photographer Alasdair McLennen. “I never really liked pearls but I wear this every day,” Smith says of their new jewellery signature. “Now I want a pearl that has a deep, dark story to it.” Among the jewellery on their fingers is a gold Tiffany & Co. 1837 ring purchased in New York. “I was really sad after the breakup of my first long relationship,” Smith recalls. “I was so, so down. To cheer myself up, me and my three beautiful queer friends basically pretended we were in Sex and the City and got all dressed up, went for cocktails, walked around and then went to a vintage store and got this. I think of it as my independence ring.”
Love Goes artwork.
There is a lot of love angst on this album, some stemming from that breakup. And Smith laments that it’s tougher for someone who isn’t cis-gendered to find love.
“It’s hard, not because there’s a lack of people wanting to love these wonderful people. It’s hard because we’re taught not to love ourselves. So to have successful relationships can be incredibly difficult because we can self-destruct. It takes a lot of therapy, to be honest, and help, communication and practice to love.”
Smith finds listening to American author and therapist Brené Brown helps. “She speaks about vulnerability being the birthplace of joy and courage. To my queer life that really, really hit me deep.” Smith came out as non-binary in March 2019, and advises others contemplating the same to accept there are some things they can’t control. “You need to put your hands in the air and go into the moment sometimes knowing that it’s not going to be okay. That message has helped me a lot.”
Being genderqueer also resulted in a developmental delay in the romance department, Smith feels. “My ‘20s are like my teenage years when it comes to love because I was cheated from that in school.” They used fashion as a weapon to help deal during that difficult period. “From the age of 15 to 19 I would be in all female clothing and full makeup throughout school. It was my way of saying ‘f— you’ to all the bullies. And I felt incredible.”
Photograph by Alasdair McLellan
Fame has also been a lot to cope with, Smith reveals.
“Becoming famous is one of the main traumas of my life so far,” they say. “I’ve found it such a shock to the system. I was brought up quite normally. I didn’t go to performing arts schools or anything. I left school and worked in a news agent’s in a local train station, and a bar in London. And at the age of 20 I was put into this machine that turned my life upside down in the space of eight or nine months. Everything I knew changed. Everyone treated me differently. My financial situation went from 0 to 100. I started to have to take responsibility within my family and my work circle. I didn’t have the knowledge to have that responsibility. I was a child still. And as a queer person, you’re already feeling inexperienced.”
Smith’s new reality also impacts family, friends, and co-workers, they point out. “And that’s all because I wanted it so bad. So there’s this weird mixture of guilt, pride, sadness, happiness, freedom, entrapment. All these things that you feel at the same time that you just have to work out and ride the wave.”
Leaving Smith to enjoy their martini, one last question comes to mind. Would they ever go back to dressing in that flamboyant, more feminine way?
“I think I would,” they respond. “As I get older I just want to be in caftans, diamonds and jewels.”
Purchase tickets to watch the livestream performance at Abbey Road Studios at 4pm ET today here. You can also purchase tickets for an encore showing of the livestream at 8pm ET/8pm PT today via this link.
In May, Isamaya Ffrench was named as the Global Beauty Director for Burberry – and starting a new job amidst a global pandemic is undoubtedly strange but Ffrench has taken it all in her stride. When we ask her what it’s been like she says, “A beacon of light!” with a laugh adding that its been “great because it meant that we could do a lot of talking and planning. It meant that I could really get stuck into something whilst looking forward to creating things once everything was back to normal.” And whilst we’re still in our new ‘normal’ at present, Ffrench did get to make her debut for the brand during its S/S21 show earlier in September.
Read on to find out more about the beauty inspiration for the show, her top tips for nailing mask makeup, as well as the unconventional beauty trick she recently tried…
What was it like working on your first show for Burberry under these exceptional circumstances?
It wasn’t usual show circumstances obviously but it was really amazing because it meant that I could actually go and watch the show myself. We [also] had a lot of time to prep for it. Normally, you get a very short amount of time to work with the models – and we had [a lot more]. It was just really nice and a lot more relaxed. For me, I felt really lucky that it was just kind of the perfect circumstances – no stress, really exciting, you could watch it, and the show was amazing anyway, so it was lovely.
Where did you get your inspiration for the beauty look?
The show look was, in a way, quite sort of simple. Obviously it was this very elevated, polished look but we had a lot of performers in the show because Riccardo was working with an artist called Anne Imhof and her vibe is a little bit grungey but very natural, very intense. I’m pretty sure none of her dancers were wearing much makeup and we wanted to keep some kind of continuity. We wanted to elevate [the models’] skin a little bit and treat them like models so we tried to keep that balance between looking very natural and fresh, but also having that intensity that the dancers bought.
I just feel very lucky that we have a very strong vision guiding the brand. I’ve worked with many brands before and it’s quite rare that you have the fashion house and the beauty house trying to be as close as possible in terms of mood/vibe/message. He really oversees everything we do, he will approve things, he will give direction. So for me it makes my job a lot easier and lot more rewarding because I feel like everything we’re doing is really creating this 360 vision, his vision of the brand.
The brand recently launched the Essentials Glow Palette – why is this a key piece in your kit?
Palettes are key because they’re so useful and it’s great to get a lot of possibilities in one small thing. For me, the Glow Palette is your everyday palette but it is a very well-thought-out palette in that it’s a mixture of cream-based and powder-based products. I’m really into gradients, I really like things that work beautifully together [like this palette]. It creates a really beautiful, quiet subtle finish to the skin.
Photograph courtesy of Burberry
How would you describe your overall beauty philosophy?
That’s quite a hard question because I never like to tell people what to do – I like to give advice or my opinion. I think this relates back to Burberry’s beauty philosophy – obviously a great foundation is key but it’s really about confidence, your own personal identity and using makeup as a way to enhance yourself and your features, not to create a mask.
What have become your makeup staples during the pandemic?
I’ve always really been into natural skin but it really made me rethink my approach to skin and become even more detailed oriented because people aren’t going for big looks anymore. They’re spending more time on their skin and trying to be healthy. My makeup is normally very, very creative but it’s so important to have a really polished and elevated base to carry anything so I sort of went back to basics in lockdown. I also took time to do my makeup which I never do because I’m on the go [laughs].
What are your top tips for makeup application now that we’re all in face masks?
In terms of base – because everybody is getting a bit oilier and a bit sweatier with this mask situation – to have a product that you can really rely on to mattify you throughout the day is key. One product we’ve had a lot of feedback on is our Matte Glow Foundation.
You recently shared an image on Instagram of you using ketchup to tone your eyebrows. How did that work out?
That’s supposed to be one of those old wives tales where when you bleach your hair and it goes green you put a load of ketchup in it and it sort of colour corrects it [laughs]. It kind of had a desired effect but to be honest I wasn’t really up for stinking of vinegar – I forgot that that’s what happens when you put ketchup on your face so I had it on for about five minutes and then I thought, I’ll just use a toner. [laughs].
We have an extensive Kisses collection and we’re going to be renovating that line, introducing new colours and formulas – we have a matte formula, a really lovely satin formula with a couple of interesting colours. People have been very eye-focused because of all of this mask stuff but actually lips is still a really huge part of most beauty brands and people don’t stop wearing lipstick, so I’m really excited to be working on that.
When Kevin Klover and Sunny Basran launched their Vancouver-based brand Sevin Kasran, they were coming at it from the position of being fashion fans but design outsiders. Neither have formal training, but through a mutual love of style, a shared admiration for the rich garment history and artistic motifs of their backgrounds, and a desire to unify people through the power of dressing, the’ve come to craft pieces that resonate with both everyday citizens and the sporting elite.
Sevin Kasran’s newest ungendered collection features the use of upcycled fabrics from saris, and sees favourite elements from their first collection reiterated in items like the Turmeric bomber jacket. “The silhouette is inspired by our grandparents and the oversized wool pieces they’d wear everywhere and have forever,” says Basran of the garment. Its eye-catching hue pays homage to the spice the duo’s parents would cook with, and the pattern on the sleeves reference Indian silk art.
It’s this fusion of forward-thinking and reverential nostalgia that make Sevin Kasran’s wares into instant wardrobe staples. “We don’t want to release a bunch of collections every year despite how big we get,” notes Klover. “We really strive to make our collections wearable for a long time.”
Photography by Ryan Maxwell.
How did you develop this brand? Do you have a background in fashion design?
Klover: We met through friends and doing sports, and through talking about things like fashion, sports and music, we built a relationship between us. From there, we hung out a lot and wanted to create a brand. I went to school for graphic design; I knew the computer side of creating visuals but from the pattern-making side and production side, we were brand new to it and just learned along the way.
Basran: We’re obviously not from the traditional wave of fashion designers; I’d say we’re from the newer wave of youth culture. My background is in art and literature; Kevin handles more of the technical side of the business and I do the storytelling and figuring out how we incorporate that into every collection we do. Our brand is like a personal conversation between us that gets showcased in a product. Then these products represent a larger idea that we want to evoke in people. As designers, we want to tell stories and open doors for the next generation. That’s really important for us, because we don’t often see people like us doing things like this.
Do you think not having formal fashion training might have benefitted you in launching the brand?
Klover: I think it helped us a lot, even just by teaching us persistence and getting some grit on us. But there are no rules that we go by. In the beginning it was hard – we didn’t have any resources and didn’t know how to make garments. But we learned so much through failures and tried doing things so many different ways. Not knowing anything was a blessing because we were schooled through doing and trying. And we just kept going and now have a lot of confidence in the brand.
Basran: I reflect on this a lot. I like using the term of ‘blissful ignorance’ – I know my personality, and I couldn’t survive in a realm of doing things in a [certain] way. I think sitting at a desk and being told what to do suppresses creativity. I mean, knowing how to sew would’ve been nice, but we created a partnership and had an end goal in mind. I wouldn’t have done it another way; we traveled to Italy and America together and just figured things out. There’s a stigma that ‘everyone’ can be a fashion designer, but not everyone works hard on their craft and hones a proper message. We’re not in this to be the next big thing; we want to take care of our families, and we have a civil duty to spread our message, to let a younger generation know that they can also do it.
Klover: School also doesn’t give someone the perfect, golden path towards success either. We’re from a smaller city called Kamloops; we want to show people in our culture, and every culture, what’s possible through learning and perseverance. We literally started from nothing. We figured it out, and we’re still figuring it out.
Photography by Ryan Maxwell.
Tell me about why you decided to incorporate upcycling into this new collection.
Klover: We’re both very aware of the environmental problems in the fashion industry. We’re new, and upcycling is hard for a smaller brand, but we want to use the resources that we have to get into that practice as much as possible. Anyone can do it if they really want to. This collection features our first upcycled pieces and we’re really proud of it – especially given the fabrics we got to use. We always used to watch our moms wearing their saris, and we joked and would say, why do you only wear these nice, expensive pieces once?
Let’s go back to your mention of sports; quite a few sports figures have worn your pieces. What does it mean to you to have their support?
Klover: The NBA is a huge part of our lives. Talking about sports brings us together with others. And it’s also something that brought Sunny and I together. Our first dreams were hoop dreams; we wanted to be basketball players. We didn’t end becoming them but this is the next best thing. Seeing someone like Kyle Kuzma wearing our Gandhi sweat suit – the fact that an African-American basketball star can wear that piece – that’s why do this. This is the movement we wanted to create with the collection, [and] he obviously felt it.
Basran: These athletes are the kind of people we get our inspiration from, and the tunnel as become a runway. It makes what’s happening feel like a big potluck instead of it being like, sports and music and fashion are separated. Our brand is trying to accomplish this feeling of unity.
You showed during Vancouver Fashion Week in 2018. Do you think fashion shows are still relevant? And what are you doing now as a brand to communicate your ethos and show your new collection, given the fact that fashion weeks have changed so much this year?
Basran: Fashion shows in general serve their purpose and I think they should stick around. Tradition is a good thing – in our culture, we have traditions. Everybody has them. Going back to VFW, we were just like, this is what you do. We worked really hard to get the pieces together and present. But with COVID happening and forcing everyone to go online means that everyone has to be more creative and more resourceful, and hone a message that will really impact people. I think the cream will rise to the top. And I love that the narrative is changing and that things aren’t being done in a cookie-cutter way; you don’t have to do things the same way to be cool or relevant. I feel like consumers are different now, too. They want to see something with meaning and latch on to something with substance.
Klover: The overall experience of VFW was so fun. My favourite thing growing up was playing basketball or soccer, and the feeling of butterflies before a game. The feeling before [our] fashion show almost exceeded that; we looked at each other before the pieces went out and were like, whoa, this is pretty crazy. And when we walked out and people were clapping and we got an awesome response. I hadn’t felt like that in a long time. Our goal is to one day go to Paris and show a collection, but it’s not our be all, end all. We love history and want to pay our dues in that way, but we know there are other ways to show our work. We have a lot of pride in our videos and storytelling.
