This week some of City Uptown's Promotions team headed to Fashion//NEXT, an event put on by Fashion Group International's Toronto Chapter. FGI does some great events well worth checking out if you're interested in the industry. Click here to see their future events, we highly recommend going to as many as possible!
The 2nd Annual Fashion//NEXT was held October 12th and is a great forum where fashion students gather to listen, learn and converse with a panel of well established fashion professionals. Below are some excerpts from the notes we took at the event. We've organized them by panelist...
The Visonary: Marika Brose - Fashion Designer, "Brose"
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| Marika Brose. Photo source: www.thestylenotebook.com |
* Also attended FIT in NYC and a design school in Paris, France
* Has had a fascinating career in fashion thus far. Over the last ten years Marika has worked for Bloomingdales (buyer), Chloe (designer), Prada (sales), Holt Renfrew (website development), Pink Tartan (designer), and The Bay (designer) - she has essentially held every fashion dream job.
* Three years ago Marika felt ready to start her label, Brose.
* Brose is primarily made up of chic party dresses for "girls that like to go out"
* Her advice to up and comers in the industry: "Don't fight your DNA." Do what you love and do it with conviction.
The Powerhouse: Natalie Lecomte - Assistant Buyer, Designer Ladieswear, Holt Renfrew
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| Natalie Lecomte. Photo source: www.torontolife.com |
* While at Queens Natalie worked at The Gap and volunteered at local fashion shows as a stylist and model
* Upon graduation she returned to TO and attended Ryerson University for Fashion Communications
* Climbed her way up to Coordinator of Fashion Direction at Holt Renfrew working closely with Holt's Fashion Director at the time, Barbara Atkinson.
* Currently she is the Assistant Buyer for Designer Ladieswear at the famed Canadian retailer
* When asked how to develop intuituve fashion confidence Natalie responded (I'm paraphrasing): "It's a lot of hard work, lots of research, risk taking, sharing and exchanging of ideas. You have to choose your position and stand behind it, fight for it, that's one of the best things Barb taught me."
The Influencer: Liv Judd - Toronto Market Editor, LouLou Magazine
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| Liv Judd. Photo source: www.facebook.com/fgi.toronto |
* Straight out of school Liv accepted an internship at an Ad Agency in NYC which turned into a full-time job in Toronto
* Worked her way up to Ad Executive before transitioning to the marketing department at American Wedding Bells
* Moved to Australia to work as a media spokesperson for a wedding planning company
* Returned to Canada and accepted a position at LouLou magazine in marketing. The magazine needed someone for Television spots and decided Liv was the perfect fit because of her media experience in Australia
* Liv is currently the Toronto Market Editor for LouLou and a frequent guest on Canadian television shows CityLine, Entertainment Tonight Canada, the Home Shopping Network, ect.
* Advice for those getting into the industry: Intern, intern, intern! Be willing to give it your all, be available bright and early, and be willing to work late some nights.
The Tastemaker: Rita Liefhebber, Designer/Stylist/Fashion Editor
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| Rita Liefhebber. Photo source: www.thestylenotebook.com |
* Spent some time living in NYC
* Moved back to TO and joined the Plutino Group (talent source for stylists, kind of like agents for stylists). They helped nurture her and form a portfolio of her work
* First big client was Holt Renfrew
* Took a job from Flare as a Fashion Editor
* Moved back to NYC to be first assistant to famed stylist Lori Goldstein. Lori was tough to work for, but Rita appreciates her time working for her because she was able to learn so much about running a business
* Rita now designs her own eponymous line of low-key, luxurious pieces.
* Her advice for fashion students: trust your instincts, someone will always disagree, but you should always follow your gut.
The Strategist: Karen Cleveland - Marketing and Communications Manager, Fashion Magazine
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| Karen Cleveland (left) with Rani Sheen. Photo Source: www.philipsparks.blogspot.com |
* She worked for a breast cancer charity after school
* After her time with the charity Karent worked in marketing and had a variety of clients from beer company's to condo developers
* Karen started writing for fun which turned into freelance work for fashion magazines and she was eventually noticed by Fashion Magazine and offered an opportunity to work there
* Karen is currently the marketing and communication manager at Fashion magazine
* Her advice: If you have a 5 year plan scrap it! Make sure you know why you love fashion, it can be a lot of work and unglamorous, but also very fulfilling
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