LG Toronto Fashion Week, now in its 10th year, is still just a toddler in the fashion universe. This season’s event, happening from Oct. 19 to 24, has moved from its old venue at Nathan Philips Square to a huge new space at 1030 King St. W., demonstrating that the festival is definitely on its way up. With Fashion Week fast approaching, designers Andy The-Änh, Jessica Biffi, and Nada Shepherd dish about this year’s gigantic location, their hot new collections, and the Project Runway colonization of Canada’s fashion scene.

Nada Shepherd

Nada Shepherd, creative director of NADA Fashion Week can always be counted on for some serious fierceness. Now in her fifth season at Fashion Week, this articulate designer is a definite rising star.

The Varsity: You originally went to U of T for science. What’s the story behind that?

Nada Shepherd: I’ve actually always been in the arts, so it was strange going into science at U of T. I would usually make my own clothes because we didn’t have money growing up—money was tight at home. I had expensive taste, so I had to provide for it myself. I did well in math and science, however, and there is an element of that in fashion design, especially in pattern drafting. I went to U of T because my dad always said “Grow up and get a real education,” by which he meant “nothing in the arts.” So I did: I got a quote-unquote “real education,” but I wasn’t happy. I still graduated, though—you can’t drop out of anything in my books.

TV: How would you describe your design aesthetic?

NS: It’s proper: it’s something you can wear to work, and into the early evening. The Nada woman is confident and she doesn’t just get dressed—she dresses.
TV: Where did you draw inspiration from for your spring collection?

NS: Inspiration is what I see around me. My spring collection is called “Infatuation”—it’s the excitement of first love. I’m married, so that’s kind of over right now, but I have friends and I see it in them. It’s such a beautiful time.

TV: How do you translate that into clothing?

NS: Leather and lace. The lingerie element and the fetish element. It’s going to be harsh, and hopefully more sexually aggressive than our fall collection.

TV: What makes Toronto a good centre for a fashion line?

NS: The beauty of being in Canada is that it’s a smaller market. Especially Toronto because it’s the centre of Canada…it’s a smaller market, so it’s easier to rise to the top.

TV: How do you feel about the Project Runway Fashion Week take-over?

NS: I don’t like the concept of the reality show. I feel bad for the contestants: they only have one year to get their business up and running and then they’re already old news. It’s not fair to them.

Jessica Biffi

Jessica Biffi was last season’s runner-up on Project Runway Canada, where she gained particular recognition for her ironic gangster lingo and her mad design skills. This up-and-comer is all revved up to show Canadian fashion what’s she’s all about this season.

The Varsity: What were you doing when you became a Project Runway Canada contestant?

Jessica Biffi: I was working at a store at Yonge and Dundas, mounting window displays. I needed a nine-to-five job to cover my school debts and to make ends meet. Our first challenge on the show was the first time I’d made something in years! We didn’t have any patterns to work with, which was weird.

TV: How has the show affected your career?

JB: It definitely puts you at an advantage. I can’t see myself without the press and recognition that the show has given me. It really helped me to get my foot in the door and now I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do. There is a lot of pressure, though, to live up to that expectation. Everyone wants to see what you can do without the show. That’s what I need to do this season: show everyone what I’m all about.

TV: What are we going to see on the Jessica Biffi runway this season?

JB: This collection is a jump-off from my last show. There are going to be pleats, box-pleats, and sheer fabric, short hemlines. I really wanted to integrate casual and formal into one collection. The theme is going to be digital graffiti. There are lots of fun colours, casual with a dressed-up element. The style lines are really fun.

TV: Whose shows are you looking forward to?

JB: Sunny’s [Sunny Fong, winner of Project Runway season 2] show for sure, at the AGO. I’ll try to make that show then bolt back to work on my own. [Laughs.] I always look forward to Evan Biddell’s, too.

TV: What role do you see the Fashion Design Council of Canada [FDCC] playing in Canadian Fashion?

JB: The FDCC is such a great thing. Something like Fashion Week is so important and they facilitate and help make it into something huge. I mean, we’re only in our 10th year, and look at us now!

Andy The-Ânh

Vietnamese-born Montréaler and Toronto Fashion Week veteran Andy The-Ânh is one of Canada’s best-loved luxury line designers. His eponymous label is the image of sophistication and elegance and has been featured in fashion editorials worldwide.

The Varsity: What is your most memorable moment from Toronto Fashion Week?

Andy The-Ânh: Always my last show.

TV: How do you feel about the new location?

AT: It’s exciting to show in this new venue. From what we’ve seen so far, it will be spectacular. The team did an awesome job on this new project!

TV: What show, besides your own, are you looking forward to?

AT: Actually, every show if I can.

TV: What elements inspired you for your spring/summer 2010 collection?

AT: The collection was based on the Michel Pastoureau book The Story of the Colour Blue, where a colour that was considered barbarian and [painful to look at] by the [ancient] Greeks and the Romans becomes the most appreciated colour of Europeans today. The collection of SS10 is based on the variation of blue: from “true-antique blue” to “sky blue,” while passing by the “Baltic blue.” This season’s silhouette is structured, modern, and definitely “athletic-glam.”

TV: What are your favourite things about designing for spring?

AT: Dresses.

TV: How have your collections evolved since your first season at Toronto Fashion Week?

AT: We know the location better, [as well as] the team and the technical parts. The FDDC is very helpful, so we feel good creating something different for each show we made.

TV: How would you say the Toronto fashion scene differs from that of Montréal?

AT: I don’t really see a difference between both cities, as the women coming to us adopt the Andy The-Ânh style. Wherever they come from, they adopt our own style.

TV: How do you feel about the “Love” theme for Toronto FW?

AT: I think it is a universal theme that we can all interpret in our own way, with various forms of artistic expression.