On Friday, IMG Fashion announced World MasterCard Fashion Week will host more than 50 designers on the runway and in the studio from Monday, October 22 to Friday, October 26. Once again in the convenient location of David Pecaut Square, established and up-and-coming designers will showcase their Spring/Summer 2013 collections. With the new IMG Canada ownership (the purchase was announced in August), the week will continue to put Canadian design on the international map as the global powerhouse IMG Fashion takes over the five-day event. IMG Fashion currently runs the coveted fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Berlin, among many others, and the company is going all out for its Toronto debut. The 50-plus designers are nearly double the number that showed at March Winter/Fall 2012, setting the stage for a week that will surely inspire Canada’s fashion industry.
“This week will showcase the talents of Canada’s fashion elite to an international platform of buyers, press and fashion followers,” said Peter Levy, SVP and Managing Director for IMG Fashion Worldwide Events and Properties. “Our mission at IMG is to elevate the fashion community in Canada through our global expertise and extend the excitement created at World MasterCard Fashion Week beyond the runway.”
The World MasterCard Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 collections will include the following new and established designers and brands, some that have become staples at Toronto’s Fashion Week throughout recent years:
Adrian Wu, AlliStyle, Ashtiani, Bustle, David Dixon, DeMOYO, Evan Biddell, Express, Holt Renfrew, Joe Fresh, KORHANI home, Lucian Matis, Mackage, Melissa Nepton, Paraezo Couture, Pavoni, Pink Tartan, Rachel Sin, Soia & Kyo, Travis Taddeo, Triarchy, Unttld, Vawk, Whitney Linen and Mercedes-Benz Start Up Presents Caitlin Powers, Christopher Bates, Dreamboat Lucy, DUY, Lauren Bagliore, Malorie Urbanovitch, Nicole Campre and Pure Magnolia.
It will kick off on October 22nd with Holt Renfrew, beloved womenswear label Pink Tartan and luxury fashion house Pavoni. As part of the Mercedes-Benz Start Up contest, a homegrown fashion initiative launched in 2011 to support new talent, a batch of up-and-coming Canadian designers will showcase their collections on October 23rd as judges select the winning label. The project was started to offer a nationwide platform to highlight and support designers who’ve been in business less than five years. With the international platform offered by the new ownership, the week could mark a big break for these emerging designers.
The full schedule is available online here.
Photo courtesy World MasterCard Fashion Week
