Nashmin Wednesday, September 19th, 2018 – Vancouver, BC – Wednesday was a night to highlight the local talents from Vancouver and Canada as a whole, complemented with a few from further afield.
Meghan Buckley of MGHN kicked off the night with ‘WHOOPSIE DAISY’, a collection inspired by creative imagination and childhood emotions. Building on MGHN’s characteristic clean lines and minimalism, the Vancouver designer took a more playful approach for the S/S19 season. Exuberant colours were tied together with silky bows, and almost-campy pom poms embellished clean white silhouettes, all of which were topped with soft felt berets. The result was a show that was equal parts cute and quirky.
Vancouver designer Wade Shapely of W/S brought New York punk to the runway. The VCAD graduate’s newest collection, ‘Dress to Kill’ pushed a rebellious vibe bringing together classic rock pieces with couture elegance. Drenched in edgy prints and bold textiles, the looks were complemented with heavy makeup and strappy stilettos. Leopard prints were topped with gold studded leather jackets. A metallic red top was paired with a zebra patterned pencil skirt, covered in PVC plastic. The showstopper: a long, dazzling beaded evening dress held together with a leather harness and choker.
Vancouver designer Casey Lamb of KSLAM transported the audience to a 1985 roller disco with ‘Vapour Wave’. The self-taught 21-year-old was inspired by 2000s internet memes, 80s art and 70s new wave music to create a collection that critiques modern consumerism and pop culture. A neon palette of both used and new fabrics was accented with car seat buckles, chains, and rainbow printed platform sneakers. Models wearing hot pink suits, royal blue rompers, and slinky green party dresses carried disco balls as handbags. Fusing elements from multiple decades, KSLAM’s vintage reworks bring a unique take to modern streetwear.
Jacqueline Au from Toronto showcased an art-to-wear collection ‘Cloud Forest’ inspired by a conservatory in Singapore and the complex nature of the mind in its hazy mixture of tangled ideas and thoughts. A gradient grey colour palette contrasted with navy, baby blue, and teal was used in soft structural textures, with wool, quilt, mesh, and fur. A key look: a high neck dress with uneven sleeve lengths and an organic shaped hemline. Metallic clasps caught the light, and ribbons, weaved wool strips, and string cords created visual intrigue.
Scottish brand imi presented ‘Reconstruct My Flesh’, a realisation, through clothing, of society’s obsession with physical self ‘improvement’. Designer Imogen Evans uses deconstructed silhouettes, layering, and embroidery to portray this concept. Embroidered face coverings, hanging strips, and clever elements such as a triple hooded jumper, stacks of collars worn on the arms, and experiments with eyelets brought about an unusual twist.
ESMOD Dubai design graduate Manon Pradier, a menswear designer based in Shanghai, presented the ‘a.LIKE’ collection inspired by nature and architecture, recreating the repetition in both fields. A wearable collection of classic garments such as coats and jumpsuits has been modernized be reinventing their shape and incorporating a fresh selective colour palette with dark teal merged with grey. Graphic prints lifted the minimalist collection.
Photos by Arun Nevader for Getty Images
