With all the hoopla and madness surrounding New York Fashion Week it’s easy to overlook some of the “smaller” shows in the fashion week universe. A great example of this is L’Oreal Fashion week. While by no means as large as New York, it’s definitely not small and that’s where you really get into some of the fun of fashion week. You can look at great designers from all walks of life. they’re not only indigenous to Toronto or Canada for that matter. Showing this season includes, Pink Tartan, Diesel Kids, Thien Le and Denis Gagnon. It kicks off October 20-25th in Toronto.

How does a Bulgarian journalist end up up showing a fashion collection at Oslo fashion week? Ask designer Ivelina Dagsvold. She’ll tell you she sent sketches to the Oslo fashion week people she’ll also say she spent 3 months putting her sketches to fabric. Finally she’ll tell you that although she’s been living in Norway for 7 years and while she knows that the correct spelling of Norwegian is Norsk, she likes the fact that she called her collection nÅrsk as a play on the Norwegian word. She simply describes the name by stating: “I am a foreigner and that`s why I write the word wrong, but I live in Norway and that`s why the brand is called norvegian”

She showcased 10 garments at Oslo fashion week all with great fanfare. What’s next for her Maybe a turn at another European fashion city? Anything is possible.

When I read this I said to myself, thank GOD!! Glasgow will finally be represented at London Fashion Week in a proper way. Ok, I may not have gone that far, but I do think that if a designer like Aimee McWilliams can come from a city like Glasgow, then there must be plenty of other talent coming from this city. To that end ‘Glasgow: Scotland With Style Design Collective’ is happening again at London Fashion Week. 8 designers from Glasgow including designer of the year award winner at last year’s Scottish Style Awards, Aimee McWilliams.

The project awards designers from Glasgow a chance at £90,000 and face time with buyers, investors and the press. Normally these designers wouldn’t get a chance at doing this because of the high costs associated with putting on a show, but this event allows them the opportunity to do just that. A recent member of the collective is award winning, popular designer Christopher Kane. A good chunk of the Papierdoll office I hear is rooting for Aimee McWilliams.

If Eleni Renton has her way, London Fashion Week’s days of public funding are over. Her reasoning is simple: the British Fashion Council’s inability to solve the size zero model problem in during their fashion week means that the public’s funding of fashion week should end. Renton has a stake in London Fashion week as she is the founder of Quintessentially Models, the first “ethical” modeling agency in London. Read the rest of this entry »

Rachel Shields of the Independent wrote an article this past Sunday that bears some recognition. While many have talked about the up and coming cities of fashion week (Sydney, Berlin, Montreal) few have really focused with intent on Sao Paolo. It could be a variety of things. It could be that Brazilian designers have come to New York and seemed to never look back, but it looks like that trend is changing. Major designers like Alexandre Herchcovitch and Carlos Miele are showing that the lifeblood of Brazilian design is alive and flowing from Rio to Sao Paolo.

Shields looks at this trend and reveals the fact that the Brazilian market is £18.9bn and is growing at a rate of 7% a year. Emma Elwick market editor at Vogue UK is also sharing in the Brazil love by stating in no uncertain terms that Brazil fashion week is now a must visit. With such fanfare and praise it’s obvious that Brazil’s fashion week this season will be a major event. Read her complete article here.

Last weekend, South Africa held their fashion week and I must say a trip to Cape Town is definitely in the offing in the near future. Take a look at these photos:

Evan Schiff of Africa Fashion International, which runs the event said, “We have got the vision in this country. Internationally people have been using Africa as an inspiration for years. It is time for African designers to benefit, Traditionally the only stories coming out of Africa are of war, famine and despots. We are trying to put something else out there. There are lots of beautiful things coming out of here…”

I couldn’t agree more. You constantly hear about war, famine, poverty and all types of atrocities. There are some thriving African nations and fashion tends to be an international language. It’s not as if you can simply say, ok, we’ll see a bunch of saris and wraps, head scarves and that’s an African fashion week event. It truly is a cosmopolitan society in South Africa and what you’ll find in the near future is that the fashions may make their way around the world and to a store near you.

I never knew that Jessica Simpson created comfortable shoes, apparently she does.Norwegian street fashion site Oslostil featured this woman in early June and I wanted to revisit because of the veritable kaleidoscope of fashion she brings with what she wears. She starts out with a Norwegian accessories designer, moves on to Swedish designer Gina Tricot and then goes American with Jessica Simpson. Talk about eclectic. Here’s what she says about her ensemble on Oslostil:

My bag is by the Norwegian brand Cala&Jade, my dress is Gina Tricot, the cardigan is from Oasis, and my very comfy shoes are by Jessica Simpson.

I blogged about the Rosemount Fashion festival last week and have to tell you that Alex Perry’s designs at least in pictures look amazing. It’s as if the designer thought of every possible dress I would want to wear on my wedding day and put it on display in the form of a fashion show. The Rosemount Fashion Festival as mentioned last week was put on to give a boost to Syndey’s flagging retail fashion industry. If Alex Perry’s creations are any indication, Sydney’s fashion industry will rebound quickly. Take a look at all of the photos from the show via Australia’s Daily Telegraph

There’s normally an unspoken rule in fashion (at least in the states) that open discrimination for a job is against the law. Here in Hong Kong that’s somewhat true though to a much lesser extent than in the states. The unsaid part realistically means that although everyone knows a model must be a certain height, no one will say in a casting call that you must blatantly be 5′10 inches tall. A designer may state a preference and for the sake of not being embarrassed, models who don’t fit the bill will usually shy away.

So when I took a look at St. Kitts Nevis vibes website, I found it unbelievable yet a bit refreshing that the event holders were so open with the fact that models had to be a certain height. Again, it goes without saying that in most places normally upon arrival, if you don’t fit the bill, you are told right away, but to put it in writing is a bit on the bold, if not open side. The editor of the St. Kitts Vibes website writes in no uncertain terms and I quote,

“Models who are interested in trying out are ask to be between the heights of five feet eight inches to six feet tall while the males should be between five feet eight inches to six feet two inches.”

The models are needed for St. Kitts/Nevis’ fashion weekend happening October 4 -6. So impressive was the island’s previous fashion week that it was named a nominee in the Caribbean fashion awards.

online: SKNVibes website

There’s nothing like walking down the street secure in the knowledge that if a gunfight breaks out you’ll be wearing bulletproof fashion. I’m not speaking of bulletproof clothing, but bulletproof fashion. The difference is merely a fashionable one. You’re looking at the new age of fashion in South Africa where designer Miguel Caballero has created a fashion line that services folks that need a little extra protection while looking glamorous at the same time. Ari Ben David, a showroom owner in South Africa wants to bring the idea to the masses by putting it on display and for sale from his showroom.

Keep in mind that bulletproof clothing has always been more expensive that its regular brethren mainly because of the fabric used to put it together. But in South Africa where a wave of crime has hit some cities, being safe comes with a spare no expense way of thinking. Caballero’s fashions are able to withstand Ak-47 rounds and 9mm rounds as well. For an extra fee you can also get protection from knife stabs. Mr. Ben David is well aware that the clothes are still on the expensive side and out of reach for most South Africans, but it is a start and it’s available for those who are willing to spend the money.