Photo: Matthieu Raffard; Model: Zoe Duchesne; Stylist: William Graper; shot at Door Studios.
Name Rad Hourani
Age 29
Hometown Amman, Jordan, and Montreal since the age of 16
Lives in Paris, New York and Montreal (“I rarely spend more than two weeks in the same city. I’m not a jet-setter, but a jet-lagger!”)
Credentials How many designers can say they were invited by Anna Wintour and Franca Sozzani to present a collection in Milan? He may have been named one of the 10 designers to watch by style.com, but Hourani’s success isn’t restricted to fashion: Last year he curated a solo exhibition about transformation at JOYCE Gallery in Paris, and these days he’s preparing to shoot his directorial debut.
Known for his eponymous line and its more affordable counterpart, RAD by Rad Hourani, both produced in Montreal and shown respectively in Paris and New York. His clothes are unisex and multi-purpose: This season, Hourani created 22 looks with only six items.
The travel connection “At the risk of sounding like a John Lennon song, my world is the universe. My clothes are adaptable – if you’re hot you remove a sleeve. They’re perfect for air travel.”
His Paris tip “I love going to Ofr., a little bookstore in the 3e arrondissement that holds lots of archival material, as well as books and fashion and design magazines.”
Photo: Matthieu Raffard
Name Calla Haynes
Age 31
Hometown Toronto
Lives in Paris
Credentials Under the tutelage of Olivier Theyskens, Haynes started her career first at Rochas, then at Nina Ricci. With that background it’s no wonder she was nominated for the prestigious ANDAM award last year, fashion’s answer to the César. This month she presents her third show at Paris Fashion Week.
Known for creating her own digital prints for the dresses, pants and shirts of her eponymous line. “Canada inspires me a lot. I like to go back to photos of the forest up at my cottage in Central Ontario,” she says. You can also spot Haynes’ prints on clothes by Alexander Wang and fellow Canadian Jeremy Laing, with whom she collaborates on a regular basis.
The travel connection “I name all my prints after a different place. In my second season, I used fabrics from Uzbekistan, so I named one print Tashkent. For fall, I imagined a landscape artist travelling to England to paint Prince Charles’ house, and I named that print Highgrove.”
One thing she misses about Canada “The food – even if I live in Paris. I want Mexican one day and Chinese the next. Toronto has a great mix.”
Her Paris tip “I live in the Marais, and there’s a market called Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, just off Rue de Bretagne. There are restaurants from different countries, and I love ordering the fried chicken at Chez Taeko, a Japanese stand.”
Photo: Emma Hardy
Name Mark Fast
Age 30 (“I’ll be this age for the next 10 years.”)
Hometown Winnipeg
Lives in London
Credentials The runway isn’t the only place you can find clothes by this other ANDAM nominee – last year Fast designed a collection for Topshop. In 2009, he created a stir at London Fashion Week when he sent full-figured models down the runway. Not to mention that Christian Louboutin collaborates on the bespoke shoes featured in Fast’s shows.
Known for his line of body-hugging knits, which he still designs on a domestic loom. “I found it at a thrift shop next to my house in London while studying at Central Saint Martins, and I started experimenting. I’m more or less designing around the mistakes I make; it’s almost like abstract painting.”
The travel connection “In 2009, my spring collection was inspired by the Ojibwa tribe’s sun dance, which I saw when I went home. And I just came back from Tulum in Mexico. The colours and textures of the ocean waves and the scales of the iguanas are going to be part of my next collection.”
One thing he misses about Canada “My nieces and nephews. They’re growing up really fast.”
His London tip “Go to the Tate Modern. The art is great, but it’s the people who go see the art that provide a show in itself. It’s quite inspiring to see who’s interacting with whom and who likes what.”
Photo: Emma Hardy
Name Thomas Tait
Age 24 years
Hometown Montréal
Living in London
Credentials The youngest student ever to complete an MA at London’s Central Saint Martins, Tait caught the eye of editors at both American Elle and Vanity Fair with his very first self-produced show at London Fashion Week. Last year he won the prestigious Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize.
Known for his minimalist collection of lean skirts and coats. “I really focused on outerwear for fall. Growing up in Montreal and knowing what winter is like, I wanted my coats to be the most functional pieces in my collection.”
The travel connection “I’ve learned to take advantage of spending five or six hours alone on an airplane. There are very few moments in my schedule to have downtime. It’s a great opportunity to reset.”
One thing he misses about Canada “My family. I don’t get to go home as often as I’d like.”
His London tip “My studio is in Hackney, just off Broadway Market. On Saturdays, there’s an outdoor market where you can buy everything from a risotto to a really great brie. I love to sit at L’eau à la bouche, a café that has amazing baked goods. They also make a delicious soy latte.”
Lara
Thursday, September 1st 2011 15:52