The tents in Nathan Phillips Square
Photo: BizBash
Preparations for L’Oréal Fashion Week are well under way in Nathan Phillips Square, with a crew of 30 people working to erect a series of tents in time for Monday's opening show. The build began on March 6 and will wrap up Friday, with the installation of the black-and-white decor—provided by Rob Dittmer of Three Event Planning and Design—slated for completion on Sunday. The runway, hair and makeup, storage, and catering tents encompass 30,000 square feet this year—10,000 square feet larger than the tents used for the spring 2008 collections last fall.
Fashion Week, featuring a mix of Canada's best-known designers and several Project Runway Canada participants, will see 33 shows and 69 designers take part in the "Wear in the World!" fall 2008 collections next week. The event is also marking several firsts this year, one of which is an on-site party scheduled to follow the opening-night show being presented by Joe Mimran, the creative director behind the Joe Fresh label and chairman of the Fashion Design Council of Canada. "We haven't done that before in the tents," said Kim Graham of Kim Graham and Associates, one of four companies handling media inquiries for the event.According to Graham, a number of "interesting installations" are planned this year, including a display from four fashion schools in Milan. The F.D.C.C. is partnering with the Italian Chamber of Commerce to present Talenti Moda Milano, a show that will include designers from the four schools. Twenty-one Canadian celebrities will also walk the runway to model original red dresses created to raise heart-health awareness as part of the Heart Truth Fashion Show, a partnership between the Canadian fashion industry and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Cheryl Hickey, Catherine O'Hara, and Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau are among those slated to take part.
Also new this year is a daily four-page glossy magazine being designed and distributed by the F.D.C.C. in collaboration with the F-List.ca. LCD screens will return to the lounge area and runway room to broadcast live updates from Fashion Television's Jeanne Beker, who'll be conducting one-on-one interviews with designers following their shows. The Lincoln Style Lounge—courtesy of Lincoln, which is also sponsoring the Pink Tartan show—will offer a spot for attendees to mingle. And for the first time, all of the shows on Monday afternoon, prior to opening night, will be open to the public.
Update: In all our news about the tents going up, we neglected to mention the company providing them: Advanced Tent Rental provided the Fashion Week tents.
Fashion Week, featuring a mix of Canada's best-known designers and several Project Runway Canada participants, will see 33 shows and 69 designers take part in the "Wear in the World!" fall 2008 collections next week. The event is also marking several firsts this year, one of which is an on-site party scheduled to follow the opening-night show being presented by Joe Mimran, the creative director behind the Joe Fresh label and chairman of the Fashion Design Council of Canada. "We haven't done that before in the tents," said Kim Graham of Kim Graham and Associates, one of four companies handling media inquiries for the event.According to Graham, a number of "interesting installations" are planned this year, including a display from four fashion schools in Milan. The F.D.C.C. is partnering with the Italian Chamber of Commerce to present Talenti Moda Milano, a show that will include designers from the four schools. Twenty-one Canadian celebrities will also walk the runway to model original red dresses created to raise heart-health awareness as part of the Heart Truth Fashion Show, a partnership between the Canadian fashion industry and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Cheryl Hickey, Catherine O'Hara, and Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau are among those slated to take part.
Also new this year is a daily four-page glossy magazine being designed and distributed by the F.D.C.C. in collaboration with the F-List.ca. LCD screens will return to the lounge area and runway room to broadcast live updates from Fashion Television's Jeanne Beker, who'll be conducting one-on-one interviews with designers following their shows. The Lincoln Style Lounge—courtesy of Lincoln, which is also sponsoring the Pink Tartan show—will offer a spot for attendees to mingle. And for the first time, all of the shows on Monday afternoon, prior to opening night, will be open to the public.
Update: In all our news about the tents going up, we neglected to mention the company providing them: Advanced Tent Rental provided the Fashion Week tents.
