The Fashion Design Council of Canada added a second runway room, called the Studio, to the L'Oréal Fashion Week tents at Nathan Phillips Square this season. The space—which seats close to 200—is intended to serve as an intimate setting for up-and-coming designers. We asked attendees for their impressions of the new space and its setup.
"I love it, it's great. I think it makes for a really nice, intimate show for a smaller designer. I wish it was something they had during the first few times I was showing because it's sort of the perfect scale for that. It's a little tight to get in and out of, but that's just a logistical thing and you have the same problem here [in the main tent]."
—Philip Sparks, Canadian fashion designer
"I like the studio for the fact that it's a little more intimate and I guess it gives smaller designers an opportunity to show. But it's a little squishy in here and it's a little chaotic outside trying to get in. But I think for the next season when they do this, it will probably be spot-on."
—Ellen Mirza, editor in chief, Lipstick Powder N Paint and Lipstick Lifestyle
"I think it's great. I think for a lot of small designers, they always worry that they're not going to be able to fill the large runway room. So for them to peek out from backstage and see people sort of struggling to get in, I think, actually gives them a big boost and it's something I know a lot of people have been asking for a while and I'm glad that they finally followed through with it."
—Andrew Sardone, fashion and design writer at Now Magazine
"I like the idea of the studio. It's a great venue for young designers because if you're showing in the early afternoon and if you're just developing a following, it's better to show in a smaller venue and pack the place. I find that you get a greater energy that way. Otherwise you have this enormous tent and it's maybe a third full and it doesn't convey the same feeling. It's a great feeling when a designer comes out to take his or her bow and sees the place overflowing, so I think it's a really great idea."
—Susan Langdon, executive director of the Toronto Fashion Incubator
"I think it's a great idea to have a second venue, which they actually did have in some of the other locations where they used to hold Fashion Week. I think they have a few logistical things to sort out, like the fact that it's hard to wait in the cold, especially if it's actually snowing. But I'm sure they'll get those things nailed down."
—Sarah Hood, freelance journalist, Style and Tandem
"I like the idea of having a smaller space for the smaller designers, and it's all local talent, which is good because on the main stage a lot of the big presentations are these fast fashion chains like Mango just showing their holiday collection, which is such a cash grab and not important at all. And I like that it feels intimate and you can really see the things up close. Not so good though for designers who don't finish their hemlines."
—Sarah Nicole Prickett, features assistant at Fashion magazine
