Celebrating Canadian Design at George C

Abdi Olow

Days prior to Toronto’s highly anticipated L’Oreal Fashion Week, Lisa Corbo, co-owner of Toronto’s Yorkville designer boutique George C, helped kick off the week with a night dedicated solely to celebrating Canadian design. Corbo unveiled the store’s recent collaboration with Toronto Fashion Week regulars Joeffer Caoc and Paul Hardy, with an exclusive evening wear collection for their clients. The event reflected the direction fashion is moving in Canada today and highlighted the initiatives being taken by retailers in Toronto to support Canada’s design talents.

With Toronto’s Fashion Week taking off, more retailers are embracing homegrown talents. Corbo understands the important role that department stores play in helping the local designer expand and shape the fashion industry. Any designer knows that in order to be successful in the fashion industry, you need help from local retailers who carry your lines. Prior to coming to Toronto, Corbo had her own label in Australia, and she remarked how much it helped her grow as a designer when her country’s department stores featured her brand.

“Fashion has to have an audience, and if it doesn’t have an audience it doesn’t go anywhere,” she said. “What’s great about (Caoc and Hardy) is that they understand their audience. Same with the retail store, its great to say I have amazing collections, but if you don’t move those collections you’re not doing your job.”

For Canadian designers, success in the business is highly dependent on buyers and retailers carrying their lines. Although fashion weeks are important, in terms of generating national press for designers, it is the buyers and retailers who are at the forefront of the fashion industry when it comes to money. Retailers such as George C and Holt Renfrew, who have long been supporters of Canadian talent, help Canadian designers generate money.

Fashion is a big business in Canada. Toronto alone sees an estimated 2.6 billion worth of retail sales each year. Support for Canadian designers by Canadian retailers is necessary.

Collaborating with designers Caoc and Hardy and with the input of George C shoppers, Corbo was able to come up with a unique initiative to open her client’s eyes to Canadian designers and to inspire them to buy Canadian. Knowing too well that fashion is all about having that one-of-a-kind piece, Corbo was able to convince Hardy and Caoc to create an exclusive capsule collection for George C.

By having designers Caoc and Hardy create evening wear gowns for her clients, Corbo had an ”exclusive connection for the store” where the clients and designers were happy and where the desiners and retailers can grow together.