Daily Fashion Juice
Thursday, October 13, 2011

Fashion Week goes rogue

By Tony Wong

A look from Calla Haynes' Spring Summer 2010 collection

Is Paola Fullerton Toronto Fashion Week’s worst nightmare or a glimpse into a brighter future?
Maybe she’s both. The runway show producer has mounted a serious challenge to the fashion establishment, while presenting the public with an event filled with possibility.

On this weekday, the 42-year-old is standing in the opulent, chandeliered ballroom of Toronto’s five-star Ritz Carlton, showing a guest her vision of the Canadian fashion scene. It somehow looks a lot more enticing than the tented confines of the city’s LG Fashion Week, which starts next week.
“That’s where the runway will be. It will be small, intimate, invitation-only so that the guests can really see and feel what the designers are doing,” says Fullerton, in a black turtleneck and signature Hermès calfskin belt. “I think it will be really special.”

As long as Fashion Week has existed, there have been designers who are less than enamoured with the “one size fits all” philosophy of the Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC), which puts on the event. Instead, they have opted to show outside their signature tents.

But Fullerton seems to have created credible contender status in her two-day event, called The Shows, which started Thursday. Hosted by model and actress Coco Rocha, it has shaped up to be the hottest annual ticket for some fashionistas.

Fullerton’s formula is simple. It consists of homegrown designers, such as Calla Haynes, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Todd Lynn and Thomas Tait, who have achieved critical acclaim abroad, showcasing their collections at a five-star venue. There will be high-profile media, stylists and socialites in a salon-like setting. And, more often than not, it will eclipse the activity of the official week that will eventually take place across from the Ritz in tents at David Pecaut Square.

While Fullerton’s reach may seem profound, her down-to-earth persona belies that ambition.
“I don’t think we’re being disruptive, there is lots of room for another show. It’s just a birthday party on another day,” she says diplomatically.

But it is one hell of a party — and the fashion industry, as well as corporate Canada, has taken notice.
At Fashion Week, designers typically pay for their shows, which means big mainstream brands with deep pockets are amply represented. Fullerton’s project is by invite only — so you can’t pay for runway time.

After all, even though Fashion Week does promote many up-and-coming designers, jaded fans looking for the next big thing are not always impressed by brands such as Joe Fresh and Jay Manuel by Sears.
This has given Fullerton a unique niche. Last year she debuted her show in the unfinished Trump hotel in the city’s financial district.

Featuring Mikhael Kale, Mark Fast and Arthur Mendonça, it was an inspired choice of locale and designers. It also gave Canadians a chance to see the works of acclaimed Canadians like knitwear designer Fast, who has made it big internationally but may not be well known here.

This year Fullerton has upped the ante, showcasing talents such as Toronto-born print designer Calla Haynes, who has been living in Paris for eight years, working with Olivier Theyskens at Nina Ricci, and menswear designer Todd Lynn, who styles Bono and Mick Jagger.

“There are some incredibly talented Canadians out there who can match anyone globally, but most Canadians might not know about them,” says Fullerton.

In only her second year, Fullerton has also signed a big sponsor, with P&G Beauty & Grooming coming on as a partner.

“We were really excited to come into something at the ground level and this was a really great idea, the idea that we are bringing Canadian designers back home,” says Carrie Truman, spokesperson for P&G Beauty & Grooming. P&G executives had attended the Trump shows last year before making a deal this year to supply hair and makeup for models, as well as a financial commitment.

The consumer products conglomerate is the headline sponsor for Montreal’s Fashion Week, and getting more exposure in the Toronto market is part of its long-term strategy, putting it head to head with L’Oreal, which is the sponsor for Toronto’s Fashion Week. (The actual, long-winded title is LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oreal Paris.)

Sponsorships will help with the bottom line. Last year Fullerton, working by the seat of her pants, dipped into her own pocket to pay for her event at the Trump, where she received permits to use the space from the city only days before. This year she is hoping to at least break even.

“Obviously it’s important to be self-sustaining. But if you’re only thinking of making money, I think you lose your voice. The machine takes over, not the art,” says Fullerton.

A spokesperson for the FDCC was not available for comment when asked for its position on designers showing off-site. In the past, some designers, such as Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine, have decided not to show at Fashion Week, saying they prefer to retain more control over their brand and image.

But despite showing in an alternate venue, Fullerton is no outsider. Last year she produced her Trump shows as well as the Holt Renfrew show at Fashion Week.

She got her start producing the first Pink Tartan fashion show for designer and friend Kimberly Newport-Mimran. There were the inevitable glitches. A model didn’t show up. She quickly got someone else to substitute. She was hooked. In demand, she became the producer of the final showdown fashion shows for the Project Runway Canada reality series.

“I didn’t know growing up you could have a job like this, it was amazing,” she says. Later, she started Paola Fullerton Inc., which produces events and shows. She uses the money from that to help subsidize her off-Fashion-Week extravaganza.

The proud soccer mom (she was about to go to her son’s first soccer game after this interview) says she has bigger plans for The Shows next season, expanding the lineup to include other projects.
“It’s really about going to the highest level that we can as an industry, creating those Canadian superstars. That’s really exciting. And I think the timing is right because, as Canadians, we are also starting to believe in ourselves and the power of our own designs,” says Fullerton.