Canadian fashion shares spotlight in first-ever Commonwealth Fashion Exchange at Buckingham Palace
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 1, 2018
Industry advocate and member of the Commonwealth Fashion Council,
Robin Kay presents Canadian designers Lucian Matis and Triarchy in London
TORONTO, ON –
This Fashion Month, Canada is making its mark on the Commonwealth stage.
Robin Kay, founder of Toronto Fashion Week and fashion industry advocate, announced her support as an official board member on the
Commonwealth Fashion Council
(CFC), a non-profit organization focused on the advancement of
Commonwealth fashion industries, recently accredited by the Commonwealth
Secretariat.
During London Fashion Week, the CFC will jointly host the first-ever
Commonwealth Fashion Exchange,
a major showcase of collaborative pieces created by established and
emerging designers and artisans from across the 52 Commonwealth
countries. The Commonwealth
Fashion Exchange will be revealed in a celebration at Buckingham Palace on February 19, in the presence of HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and HRH The Countess of Wessex. Canadian womenswear
designer Lucian Matis
will represent Canada with a single gown, showcased alongside
artisans from the Namibian Omba Arts Trust and chosen by the Woolmark
Edit endorsement.
The
exhibit will then be displayed at select locations across London
starting February 21, including Australia House, before eventually
travelling to select
Commonwealth countries. It will also live online through a digital
platform hosted by Google Arts & Culture.
“I am honoured to be a part of the CFC’s inaugural London event alongside our established Commonwealth fashion partners,”
said Robin Kay.
“The
Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, rich in collaboration and creativity, is
a testament to the global tapestry that makes up our industry. I
believe Canada’s involvement in the CFC will generate a new
conversation and positively enlighten our homeland fashion identity,
providing direct insight into how other countries endorse and identify
their fashion sectors. There is an urgent need for policy adjustments
within the creative cluster to ensure the sector’s
future as a viable pillar of culture and commerce.”
“The
modern Commonwealth is young and creative and represents a third of the
world's population, 60 per cent of whom are under the age of 30.
Fashion represents a powerful common language and platform through
which to influence young people around key issues,” said
Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of The Commonwealth.
“The Fashion
Exchange has collaboration and partnership at its heart, forging new
networks and making the Commonwealth Summit themes of prosperity,
sustainability and fairness very real and tangible."
The
Commonwealth Fashion Exchange will champion the power and potential of
artisan fashion skills to deliver new networks, trade links and
highlight sustainability.
Each
high profile Canadian delegate demonstrates these mandates as industry
innovators in their own spheres. As an expert of intricacy,
Lucian Matis
uses clever cutting and embroidery to complement his
glamorous gowns. His VIP clientele, including Sophie Grégoire Trudeau,
have brought Lucian international recognition.
Triarchy, showing February 20 at
New Zealand House, has revolutionized the industry with its sustainably
made, low water consuming denim alongside its Atelier line, comprised of
repurposed vintage denim. The brand champions
true sustainability, down to the fine details of recycled leather
labels and repurposed hardware.
The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange is an ambitious project with long term aims being developed in partnership with
Swarovski and
The Woolmark Company. Retail partner
MATCHESFASHION.COM will launch an edited collection resulting from the Exchange in September this year. The project is being managed by
Eco-Age with the support of the newly accredited Commonwealth Fashion Council and The British Fashion Council.
About The Commonwealth Fashion Council
The Commonwealth Fashion Council (CFC) is a not-for-profit,
Commonwealth-accredited organization. The CFC works to support and
advocate sustainable development, education, youth and gender
empowerment in the current and emerging fashion industries within the
52 member Nations of the Commonwealth.
About Robin Kay
Robin Kay is one of Canada’s unyielding supporters for the fashion
industry. A self-taught designer, she ran a successful eponymous brand
for 25 years that held 600 wholesale accounts across North America, and
22 stores across the country. This journey led
her to pioneer the largest Fashion Week in Canada. She transferred
ownership of the event in 2012 to focus on the larger work of Fashion
Design Council of Canada (FDCC), a not-for-profit dedicated to
supporting the Canadian fashion industry she helped establish.
Since then, Kay has been tirelessly working to engage government in
conversation to identify the fashion community as a pillar of culture
and commerce in Canada and create a new national policy that
acknowledges all designers’ contributions in this country.
For more information please contact:
Sheri Clish, rock-it promotions, inc.,
sheri@rockitpromo.com 416.656.0707 X 122
Andrea Mears, rock-it promotions, inc.,
andrea@rockitpromo.com 416.656.0707 X 117