Uniqlo is Coming to Toronto

This week Japanese retailer Uniqlo confirmed what many in the Canadian retail scene had been speculating over the last few years, that they were indeed moving into the Canadian market.  Uniqlo plans on opening two massive stores, a flagship store at Toronto's Eaton's Centre, and another at Toronto's Sherway Gardens.  Uniqlo offers fashions for men, women and children, and has gained notoriety for their stylish fashions at affordable prices.

Drake’s OVO store is here to stay on Dundas West

Courtesy of TorontoLife.com

Drake’s latest expression of Toronto pride is his much-hyped October’s Very Own shop on Dundas West. The store is actually the brainchild of Oliver El-Khatib, OVO’s co-founder and the guy behind the summer pop-up shop in the same space. He describes the project as his “baby,” and promises that it’ll be sticking around for good. The stark white room is currently stocked with a familiar selection of OVO merchandise, like “6” toques and t-shirts printed with label’s signature owl; however, a new collection of low-key winter basics (slouchy hoodies, leather varsity jackets) will be hitting shelves soon. For El-Khatib, though, it’s not all about the stuff: he hopes the place will become a hub for the city’s creatives, where people can stop in and “see what kids are wearing and what they’re listening to.” Plus, chance run-ins with Champagne Papi himself aren’t entirely implausible—just last week, the star dropped by the store wearing OVO’s new camo-print parka, which is part of a collaboration with Canada Goose.

899 Dundas St. W., octobersveryown.com

by Jean Grant
(Image: Kayla Rocca)

Parisian Retailer Loding Opens New Toronto Location

Parisian menswear brand Loding has opened a second location in Toronto.  This modern and stylish  men's wear shop offers beautiful workwear and business attire including breathable Egyptian cotton shirts, full-grain leather shoes, cashmere sweaters and silk ties.  Check out the new location at First Canadian Place in Toronto's business district.

A Fresh Start

I started this blog as a first step in my plan to open up my own Men's Wear shop, as well as to develop my own brand in the retail and fashion world.  It's a big world after all, and with the Internet populated with thousands of others trying to do what I want to do, it is hard to stand out.

The start of 2014 brought with it some significant change in my life professionally.  I moved on from my former Retail Management job and into a new career in the Tennis industry.  While still performing retail duties, I moved into the technical side of the industry, working directly with players to help find the right equipment for them, and to maintain that equipment.  It is a rewarding job, and has given me a new perspective on customer service, high end retail, and working as part of a team in a sport based environment.

One drawback has been that my dream I set out towards had been put on the back burner for quite some time.  Those who have looked at my blog in the past would know that I would post frequently, but come March my focus had trailed off.  It was not intentional.  Having so much on my plate that I had to learn on the fly began to take precedence, and my thoughts moved away from my future plans to my current career.

I have made a conscious decision to go for my dream once again.  I feel like there is no better time than now to make a move back into blogging, and to truly start my business plan in order to see my dream move towards reality.  I hope you will come along for this journey, or at least stop by from time to time.  I don't pretend to know everything about the industry, or to be as hip as some of the other blogger's out there, but I will shine a light on the people, places, stores, brands, and icons I respect and love.  I hope you will walk in style with me.

-Mike

Nomad Toronto x Been Trill Holiday 2013

Streetwear brand Deen Trill recently put together a capsule collection with Toronto based retailer Nomad for the 2013 holiday season.  The collection is a play on hockey jerseys, and is perfect for the hockey mad Canadian streetwear market.  Coming in multiple colour ways, the collection of long sleeve tee's are modeled after your traditional hockey jersey.  The collection also has snap back caps for the head wear geek in you.  Check them out here.

40 Years of Roots Canada

It’s been 40 years since two friends, Michael Budman and Don Green, opened a small shop on Yonge Street in Toronto selling “negative heel shoes” under the ROOTS name. Decades on, the ROOTS Canada brand has become a sportswear icon with their jackets and caps being worn by both casual athletes and Olympians from across the globe.

At the “root” of the company is a dedication to delivering the very best possible clothing, footwear, and leather goods, while paying thanks to the diverse employees that work in ROOTS factories in Toronto and beyond.

We share this story on the 40-year history of ROOTS and their profound connection to beauty country of Canada.  -Selectism

Produced by Unknown Collective.

 

Contraband Toronto x Defend Paris

Boutique retailer Contraband Toronto has just released it's fall/winter 2013 lookbook for its collection of Defend Paris merch such as its Defend Paris shirt and Defend Human Rights hoodie. Check them out in Toronto like I will, or online at Contraband Boutique

House of Blanks Fall/Winter 2013 Collection

Toronto based House of Blanks is a new fleece lifestyle/athletic brand that as its name indicates, specializes in plain, blank garments that can be worn in a variety of ways.  This fleece and terry's are all good for wearing to the gym, on the street, or in the pub.  The fall/winter 2013 release consists of pullover hoodies, zip ups, crew neck sweatshirts and sweatpants, all the the brands minimal style.  Check them out online here.

WMCFW Wrap Up

So World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto has come to an end. I had a great time getting back into the fashion scene again, and am looking forward March when the F/W 14 shows will take place. Keep it classy everyone, see you next year.

Thomas Balint WMCFW

Lacerda WMCFW

Hilary MacMillan WMCFW

World Mastercard Fashion Week today!

Today is the big day. I will be at World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto all day, and I will be bringing you some insight into the shows, pictures, street style, and everything Toronto fashion. I'm looking forward to seeing a goid mix of styles today on the runway. Hopefully I even see a few of you there!

World MasterCard Fashion Week Toronto

Next week is the big week, Toronto hosts World MacterCard Fashion Week, and yours truly will be in attendance for several shows.  I am hoping to catch a solid mixture of men's and women's fashions, both functional and haute couture, and I will keep you all posted on all the going's on.  See you there! http://worldmastercardfashionweek.com/

It Girl - Leigh Lezark of The Misshapes

Leigh Lezark is a unique talent in the fashion industry.  The New York based It Girl is a fashion model and DJ with The Misshapes, specializing is some super sick tracks for runway shows all over the world.  Leigh and The Misshapes have worked on shows for Zac Posen, Rachel Zoe, Costello Tagliapietra, and Adidas.  They are also known for spinning tracks at some super exclusive parties like Jeremy Scott's party during New York Fashion Week.

This month Leigh is appearing on the cover of Ketchup Magazine and we've got a few pics here.  we're hoping that she might make an appearance at Toronto Fashion Week in a few weeks time.  Check out The Misshapes at https://www.facebook.com/TheMisshapes and hear them at https://soundcloud.com/themisshapes

Toronto Premium Outlets - Great deals of major letdown?

On August 1, 2013 the Toronto Premium Outlets opened up in Halton Hills.  The high end outlet located just off Highway 401 at Trafalgar Road and Steeles, offers customers in the greater Toronto area an opportunity to shop for high end products and bare bottom prices, or at least that is the image being put forth.  While it is true that there are many deals to be found, many customers have returned from their shopping trips disappointed that they could not find a good deal, or that the stores they went to were so low in product they could not shop.

One Halton Hills business reported to me that despite their concern for traffic dropping off in their store once the outlet opened in August, they have actually seen almost a 10% increase on last years numbers in consumer traffic.  With big names such as Coach, Michael Kors, J Crew, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and more, it's no surprise that customers would flock to the Premium Outlets, but long term sustainability will require access to the centre through public transit.  Currently, there is not municipal public transit in Halton Hills, making the Premium Outlets entirely a "destination" based shopping experience, unable to rely on the person passing by and wandering in to supplement their sales.

Their location which is right by the highway, is not accessible to people without cars, and in a lot of cases that is teenagers.  Teens are the quickest to make impulse purchases, and in many cases are part of the target demographic for a lot of these retailers.  Until teens can access the shops easily, it may be hard for some of these stores to survive once the luster of the new shopping centre wears off.  Check out the Toronto Premium Outlets full range of offerings on their website http://www.torontopremiumoutlets.ca/

Toronto Fashion Week is Coming! Schedule Released

With New York Fashion Week winding down, the schedule for World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto was released Thursday.  Several major players are back this year including Rudsak, Pink Tartan, David Dixon and Joe Fresh.  Target will also be showing this year, and after moving into the Canadian market in 2013, will look to showcase some of their trendier lines in preparation for their first full Spring/Summer in Canada in 2014.

The full schedule can be viewed on the World Mastercard Toronto Fashion Week website at http://worldmastercardfashionweek.com/