FASHION LABELS
Seven ascendant designers who are shaking up the industry
noura sakkijha Mejuri
Selling low-key, cool-kid basics direct to consumers (including Oprah and Timothée Chalamet) has turned Sakkijha’s label, Mejuri, into a major industry player. She scored $31 million in a second round of funding last spring. In October, she won the DesignThinkers 2019 award for excellence in design.
lesley hampton Lesley Hampton
When Hampton cast an amputee in one of her shows, Kim Kardashian called it “inspirational.” The most memorable moment of Fashion Week 2019 came when First Nations beauty queen Ashley Callingbull closed Hampton’s show in a gown adorned with red dots to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women.
dani reiss Canada Goose
The guy behind Canada’s most ubiquitous fashion statement has gone global, launching Canada Goose in Asia last year then opening stores in Milan and Paris. Reiss, who recently made the Forbes billionaires list, launched Project Atigi (Inuktitut for parka), which commissions coats from Inuit seamstresses.
bojana sentaler Sentaler
Yes, there was an official launch for Sentaler’s 10-year anniversary collection, but the more significant PR moment came when longtime fan Meghan Markle wore the label’s poppy-red wrap coat as part of her fashion-forward maternity wardrobe. She wore that same coat in camel to her first Christmas at Sandringham.
aurora james Brother Vellies
The Toronto-raised, Brooklynbased designer of funky, sustainably produced accessories won the prize for best International Canadian Designer at this year’s CAFAs. That same month, she dressed Nicki Minaj’s feet (strappy sandals) for the Met Gala and attended the year’s biggest fashion party herself.
kirk pickersgill & stephen wong Greta Constantine
Catherine O’Hara and Amy Poehler presented at the Emmys dressed by Pickersgill and Wong, the Canadian design duo known for making statements with solids. A long-time favourite with local fashion plates, the brand now counts Mindy Kaling and Lucy Liu among its “Greta Girls.”