My interview with designer Sarah Stevenson

I am excited to be finally posting my interview with designer Sarah Stevenson after a busy week with Fashion Alternative Toronto, which I will post in another entry later. 

Sarah Stevenson is a Toronto clothing & textile designer. She began her studies with fashion at George Brown College and later went on to earn her Masters Degree in Fashion & Textile design on full scholarship at the Institute of European Design in Milan, Italy. She returned to Toronto in 2010 and established her company, Sarah Stevenson Design. All of her fabrics and clothing are made ethically and sustainably here in Canada. Sarah was kind enough to give my readers a glimpse into her work on the Tutu Project with the National Ballet of Canada and accessory designer, Eliza Kozurno. Here is a summary on the project that Sarah shared with me.

The Tutu Project by The National Ballet of Canada 

"Equinox" by Sarah Stevenson & Eliza Kozurno 

 "The tutu is ballet's most universally recognised symbol and to celebrate the National Ballet's 60th anniversary. 60 tutus were created by artists and designers and will be on display during the 2012 season. I was asked to create one of these tutus and collaborated with an accessory designer Eliza Kozurno. Our tutu is entitled "Equinox" meaning equal day and night. We wanted to take our inspiration from a Ballet and chose Swan Lake because we thought that it brilliantly represented the contrast of our two styles. Eliza's being strong and edgy, while mine is delicate and feminine. The result wonderfully embodies these contrasts while seamlessly transitioning from dark to light. The tutu includes handmade feathers made with my signature fabric."

Sarah was also kind enough to answer a few questions I had despite her busy schedule. For those of you who don't know about this talented designer, ever since her successful shows with Rock the Runway 2011 and Toronto Fashion Week S/S 2011 Sarah and her designs have been popping up everywhere! The most recent being her appropriately titled "Ballet Skirt" in "Magnolia" in Fashion Magazine's "55 Rainbow Hued Shopping Picks That Shine Brightly for Any Age". Sarah Stevenson's Ballet Skirt in Magnolia



- Hello Sarah, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the project, the work that went into it, if it was it for marketing or just purely for art? What inspired you? Were you marketing it to anyone? If so who? If you enjoyed it or if it was hard work?


- I danced ballet until I was 16 so it was very exciting to be invited to be part of this project. I did it for fun (I worked on it with my friend) and for marketing/exposure. The summary explains the inspiration and yes I enjoyed it very much!


- That's fantastic! And it is interesting to hear you actually had a ballet background. I would also like to know if you think fashion is a very important part of the dance and/or performing arts world?


- As far as fashion being an important part of the dance/performing arts world - definintely! I think that dance influences fashion and fashion influences dance costume. If you look back at the early 1900s in Paris, designers were inspired by the Ballet Russe and continue to be.


I would like to thank Sarah for taking the time out to talk about this very special project. You can find out more on the Tutu Project on the National Ballet of Canada's website The Tutu Project and more on Sarah Stevenson Design on her website SarahStevensonDesign.com.


Photo on top taken from Sarah Stevenson Design website of her "Ivy Ballet" skirt. Middle picture of the Tutu Project designed by Sarah Stevenson and Eliza Kozurno. Photo provided by Sarah Stevenson.

Interview with the "balletastic" designer, Alexandra Julian!

As I had mentioned in my previous entry, back in grade 12 I tried to make a pancake style tutu for my art ISU. It was a disaster! I did not realise you have to be extremely skilled and that sometimes even all your textiles and design training cannot help you. I ultimately just created the long classic tutu instead. Ever since my failure with the pancake tutu I have been fascinated with people who can create these masterpieces but had not met anyone personally who could. Now I have! Alexandra Julian is one of the Mass Exodus designers who created a tutu line and was one of the few selected to showcase at the PR show. Here's a little snippet about the fresh out of school designer. "Alexandra Julian is a graduate of the Fashion Design program at Ryerson. She won 3rd place for Canada in the Triumph lingerie competition in 2011, and was selected for the curated collection that showcased the top 25 collections at Mass Exodus 2012. She likes to design and make ornate and elegant clothing, often inspired by historical fashion. She grew up in Kitchener and Toronto, and aspires to be a costume designer or fashion designer." I was fortunate enough to not only have her input but I am very excited that as my first interview on this blog she is a tutu designer. Here's what she had to say...

- What inspired you to do this tutu collection?


I started off with the idea of doing costume because I love extravagant clothing, period pieces, and classical beauty. I am a huge of fan of ballet and go often to see it because I have a very strong emotional connection with it; I'm not afraid to admit, I've cried watching Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and Onegin! Seeing my first ballet, The Nutcracker, was also what inspired me to get into fashion in the first place, so ballet has a special place in my heart and has inspired me throughout the years. This particular collection is based on the original fairy tale of The Little Mermaid. It's my favourite fairy tale and I thought the idea of a fantastic world beneath the sea as well as the emotional and tragic plot would be beautifully interpreted through ballet. I actually read later on that it was originally intended to be a ballet!

- Has anyone inspired you in particular?

I take inspiration from many different sources, whether it be the dancers at the National, or my mother, or designers like Alexander McQueen... I find so many people inspiring!


- Do you have a background in dance?

Unfortunately, no (unless you count the few ballet classes I took as a 4-year-old). I wish I could have taken dance when I was younger, but I think it's never too late to start, and now that the collection is over, I am really looking to take some adult dance classes!

- What was the work process that went into making these?

There are so many steps to creating the whole collection, it's hard to think of them all! Basically it all started with the sketches, and then research and interviewing industry experts to develop target market and competitive analysis, then technical sketches, patterndrafting and muslin stages (for the unfamiliar, a muslin is a mock-up of a garment made in comparable cheap fabrics), and finally the actual construction of the final garments. The making of the final garments was the most trying part! It can take weeks for professionals to make one classical tutu, and I only had two weeks to make each garment on my own, while holding down a part-time job and internship! It was the craziest time, but I'm very proud of myself for making all the garments myself and it was a challenging experience that I learned a lot from.

- What sort of materials did you use?
I used a lot of synthetics because they are cheaper for a costume budget, and because I did a lot of heat cutting in my collection. It's not easy to see from a distance, but all the scales and chiffon on the mermaid tutu and the grey chiffon pieces on the sea witch tutu were heat cut using a soldering tool. Because the fabrics are synthetic, when the edges are cut with the soldering tool, the edges melt creating a nice sealed edge that won't fray and it allows for so many interesting shapes to be cut out, without having to worry about finishing the edges. All of the costumes are lined with cotton however, so that they would be comfortable if used for dancing!


- What are you hoping to achieve with the designs especially now you have graduated?

Since costumes are usually made for specific productions, unless someone wants to choreograph The Little Mermaid ballet, there isn't much I can do unfortunately. If there is interest however, I'm considering selling them to dancers for competitions or perhaps some dance companies in need of costumes. I hope to be a costume designer in the future, and I feel this collection shows the skill, commitment, and passion I possess for costumes. I am still very interested in fashion design, however, and want to keep my options open. I think these designs are still relevant to showing my skills as a fashion designer.

I want to thank Alexandra for taking the time out to answer my questions. I love the fact she is inspired by ballet AND Alexander McQueen. My type of designer! You can find more pictures and info here on the Mass Exodus website Mass Exodus or you can look at Flare Magazine's "124 Looks From Ryerson's Mass Exodus 2012 Show" here Flare Magazine Website. 

All photos taken by Michael Ho.

The Mass Exodus Experience!

On April 11th to the 12th, I participated for the second time in a row the Ryerson fashion school's graduation show titled Mass Exodus. Last year I came in as a replacement for a friend so I had missed out on the castings and the additional fittings beforehand, so this time round I got to experience the whole process.

I think overall 150 models participated in this year's show, give or take. I overheard that this was the most models they have ever had, I could be mistaken though. One thing is for sure, next to Bruno Ierullo's annual show this is one of the biggest runway productions in all of Toronto. The runway is always beautifully constructed and sometimes very over the top (in a good way). Last year I recall the runway had an almost iceberg feel to it. This year it was a little more simple but still very interesting. 

Mass Exodus 2011. Katy Bennett's designs. Photography by  Michael Zahra.

Mass Exodus 2012 runway set up. Opening remarks. Photography by Arthur Mola.

The makeup for this year was provided by Complections makeup school and the hair styling was provided by Marc Anthony. For the makeup they did a very simple, natural look which I think was smart considering each designer and each outfit is completely different from each other. Some girls received nude lips and some received red lips. I had the red lips which I was ecstatic about since I feel I look better in red. The hair was done in braids. Some models, like myself, received a very "Heidi" look where the braids wrapped around our head. Others got the fish tail on the side. Again going with the natural, uncomplicated look like the makeup. Just natural beauty. 

The fishtail. Photo taken by Arthur Mola.

The "Heidi" look. Photo taken by Arthur Mola.

I loved my look. I think the Complections and Marc Anthony team did an exceptional job. It definitely inspired me to recreate that look, especially the "Heidi" braid. I also have to applaud the Marc Anthony team for having to deal with my extensions, I was so nervous about them. 

My look for the show. Photo taken by me.

This year I walked for four talented designers and three of the PR show they have every year as Ryerson's final show. Altogether there are five shows. Two of the shows are mostly for high school students so they can see what it would be like to sign up as a fashion student at Ryerson. Two of them are mostly for friends and family for anyone in the show. My Mom and Godmother attended the six o'clock show on the first day which was nice since my Mother hasn't seen one of my runway shows for more than a year. The final PR show is by invite only. Mostly for potential buyers and media. Only a certain amount of designers are selected to showcase in this show. The four designers I walked for are...

Raegan Moynes. Photo taken by Steve Alkok.

Mona Vedadi. Photo taken by Michael Ho.

Sarah Graham. Photo taken by Ming Siu.

And finally Lia Valdez. Photo taken by Raymond Chow.

I walked for Lia Valdez, Sarah Graham and Mona Vedadi in the final PR show. Out of all four designers the biggest response I received was walking for Lia Valdez and no surprises there! Inspired by S&M wear, this talented designer "whipped" up some intricate designs using leather and spikes. The minute they brought out her designs for our group in the fittings I was immediately drawn to the hand cuff piece with it's layers of belts. I just loved the triangle of spikes in the middle and the leather piece over the mouth added to the whole look perfectly. I had never worn something like this before and I really wanted to show the emotion in the outfit as I walked. I am so happy to hear the outfit and even my walk got such high reviews. One person mentioned on Twitter, "Bondage Barbie was clearly second from right... #bestwalk #MassEx2012." That felt good and I think I may have to adopt that name, "Bondage Barbie". It was great to walk out with Lia Valdez at the end, she was really lovely to talk to(or in my case muffle through the mouth piece). I was very excited when she got an interview with Plaid Magazine at the end. Well done girl! 

The lovely designer herself, Lia Valdez. Photo taken by Michael Ho.

I also got to model for Samantha Rice previous to the show. I modeled in one of her pieces for her thesis in a group photo shoot and I must say the outfits are right out of a Haute Couture fairy tale. Still waiting on more pictures to come, very excited to see them! 

Samantha Rice's designs. I'm second on the left.

Another part of the show I was absolutely thrilled about was the ballet theme (except for the fact I did not get to walk in any of these designs, so sad). Designers Jalessa Rae French, Melanie Worobetz and Alexandra Julian all made dance inspired lines. Melanie and Alexandra went as far as actually making tutus. Back in grade 12 I tried making one of these pancake style tutus for my art ISU until I realised how skilled one must be to make these. I ultimately made just the classic, long tutu so I have a lot of respect for these two designers. Alexandra in particular said she was inspired by "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen for her collection. Her line made it into the PR show as well. I am excited to post our interview in a later entry where she will discuss all about the work process and her inspiration. Be still my ballet heart!!!

Behind the scenes in Alexandra Julian's tutus. Photo taken by Arthur Mola.

Overall Mass Exodus was such a great experience. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed watching the process from behind the scenes. Well done to all the design students, the production team, the dressers and all the students who were involved in making the show what it was. Also a big shout out to all my model friends. To the  old ones I have worked with on countless occasions (Myles... Cinnamon Challenge?! Ha!) And to all the new model friends I have made, I am sure we will run into each other again. Big congratulations again to the hair and makeup team. Well done everyone!

First three photos on top of the page taken by Michael Ho. Photo far right on top of page taken by Steve Alkok.

Photographers' websites:

Michael Ho http://www.michoho.com/

Steve Alkok http://stevealkok.com/com/

Michael Zahra http://michaelzahra.com/

Ming Siu http://www.mingsiu.com/

Arthur Mola http://arthurmola.com/

Raymond Chow http://www.raymondchow.ca/

Are You Worth It?- Part two...

So for this entry I'm going to get a little serious. I know I will be treading on some toes here and some of you will be disturbed and angry. You may even be mad at me, but it needs to be said.


This question is primarily directed at female models but it does apply to male models and makeup artists (MUAs) too. After hearing stories, I have come to discover that it affects a lot more MUAs then I thought. What I am asking you is when it comes to your dignity and self respect, do you think you're worth it?


I read an article from dailymail.co.uk today that really caught my attention. Amy Willerton is a UK glamour model who has just signed with another glamour model and very well known personailty in the UK, Katie Price. In the article she reminisces about her pageant days  and when still rising to the top of  the glamour modeling industry. Here is a quote...


"The ugliness of the beauty industry hides easily beneath sequins and foundation - but Amy Willerton experienced the darker side of paegant life during a trip to Korea.

Jordan's protégée, who won Signed by Katie Price last year, was sent abroad to represent Great Britain in a competition, but was propositioned by men bribing her for sex in exchange for prizes.

The Bristolian said implied girls that did cave into the pressures were rewarded with winning titles.

Amy said: 'Guys would come up and say, "I know what I can do for you, but what can you do for me?"'"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2131021/Amy-Willerton-reveals-darker-pageant-life-men-bribed-sex.html#ixzz1sLqAdOnw 
The reason this article caught my eye was I, myself, had a similar experience about four or five days ago. Since my experience I have been fighting with myself if I should keep this quiet or not? Might it damage my career? Now, I am beyond the point of caring about the repercussions, especially when it comes to a subject like this. I have come to a point though where I am saying to myself, "No, this is not okay! People, especially men, should not be allowed to get away with this! It's time to speak up!"

Back in the Winter time I had submitted a photo shoot to several magazines based in Canada, America and the UK. Three magazines responded with interest, I picked one, it was printed, the end. I did not hear from the other twenty or so magazines I submitted to. Until about a week ago when online magazine "Hellion Magazine" sent me an email in response to my submission simply saying, "Do you have a number I can reach you?" Since the editor wanted to talk about my modeling. I gave it to him and he called two days later. 

It started out simple enough. Asked me how long I had been modeling for, age, measurements, what type of modeling I did, etc. Then he asked me for more of my pictures to see my work which seemed very odd since I had submitted the spread to him. Then the conversation began to turn. He asked me how far I would go with nudity. I told him nothing below the belt (a.k.a. I will not show my vagina) and it had to be tasteful. He said he didn't understand and when I explained to him as, "Like the stuff you would see in Playboy." He responded with, "I wouldn't know, I don't read Playboy." That sent up little red flags. I don't read Playboy and I know what type of photos they do, I smelt the strong scent of BS. (I just want to clarify before I carry on I have no problem with Playboy or what those models do, it is just not something I want to do with my modeling.)

The conversation really took a turn for the worst when he was unable to convince me to "go far" with the nudity and supposedly "my career". Then he bluntly asked me, "Would you do me favours?" I asked him what he meant by "favours" and he responded with, "What do you think?" I had already known the answer the minute he asked the question, I just wanted to clarify what I was actually hearing. I bluntly told him, "No. Absolutely not." He proceeded to try and convince me that I would not go far in my career if I was not willing to do people "favours" in this business. He also stated something similar to what was said in Willerton's interview. At one point she stated, "Guys would come up and say, 'I know what I can do for you, but what can you do for me?'" Pretty much in the same manner the editor said to me, "Us photographers get screwed over way to often, how are you going to help me out is the question here?" 

At the end I told him I was clearly the wrong girl for his so called, "editorial shoot". He concluded by stating that he would LOVE to book me but thought I was to "stuck up" and "not willing to go the extra mile" for my career. He told me everyone at the top had to have a little "fun" to get to where they are today. I said, "That doesn't sound like fun to me."

I really should have slammed the phone down on him half an hour before it actually ended, but I was completely dumbstruck by what I was listening to. I have heard these stories on countless occasions, directly from the models, MUAs, etc., either them or from a secondary source, but I never thought I would experience it myself. I am lucky though, some stories I've heard didn't end well, which brings me to my next story that I would like to share with you. The morning after that disgusting phone call I received this message on my Facebook fan page that I think is important to share with you, especially those in Ontario and/or Quebec...

Hello Victoria,

My name is XXXXXXXXXXXXX and I am speaking on behalf of XXXXXXXX a model in Montreal, who was sexually violated and physically assualted by Photographer Sebastien Fiss on April 11, 2012. He has since deactivated both his facebook page and model mayhem account and the police have little information on this man. Any information (phone number, location, contacts, friends) ANYTHING that you think will aid us in the arrest and deserved result for this man.
Please contact me via email or my cell phone ( XXXXXXXXXXXX  )

This is NOT okay! I wanted to share this in order to get the word out. I want to help find this man and stop him from harming anyone else especially since the model whose's friend reached out to me. If you have any information on him please contact the Montreal police. I censored the names and the number because I don't want any trolls or idiots making prank calls or just generally humiliating them. 

I know I have named names and stepped on toes here and I do know more names to name and toes to tread on that I did not, but I don't want to turn this blog into THAT kind of a blog. I just found it very important to inform my readers and highlight a very important topic that seems to keep being swept under the carpet despite its' constant appearance in this industry. I am sorry for the morbid topic but please think, be safe and ask yourself not just, "Am I worth it?" But, "Is this worth it?" 

Photo taken from http://www.dailymail.co.uk from a shoot with OK! Magazine UK. Model is Amy 

Willerton. 

Fashion People in Toronto and the GTA...

Tomorrow night I will be walking in a show at Crown Nightclub. This should be a great event and a great way to mingle with other fashion insiders and lovers. You could even say it is a great opportunity to "market yourself"! ;) You can find more information in the poster below. Hope to see you there!