By Rose de Paulsen,
Hoax Couture is a Toronto based team with over 35 years of experience of garment creation for all genders. The team is co-led by Chris Tyrell and Jim Searle. Both specialized in bespoke and custom garments ranging from menswear to bridal to childrenswear. Hoax Couture is one of the only companies in Toronto to create custom garments from drawings/photos brought in by clients. From tailoring to house call fittings, Hoax Couture aims above the rest. They also have an expansive portfolio of dance and theatrical costumes. Some of their big projects were with the National Ballet of Canada, Coleman Lemieux and Compagnie, The San Francisco Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet. They have dabbled in sports when designing skating outfits for Nexxice, a World Champion Synchro skating team. In 2019 Hoax Couture won Toronto Star’s Reader Digest Award. They not only focus on custom pieces, but also focus on inclusivity and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Currently they are making masks available from the Mask Shop on their website and donating portions to front line workers.
Picture and Info Citations
Hoax couture. Hoax Couture. (2021, August 31). Retrieved October 2021, from https://www.hoaxcouture.com/.
Chris Tyrell and Jim Searle photograph from “Black Designers of Canada”
ELVIS AND THE MAN IN BLACK
Choreography: James Kudelka
Music: Six covers, sung by Johnny Cash
Lighting Design: Simon Rossiter after Trad Burns
Costume Design: Hoax Couture
Creation: 2010
https://www.daretowearlove.com/
Hoax Couture designers Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell also founded the annual Canadian fashion gala “Dare to Wear Love” to support the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s LGBTQ initiative which aims to provide funding for HIV and AIDS services for LGBTQ communities in sub-Saharan Africa.