By Dale Peers (professor emeritus, Seneca School of Fashion), With the recent premiere of “The Gilded Age” Julian Fellowes gives us another peek into an earlier age. As he did with Downton Abbey, we have a glimpse of an era that seems so very different to our own. In this production we time travel to…
Tag: Canadian Fashion History

Rebecca Belmore, Art as a Call to Action
by Rose de Paulsen, Rebecca Belmore is Anishinaabe and member of the Obishikokaang who creates political and personal art installations with sculptures, garments, photographs, videos, and multiple other mediums. Before she found remarkable success with her art, she grew up in Northwestern Ontario connecting with the land during her childhood. Her profound connection with nature…

Marie Marguerite Rose: A Story of Early-Colonial French Chic and Emancipation…
By dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell, This is Charlene Chasse she has worked as a historical re-enactor with Parks Canada for the past nineteen years. She states of herself:…”I knit, I sew, I cook and I do hot yoga.” She also brings to life the fascinating historical figure of one Marie Marguerite Rose… Fig. 1, “Charlene…

Canadian Cosplay and Diversity
What comes next for Canadian cosplay? By Rose de Paulsen, Before the pandemic, the Metro Toronto Convention Center and the Toronto Congress Center were the hosts of bustling gatherings from fandoms of all kinds. Anime North and Fan Expo/Toronto Comicon are a couple of the biggest fandom conventions in Ontario. In 2020, due to the…

Aadhe – Catta Lyst
By Anna Ludmirsky, Amanjoat Gill, is a queer, non-binary South-Asian individual, who also goes by the name Catta Lyst. They are a well-versed person with many talents in various arts. Specifically, they design unisex streetwear for their brand Aadhe, a sustainable, socially aware brand that brings the spotlight to BIPOC people through inclusivity and also brings diversity…

Fashion Upcycling a Canadian Perspective
Seneca Fashion Arts faculty member, Professor Jennifer Dares has published a chapter “Fashion Upcycling a Canadian Perspective” in Circular Economy : Assessment and Case Studies (2021). Abstract Upcycling is a design practice that uses pre- and post-consumer textile waste derived from apparel manufacturers or disassembled garments to create new fashion, providing a sustainable design solution to divert textile waste…

Welly Couture – A Look into 80’s Couture
By Anna Ludmirsky, Born in Indonesia, Kurniawan Welly is a designer who created incredibly stylish high fashion garments most notably in the 80’s. These full gowns incorporate beautiful detail in every crevice of the piece from the bustier to the petticoat. Though Welly’s garments seem very outlandish and over-the-top nowadays, during that period of time, his target market of the…

Claire Haddad: A Canadian Fashion Icon (1924-2016)
By Dale Peers, It is with sadness that I write this remembrance and offer condolences to the family of Canadian fashion legend, Claire Haddad. Claire passed away on Tuesday May 17th, 2016, just two months to the day of what would have been her 92nd birthday. Claire was a “force majeur” in the Canadian Fashion…

Lana Ogilvie, Canadian Supermodel
By Anna Ludmirsky, Lana Ogilvie is a Canadian supermodel with over 30+ years in the modeling and skincare industry. Lana was scouted at her high school’s fashion show when she was just a teenager, quickly sprouting and blooming an illustrious and extensive career. While being featured in multiple Vogue magazines around the world, from British…

The Honorable Dr. Vivienne Poy: A Seneca Success Story that Reaches Far Beyond Fashion
By Rose de Paulsen, Vivienne Poy (photo from Covenant House) Canada is known for diverse and empowered women. Vivienne May Poy (née Lee) made waves when she was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1998 by Jean Chretien. This is where she did her most notable, influential and groundbreaking work. Her motion for May to be…