By dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell, Fashion scholar Hilary Davidson States in “The Embodied Turn: Making and Remaking Dress as an Academic Practice” (2019) that “remaking the clothed past can yield unique and useful research insights” (329). These “unique and useful” methods are in fact necessary in order to generate a more comprehensive knowledge of the…
Tag: Fashion History

Evan Clayton, Vancouver Designer who Creates Theatrical, High Fashion & Drag Looks
By Rose de Paulsen, Evan Clayton is a Vancouver-based designer who specializes in theatrical and high fashion. Clayton not only focuses on fashion-conscious designing but has also collaborated with Canadian Drag queens in eye-catching artistic looks. Queens like Gia Metric, Kendall Gender, Jane Smoker and many more Canadian (and international) performers are wearing Evan Clayton…

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…

Sifting Through the Missing Pieces: A Look at Those Who Were Enslaved to Create Clothing
By Olivia Belande, As long as textiles continue to be manufactured and produced for the mass market, there must be a hand behind these productions who works tirelessly and woefully to nurture raw fibre to garment. In contemporary North America, we are fortunate enough to have no close connection to the workers in impoverished countries who make our clothing. But what if feigning…

Sapphic Romantics and Neoclassical Fashion
By Rose de Paulsen, Sapphic Romantics and Neoclassical Fashion: Queering Bridgerton Bridgerton (2020) premiered last December and influenced a rebirth in fashion for the months to come. Bridgerton is a beautifully crafted show, visually appealing especially to those who love fashion. But it did have distasteful moments, possibly because it had to follow the book’s plot. The character Henry…

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…