Toronto Alternative Arts and Fashion Week

This fashion week, also known as FAT (Fashion.Art.Toronto) is another alternative approach I have found to the well-known fashion weeks throughout the world. It includes fashion design, music, photography and film, installation art and performance. It is described as a ‘a platform for inventive, pioneering and contemporary expression. This annual multi-arts event features 200 national and international fashion designers, visual artists, bands and performers each year’.

Each day at the exhibition has a different theme related to fashion and art, I could consider these ideas in my own exhibition. These include:

Fashion narratives: this night showcases the mythological, theatrical and imaginative realm of fashion. Designers and artists communicate ideas, concepts, stories and messages through visual dialogues and narratives.

Fashion/unfashion: the night battles between two opposing directions in art, performance design and music: the commercial versus the rebellious. Artists explore the ever-changing cycle of trends inherent in fashion and highlight the contradictory concepts of what’s in vogue.

Dress codes: the theme explores work that is influenced by different cultural groups, subcultures, demographics, sex and gender identities. The night will showcase designers and artists whose work looks at the social significance of clothing and who we are, define by what we wear.

Dressing room project: artists transform seven spaces within the 99 Sudbury Street complex. Reflecting on fashion, clothing and vanity these installations, performances and multi-media art works invite the audience to experience the intimate settings of an artist’s environment.

I like the versatility of the exhibition itself, that there are performances and the inclusion of art alongside the fashion show. From this I could include a fashion show to compliment the work. However I would only include it if it benefited the exhibition rather than taking away from the work or the focus of it being an ‘Art exhibition’. Also if there isn’t enough space for it to take place it would probably become too crowded and so less appealing. If there is room it might be an idea to have it as part of the private viewing but not a permanent feature.