Vancouver Fashion Week provides a hub for international and emerging designer

Vancouver has been a very resilient retail market despite COVID-19 lockdowns and the ongoing global pandemic. Retail vacancies are decreasing, market rents are higher, and unemployment in British Columbia is below pre-pandemic levels. This bodes well for the fashion industry and Vancouver’s fashion community.

Vancouver Fashion Week recently took place from April 7 to 10, and it was a major hub for international designers. Day one of Vancouver Fashion Week featured designers from Canada, Mexico, the USA, Japan, and France. Notably, there was designer Tetyana Golotoa, whose collection featured colorful pieces matched with floral embroidery. The collection was a love letter to Ukraine and its people who are currently embroiled in war.

Inuit fashion designer Martha Kyak exhibited her InukChic garments, which combine traditional Inuit and contemporary design. The traditional Inuit design pieces paired with everyday ready-to-wear.

Vancouver Fashion Week wraps fall/winter 2022 season

In addition to being a hub for young, international designers, Vancouver Fashion Week also spotlights student talent. LaSalle College presented six of its student designers, including Haby Camera, Elie Jesmani, Jackson Lee, Eduardo Lozana Ramos, Renda Pei, and Yichi Zhang. The young designers’ collections centered around themes of asymmetry, industrialism, and earth tones.

Aside from showcasing a large breath of international designers, Vancouver Fashion Week also helps keep artisans and craftsmen employed too. French Cameroonian designer Aline is the creative lead of her family business Couleur’s d’Afrique. Sewing teams in Reunion Island, Madagascar, Cameroon, Kenya, and Ethiopia develop the collection. In addition, Aline's work also engages in humanitarian work to aid struggling communities. In addition, Aline’s work also engages in humanitarian work to provide aid to struggling communities.

Sustainability is still one of the top topics in the fashion industry. Chilean native Guido Vera is working to establish a new perspective on the clothing of Chilean men through sustainability, and highlighting the textile rescue, traditions, and culture of Patagonia.

Marquee household name designers don't headline Vancouver Fashion Week the way they do Fashion Weeks like New York, but the event is a goldmine for highlighting young and emerging talent. It is arguably the closest thing we have to an international Fashion Week, given the myriad of designers who come from outside of Canada. While the "big four" Fashion Weeks, including New York, London, Milan, and Paris, often showcase international talent, it is not to the depth of Vancouver Fashion Week. These young designers also don't have to worry about competing with bigger names for the attention of retailers and press coverage.

Vancouver Fashion Week also holds the distinction of being the second largest Fashion Week in North America after New York Fashion Week. The event continues as small and mighty, but is a necessary platform for emerging international talent.