Vancouver Fashion Week: A front-row seat to tomorrow's best

Small group of emerging and international designers prepares to unveil fall collections

A model walks the runway at the Elen Danielle Fall/Winter 2011 show during Vancouver Fashion Week on April 14, 2011 in Vancouver, B.C. Photograph by: Ian Lindsay, For Postmedia News

After the rest of the world (yes, even Toronto) has had its turn this season, Vancouver finally has its own fashion week.

But the timing isn’t late, really, it’s just smart. After all, the media, buyers and everyone who’s anyone all need time to get back into town and catch their breath. And God forbid we host our fashion week at the same time as anyone else’s.

No, that would just be silly.

Instead, this week, more than 15 local and international designers will descend upon Robson Street’s Empire Landmark Hotel, to present their fall 2011 collections -marking the 10th anniversary of the biannual Vancouver Fashion Week.

Truth be told, Vancouver Fashion Week did go on hiatus a few years ago, before producer and founder Jamal Abdourahman relaunched at with a new focus and objective. Initially, Vancouver Fashion Week showcased designers’ current collections, "but my plan from day one was to be like any other fashion week: To show the next season," Abdourahman said. "We also changed the business model to focus on new and international designers."

In addition, "in 2002, we had 58 designers, and by 2003, we had grown to 147," Abdourahman recalled. "Later, we cut back to 70 and now, around 17 or 18, so that we can focus on the quality of the designer’s work."

Where international fashion weeks typically showcase the work of designers based in that city -Prada shows in Milan, where it is headquartered; Alexander Wang shows in New York, where he is based -Vancouver Fashion Week is unique in that it includes the work of many emerging, foreign designers.

"We receive a lot of applications from designers in our target markets," said Abdourahman, listing Japan, Korea, China, Italy, and France as these key areas. "These are centres of fashion for the next rising stars," he explained, "and Vancouver is literally in the middle of all of these places: It takes approximately nine hours to get from here to Rome, and nine hours between here and Tokyo."

Abdourahman’s start in the fashion week business came somewhat unexpectedly. "I started as a promoter, but quickly decided I didn’t like nightclubs," he said. "I had been doing fashion shows just for fun since 1994, so I transitioned by doing fashion club nights instead."

After stints living and working at underground dance clubs, choreographing and launching shows in Montreal, New York, and Toronto, Abdourahman began to realize that he had a knack for the fashion business and sought to study it more thoroughly.

"In 1999, I was at Paris Fashion Week, working on a project where I was taking designers from Paris to Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila, to expose them to these markets," he said. "Sitting next to some really big media was huge and I got really excited -it made me think, ’wow, this is possible.’"

Having spent most of his life in Vancouver, he returned from his Paris trip and started concocting a plan to bring the city’s designers to the world — until projects like that in Paris materialized in London and San Francisco. Eventually, though, Abdourahman was finally able to launch Vancouver Fashion Week; he has now developed a routine for securing designers and creating buzz for the weeklong event.

This season, the fashion week lineup includes both new and local designers, such as Elen Danielle, established Vancouver talent, such as Patricia Fieldwalker and Shelley Klassen, and international designers, such as The Wedding by La Vie (designed by Jenny Ji) and Helen Lee, both from Shanghai. Also on hand are Amsterdam’s Pauline van Dongen and Ha Sang Beg from Korea.

Most of these are new to Vancouver Fashion Week. Abdourahman’s audience has also changed from previous seasons. "We’re focusing on bringing people in from surrounding cities like Kelowna, Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, and Potland," he says. "We want people in these areas to become familiar with our designers, and we want to create more awareness of fashion in Vancouver in general." Danielle Sahrmann, the mastermind behind Elen Danielle, hopes her showcase will familiarize visitors with her brand.

"Vancouver Fashion Week helps promote local talent and underground designers who have big ideas," she said. "As a designer who dreams of couture creations, I have always been disappointed that the city’s fashion scene has been so ’lifestyle.’"

"I hope to reopen eyes and promote a more luxurious, glamorous array of clothing."

In addition to targeting buyers and media in a wider geographical region, Abdourahman has also partnered with key media sponsors. His fashion shows are open to the paying public. The result? Large shows that will be well-attended.

"I thought it would be a very exciting and ambitious project to showcase my own first solo work on a larger scale than what I would normally create," Sahrmann said of her upcoming show. "This experience will elevate my portfolio and versatility as a designer."

Surely, this is at least part of the point of any fashion week -- whether it’s in Vancouver, New York, London, Paris, Milan, or Toronto.

Ones to watch

Autobiographie

The combined experience of designers Nazafarin Sadat Akhavi and Dena Motevalian include stints at Betsey Johnson, D&G and Kenzo; both attended the Esmod International Fashion Institute in Paris. Their fall collection was inspired by Japanese origami, Persian art, and modern architecture — a sophisticated, if intriguing, mix.

Mackenzie Sam

Currently completing the menswear program at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, Mackenzie Sam won the 2010 Best Designer Award at the Fusion Fashion Show, an annual fashion "faceoff" between F.I.T. and Parsons The New School for Design. His design signatures: High sleeve vents, leather trims, and soft tailoring.

Elen Danielle

Fast becoming known for her use of luxurious fabrics, high quality and detailed tailoring, Danielle Sahrmann’s spring collection is inspired by Adam and Eve, combining sexuality, femininity, and evolution.

Story of a Girl by Shelley Klassen

Already well-known among the local fashion set for her eponymous label and downtown boutique, Blushing Designs, Klassen is now launching a new label, Story of a Girl. Her designs have graced the likes of Brooke Shields, Emmanuelle Vaugier, and Jennifer Beals, so you can bet the new collection will be equally coveted.

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