Toronto Fashion Week: Spring/Summer 2020 Collections Showcase Diversity
Posted on September 15, 2019 | by Felisha Liu
Diversity Stands Out In The Spring/Summer 2020 Toronto Fashion Week Collection
This past week was the Spring/Summer 2020 edition of Toronto Fashion Week (TFW SS20 Collection). From September 3-5, the Spring/Summer schedule was jam packed with glitz and glamour. This year’s runways featured gorgeous venues, such as the Fashion House and Royal Ontario Museum. TFW SS20 featured Canadian designers from Adrian Arnieri, RVNG, Lesley Hampton, TRIGÈRE and Cristopher Bates – the cameras just never stopped flashing.
Lesley Hampton’s SS20 collection, “The Preface”, showcased eveningwear looks on an inclusive and diverse cast of models. There was diversity in different body types and sizes, ethnicities, and abilities. “This collection is about healing.
If you’ve gone through insecurities or troubles, it’s about overcoming that. We must know our past, understand it and accept it if the future is to have meaning”. The fabrics chosen for the collection were meant to reflect a message of mental-health awareness – the showstopping finish was the hand cut, hand embossed, sewn on piece by piece Copper dress. Lesley comments that her fabric choices are meant to reflect a message of mental health awareness. The collection was dedicated to the memory of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, as well as the 2LSGBTQQIA people.
Hilary Macmillan’s SS20 collection extended their sizing range up to 22 and 4X – something truly rare in the fashion industry.
The vegan womenswear brand had always wanted to work their way into the plus market. “As an independent fashion brand, the timing had to be right and the consumer demand had to be there for it to be successful… We decided the time was now”. Hilary’s Canadian brand phased out all silks and wools and is proudly a cruelty-free brand.
We can’t wait to see what the Canadian fashion industry comes up with next. But so far? We’re loving what we’re seeing.
Follow our journey.
