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TORONTO, ON – The White Cashmere Collection™ 2016 will showcase Canada’s four seasons in an exciting new way this September, as 16 of the country’s top fashion designers present their interpretation of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
The world’s first and only fashion collection entirely crafted in luxuriously soft Cashmere Bathroom Tissue (BT), Canada’s best-selling brand, this year’s collection will present a celebration of Canada’s landscape, diversity and climate, with the vision of a future without breast cancer.
Shining the Spotlight on Canadian Design
A much anticipated, annual fund- and awareness-raiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the collection is produced by Kruger Products L.P., maker of Cashmere BT, and one of the Foundation’s top five national partners and proud supporter since 2005. With strong Canadian roots, the collection has featured more than 150 Canadian fashion designers to date and will make its 2016 runway debut at an exclusive, invitation-only fashion show at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Wednesday, September 28, 2016.
Featuring a stellar cast of fashion artisans from across the nation, #Cashmere16 boasts several firsts including couture specially designed for wheelchair-users, trend-setting active wear and the return of the winner from the inaugural White Cashmere Collection Student Competition in 2006. This year’s show will proudly feature exceptional emerging and established designers including: UNTTLD, NARCES, Stephan Caras Design , Lisa Drader-Murphy, DIODATI, DALLA, V-FRANZ, IZ Collection, Will Poho and Joseph Tassoni, KaaDiki, Miriam Baker, Som Kong, House of Knot, AGAME Tennis, Damzels in this Dress and Jon De Porter, presented by Collection Artistic Director, Farley Chatto.
First Look: The Designers of the White Cashmere Collection 2016
Sixteen top Canadian fashion designers will create one-of-a-kind couture with luxuriously soft sheets of Cashmere BT to interpret our nation’s majestic seasons — from the heralding thunderstorms of spring to the icy breath of winter’s brisk winds. Here’s a first look at this year’s exquisite collection:
Spring
Featuring Cashmere EnviroCare, made from 100% recycled paper, providing the irresistible softness expected from Cashmere.Damzels in this DressYou might hear Heart or Benjamin Booker tunes playing when Rory Lindo and Kelly Freeman are really in the zone, design-wise. For 20 years this dynamic duo, who met via neighbouring sewing machines in a fashion class at George Brown College, have been rocking vintage-y, rock ‘n’ roll-fueled women’s wear under their Damzels in this Dress label. And now devotees like Feist, Arcade Fire’s Régine Chassagne, Kate Hudson, Kirsten Dunst and Neve Campbell can shop for their clothes at two Doll Factory by Damzels Toronto boutiques. @dollfactorybydamzelsUNTTLDJosé Manuel St-Jacques and Simon Bélanger (winner of the first-ever White Cashmere Collection Student Competition in 2006), have been racking up fashion accolades ever since meeting in an electro/rock club nearly 10 years ago. Most recently, their UNTTLD collection, a luxury women’s line known for its spare chic and timeless elegance, won them CAFA’s (Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards) 2016 Emerging Talent Award. Partners in life as well as fashion, these Montréalers boast an impressive array of advanced design degrees, including Bélanger’s Masters from the Domus Academy in Milan. They contend that "having individually collected many different experiences, multiplies the references we bring to the table." @unttld_officialSom KongSom Kong’s men’s and women’s wear business has the vibe of a successful Silicon Valley start-up. This 25-year-old Ryerson grad from Hamilton traditionally shies away from seasonal collections and prefers to create a new piece only when the spirit moves him. Kong then posts his new pieces on Facebook or Instagram to test their appeal. However, this emerging designer rose to the challenge to create a Cashmere BT garment that celebrates Spring. Working with a changeable group of about 12 believers (often including current Ryerson students), Som sells his sharply-carved dresses, pants and signature trapunto jumpers (aka sweaters) via IM, pop-ups and trade shows. So far, so awe-SOM. @somkongJon De PorterA chance excursion to the Beijing pearl market in 2008 set Montréal-born, Toronto-based Jon De Porter on an unexpected journey into the world of high-end contemporary jewellery design. Now dubbed "Canada's Prince of Pearls," LaSalle-trained De Porter’s distinctive, bold-scale, "uptown" parures earned him finalist status for the Swarovski Award at CAFA last year, an eponymous bridal accessories range at Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay, as well as a classics line at Montreal’s La Maison Ogilvy and Indigo.ca. @jondeporter
Summer
Featuring Cashmere Regular, a high quality, 2 ply bathroom tissue that is irresistibly soft.NARCESNikki Yassemi’s NARCES line of silk, lace, tulle and chiffon evening dresses, bridal gowns and cocktail dresses oozes a sort of Fifties/Sixties international chic, a sexy Bond-girlish appeal. The source of the cosmopolitanism is obvious: this Toronto-based designer was born in Austria, then spent her wonder years in Iran and the U.K. before landing in Toronto, where she scooped up a U of T biology degree and an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University. The fashion know-how may be genetic: her mother worked with esteemed British tailor-to-the-royals, Victor Edelstein. @_narcesStephan Caras DesignWherever there’s a red carpet or spot-lit runway, there’s a good chance Stephan Caras and/or one of his ultra-glamorous gowns will be in attendance. We’re talking everywhere from the Miss Universe pageant to the Hong Kong Film Awards to the CAFA gala. A truly global talent, Greek-born Caras got his fashion education in Melbourne and at London’s St. Martin’s, then held positions in Paris at Guy Laroche and Hermés before finally landing in Toronto. Now the CARAS design team includes his son Kyriako. @stephancarasAGAME TennisAndrea Watley, it seems, is always up for a challenge. After a successful marketing/advertising career, this Torontonian (and breast and liver cancer survivor) turned her passion for competitive club-level tennis into a niche fashion business. Untrained in design, Watley was confident she knew what women wanted, including developing custom fabrication. Her brand is now celebrating 10 years with the launch of her new AGAME Tennis '16 Classics Collection (as in "always bring your A game") of snappy white tennis clothes and figure-flattering athleisure wear for women. @agametennisLisa Drader-MurphyLisa Drader-Murphy is an award-winning vertical fashion house where named owner and designer is hands-on in every aspect of the business since starting her Turbine label in 1997. Lisa’s company is unique in that it is one of the few remaining in Canada that houses all the design, cutting and sewing of her collections – all from her privately owned production facilities located on a more than 200 year-old sea captain's estate in Nova Scotia's historic Annapolis Valley. Now with five of her own retail stores in three Canadian provinces, her business has garnered national and international attention. Lisa’s designs have also been spotted at various high-profile events including the Cannes Film Festival, Oscars, and the Golden Globes, as well as on celebrity clients such as Jennifer Love Hewitt, Missi Pyle, and the wives of Dennis Quaid and William Shatner, to name but a few. @lisadradermurphy
Autumn
Featuring Cashmere Ultra 3 Ply, a premium bathroom tissue that provides added comfort, strength and thickness.IZ CollectionIzzy Camilleri is considered one of Canada’s premier fashion designers. 10 years ago, after creating her first custom piece of clothing for a wheelchair user, this A-List couture designer conceived the IZ Collection. Now with a complete offering for men and women, the IZ Collection features stylish wardrobe essentials with unique, discreet functional details and quality fabrics that fit and flatter the seated frame. What’s more, 10 per cent of all IZ sales go towards accessibility initiatives across North America. @izadaptiveKaaDikiCalgary-based Haithem Elkadiki, an honours grad from The International Academy of Design and Technology who also studied graphic and web design in Calgary, launched his first KaaDiki menswear collection in 2002. Since then, he has built a largely social media-driven following — especially for his custom shirting and the KaaDiki Face Collection — that blurs the line between men’s and women’s wear. A constant source of inspiration? "The flashy, romantic, non-realistic futurism of the Sixties, à la Cardin." @KaaDikiMiriam BakerJust a year after graduating from Ryerson’s fashion program, Toronto’s Miriam Baker scored a Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) New Labels Award and took that encouragement to address a new niche in women’s wear. Her line of upscale, ladylike sheaths, waist-conscious pants, retro circle skirts and pretty blouses is exquisitely tailored to flatter a full-busted woman like herself. Noting that most fashion patterns are drafted for a B-cup while the average woman is a C-cup or larger, the 29-year-old Toronto-born designer says, "I’m just trying to cater to those curves."House of KnotEven now, 10 years after she sold her first artful hand-knit accessories to earn pocket money while studying urban planning and architecture at Dalhousie, Katherine Phan doesn’t quite seem to accept that she’s in the fashion business. But the remarkably sexy, crowd-pleasing crocheted jumpsuit that starred in her House of Knot runway show at Toronto Fashion Week would indicate that this Calgary-based designer should stick to her knitting. Really. @houseofknot
Winter
Featuring Cashmere UltraLuxe, Cashmere’s softest, most luxurious bathroom tissue ever!V-FRANZIt’s fitting that a cheeky fashion designer like Vfranz Bernil would attach a silent V to the front of his name. That same dare-to-be-different attitude pervades his V-FRANZ collection of sporty, casual-chic, often skin-baring women’s and menswear, with its signature play of structured fabrics against drape-y jerseys and chiffons. This high-energy, multi-talented Filipino-Canadian launched his line in 2012 during his sophomore year at LaSalle College in Montréal and has since seen his clothing featured in numerous publications (Dress To Kill, Clin D’oeil, and The Gazette). Did we mention he also designs footwear for ALDO? @v_franzDIODATILuca Galardo’s destiny was never in doubt. He bought his first sewing machine at age 16, studied fashion at LaSalle College, apprenticed with Travis Taddeo and mounted his first full runway show in 2014. The buzz for his DIODATI label and its edgy aesthetic has been non-stop ever since. Primarily a menswear designer, the Montréaler’s signature androgynous minimalism is easily adapted to his women’s wear assignment for the 2016 White Cashmere Collection. @lucagalardoDALLAThe son of hard-working parents who immigrated to Canada from East Africa in 1974, Hussein Dhalla honoured their ambitions for him by completing a business degree at Toronto’s York University and working in finance before making the risky leap into the fashion industry with his own store in 2008. It all worked out! Today his DALLA collection, conceived in 2013, of contemporary, high-quality tailored menswear has become the go-to resource for style-conscious financial types and celebs like rapper Kardinal Offishall, actor Vinay Virmani and R&Ber The Weeknd. @houseofdallaWill Poho and Joseph TassoniToronto native Will Poho followed his Ryerson fashion degree with a Masters in global fashion management at FIT in New York and then turned his master’s thesis into the successful Moose Knuckles Canada line of premium urban outwear and sportswear. Montreal-born Ryerson grad Joseph Tassoni has held numerous fashion design, production and marketing posts, including at Joseph Mimran & Associates. Committed to the theme of keeping the world warm, the dynamic duo teamed up in 2014 to create SWAM, the "world’s first cold water bathing suit." Fashionable, high-performance fabric has been so central to their work, the duo is ready to work with bathroom tissue. @swamcanadaAbout the White Cashmere CollectionA stunning celebration of Canadian fashion that unites Cashmere Bathroom Tissue, designers and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the White Cashmere Collection™ is a stunning showcase for Canada’s established and emerging design talent and has featured more than 150 top Canadian fashion designers since 2004. The collection is documented at Cashmere.ca and at facebook.com/Cashmere.An annual fund- and awareness-raiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the White Cashmere Collection is the first-of-its-kind in the world, and entirely crafted in pure, luxuriously soft sheets of Cashmere Bathroom Tissue. Kruger Products L.P., maker of Cashmere Bathroom Tissue, is one of the Foundation’s top five national partners and a proud supporter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation since 2005.The collection heralds the annual return of Limited-Edition Cashmere in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, a corporate social responsibility initiative, with twenty-five cents from the sale of every package going directly to the Foundation, throughout October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.About Cashmere and Kruger Products LPCashmere, Canada’s best-selling bathroom tissue, reflects Kruger Products’ commitment to providing the finest quality tissue products to Canadian consumers. Kruger Products is Canada’s leading tissue manufacturer and serves the Canadian consumer market with such well-known brands as Cashmere, Purex, SpongeTowels and Scotties, as well as away-from-home products for industrial and commercial use across Canada and the U.S.This year’s White Cashmere Collection features seasonally-inspired garments crafted from the diverse Cashmere Bathroom Tissue product portfolio: Spring — Cashmere EnviroCare; Summer — Cashmere Regular; Autumn — Cashmere Ultra 3 Ply; and Winter — Cashmere UltraLuxe.About the Canadian Breast Cancer FoundationThe Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) is a national community-driven charity. As the largest charitable funder of breast cancer research in Canada, CBCF’s vision is to create a future without breast cancer. Since its inception in 1986, the Foundation has invested over $360 million in breast cancer research, funding more than 1,400 scientific and community grants. CBCF’s investments in vital research, education, health promotion, support and information programs have led to progress in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. For more information, visit cbcf.org.-30-Nancy Marcus, Corporate Vice President, Consumer Marketing at Kruger Products; and Farley Chatto, Artistic Director of the White Cashmere Collection 2016 are available for interviews.LIKE Cashmere on Facebook. The White Cashmere Collection is documented at Cashmere.ca. This year’s Fashion Designer Lineup can be viewed on YouTube. Tweet the White Cashmere Collection on Twitter using #Cashmere16.
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