DAY 1: CARTWHEELING DOWN THE RUNWAY 

Like any productive morning, the first day of Toronto Fashion Week x RESET kicked off at the gym with plenty of energy and cold brew. MICHI presented their new collection at Equinox — a luxury gym and spa in Yorkville Village — which was the perfect venue for the Canadian-made sustainable activewear brand. Models (which included the gym’s trainers and members) walked, danced and cartwheeled down the runway in designer Michelle Watson’s fashion-meets-sport looks.

The athletics didn’t stop there. In the evening, Wuxly Movement turned the Fashion Environment—aka an interactive space inside Yorkville Village—into a skating rink, complete with a show-down between two rival teams who competed in front of judging panel to see who had the best moves on the (fake) ice. Skaters kept warm with the brand’s animal-free outerwear. 

Later that night, New York brand Kiki de Montparnasse brought the heat to the parking garage-turned-runway underground at Yorkville Village with sensual lingerie pieces. Down the street at the Royal Ontario Museum, Büble x David Dixon raised awareness for osteoporosis with a collection featuring an unusual material — bubble wrap. 

 

DAY 2: CELEBRATING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 

The Gardiner Museum opened its doors for the second day of runway shows, starting with designer Lesley Hampton’s highly anticipated Toronto Fashion Week x RESET debut. Juno-nominated artist Iskwē opened the show with an intimate and powerful performance. We caught up with Hampton afterwards to talk about how she celebrated and honoured Indigenous identity with the collection — read that interview here.

Next up, Zoran Dobric drew on Toronto art deco architecture for inspiration — think abstract geometric prints on silk and jersey. Process Visual played with proportions and luxe textures. Barefooted models added to soft atmosphere. Pedram Karimi’s One Undone collection saw models walk holding cutouts of eyes, hearts and acorns, and explained the meaning behind the collection via video. “The purpose of One Undone is to inspire youth, especially the ones that are not really exposed to design, art and spirituality,” he said.  

 

DAY 3: FASHION AND FOSSILS  

The last day of Toronto Fashion Week x RESET closed out on a high note. WRKDEPT, the unisex streetwear brand from Montreal designers Andy Long Hoang and Tinashe Musara, presented their collection, Migration, with a public static presentation in the Fashion Environment. Models sporting crayon-coloured hair started off the show laying on a platform before making their walk. Structured oversized and layered outerwear stole the spotlight. 

Later on, guests headed to the Royal Ontario Museum for the final shows. Toronto-based womenswear designer Hilary MacMillan presented a 90s-inspired capsule, introducing two exclusive plaid prints. Slick vegan patent leather and faux furs trims had us wishing it was fall already. Mani Jassal opened her show with a video that paid tribute to her parents, who first taught her how to sew, leading to the creation of her signature South Asian-influenced ethereal evening wear looks. Narces’ Nikki Wirthensohn brought retro-inspired glamour with her collection featuring oversized bows and rosettes and glittering puff sleeves that look best on the dance floor. 

See you next season!