It’s the time of year when all the biggest designers release their collections into stores to kick off the Spring/Summer season, and show off what’s up next at Fashion Weeks around the globe. It’s got me thinking… what’s the state of Canadian Fashion?

Canada has never been considered a fashionable or stylish country, but with good reason. Our fashion weeks are appropriately weak, unable to inspire much faith in even the most devout fashionista. Thinking of any major fashion labels out of Canada and you will likely come up with none. And what about a fashion identity for Canadians… does such a thing exist?

When we think of other countries, even our neighbours to the south, we can conjure up some image of fashion heritage; the designs that are unique to their fashion heritage. The British have Burberry, the Americans have Ralph Lauren, and the Italians have Dolce and Gabbana, and Prada, and many others. In matters of style, we seem to be as multicultural as our country (many Canadians will perhaps say Ikea is a Canada’s design style, in spite of their Swedish heritage).

However, there’s more to it than our proclivity for inexpensive and oddly-named Swedish furniture. Canada actually has one of the proudest clothing heritages of any country, but as with all things, perhaps we are too modest. The Hudson’s Bay Company has a strong Canadian image, as one of the oldest existing companies in the world. They’ve dealt in clothing from the start, at the time not fashion per se, as merely something to hold back the arctic chill was enough. Holt Renfrew too, a venerable Canadian fashion icon, first plied its trade in fur. So perhaps, fur then, is a distinguished part of Canadian fashion heritage. Yet, the political climate would perhaps not be particularly fond of such a pronouncement. I see no reason to be any less proud. Fur kept the cold off the backs of the explorers who came to Canada, and it is just as useful now.

If our heritage lies in the fur trade, then what of our present, our future? Well, having described the past, and the somewhat bleak present, the future of Canadian fashion is actually beginning to become quite a bit brighter.

This is in large part because of the efforts of up-and-coming designers in the fashion world. Led by Canadian twins Dean and Dan Caten, who were recently inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame for their promotion of Canadian fashion, their designs often feature the maple leaf or reference Canadiana, such as their beaver-tailed down jacket.

Credit too must be given to Toronto Fashion Week for developing a celebration of Canadian fashion that other cities should take note of and use as a model. The Toronto Fashion Week is the only one in Canada that really showcases new collections for the first time, and if the shows in Edmonton and Vancouver follow this lead, they are on their way to developing notable fashion weeks of their own.

While our country may not have as long a history of being a fashion nation, such as France or Italy, we do have a unique perspective and should stand proud and be free to develop a fashion image that is uniquely Canadian. Our future can be fashionable.

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Tim Lucas

Tim Lucas enjoys writing, working on fast cars and sipping fine tequila. He appreciates the delicate art of creating a personal image through one's wardrobe. He has been employed by Club Monaco, Harry Rosen and Holt Renfrew. He now operates his own blog on men's fashion, known as "Mr. Sartorial".

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