Jacquie Severs

Last month I was lucky enough to have a friend take me to LG Fashion Week in Toronto. What fun this is! Fashion is an intriguing industry. Plagued by controversy, the industry thrives in spite of it all. I enjoy the shows because I find almost anything creative inspiring, and get ideas from all of it. Is fashion my industry? Not exactly, but so many industries are influenced by, and in turn influence fashion that it really applies to any consumer goods category.

Packed into a new space at Exhibition Place (pictured), the runway shows are loud, crowded and anything but reserved. It wasn't just me standing up on my chair, in the back row, hooting and hollering. This is a crowd who makes noise! People take notes and pictures, send emails and tweets, talk to their neighbours and generally have a light-hearted good time. I wonder if this is the same in Paris?

I can think of it like this - fashion shows, like shows of any kind really (art shows, theatre shows) thrive on the last minute rush to completion. We creative types love that pull-an-all-nighter stuff. If we didn't, we wouldn't be working in these businesses anymore. When the goods finally hit the runway, there is nothing a designer can do to perfect their work. The tweaking is officially over for the season. There is such a relief in that feeling, it makes you almost giddy. If you really did stay up all night, you are literally giddy. This translates throughout the crowd, which is full of mostly industry types. You've got the writers, who are true fashion fans, excited to see what's new, and the the industry people, so relieved another season is over. Mix that with a 750ml bottle of wine, and you get quite a vibe in the room!

I can relate that to my own product-launch experience. You find yourself in your living room the night before a launch gluing mocked-up boxes together because you can't imagine what your display would be like without them. Would the crowd have known otherwise? Probably not. But a true creative designer can't let their creations see the light of day unfinished. Witness any graphic designer show you their work mid-project. They will be sure to inform you repeatedly that the work is 'not done yet'.

If you missed it, you can check out LG Fashion week designers, their bio, complete collection and videos of the shows here. Alternately, this week in Toronto is FAT, Toronto's Alternative Fashion week.