Fashion and Diversity LIVE from Urbani_T

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The fashion industry is often one to lead cultural change. The issue of diversity in the industry as it relates to race, body and gender is a hot topic and Sage Paul, Haley Elsaesser and Adrienne Wu are leaders in the industry and activism inclusivity. This episode of Fashion Talks was recorded in front of a live audience as part of the Urbani_T festival in Toronto, ON.

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Designer Spotlight: Triarchy

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It takes approximately 2900 gallons of water to make one pair of traditional cotton jeans. That's equivalent to 10,977one litre water bottles. When the three Taubenfligel siblings began their sustainable denim label Triarchy they set out to change that. Triarchy has grown to be an award winning brand, most recently taking home the Fashion Impact CAFA Award and the H&M Sustainability Award, with retailer and consumer demand on the rise.

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Fashion and the British Royal Family

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Fashion and royalty have always gone hand in hand. From as far back as Queen Victoria the British Royals have influenced styles, trends and designer acclaim. Since Princess Diana this power gets ever more pronounced as she was, and now Princess Kate and Meghan Markle are, among the most photographed women in the world. Author Shinan Govani and designer Bojana Sentaler discuss the lasting impact the Royals have on fashion. 

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Fashion and Sustainability: Fashion Revolution Week

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April 2018 marks the 5th year of the deadly collapse of Rana Plaza. A massive garment factory in Bangladesh that shocked the world over with its appalling working conditions. Fashion Revolution is a global movement rooted in demanding transparency for the garment industry around labour conditions, fair wages and environmental impact. Kelly Drenann, founder of Fashion Takes Action, and its creative director and longest collaborator, Sarah Jay, discuss the broad strokes of fashion and sustainability.

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Fashion and Gersha Phillips from Star Trek LIVE at Toronto Fashion Week

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Fashion and Designing for the Future with Gersha Phillips, Costume Designer Star Trek Discovery - from pop culture and historical references to existing Star Fleet heritage to technological advances what does fashion look like in star date 2250.

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Fashion and The Shape of Water LIVE at Toronto Fashion Week

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Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, a fairy tale of a 1960s janitor and her relationship with a sea-creature captured in the name of science experimentation, earned 13 Academy Award nominations and numerous accolades and awards including: Best Director and Best Score 2017 Golden Globes, BAFTA winner for Best Production Design, Best Original Music, Best Direction, AFI Film of the Year and more. Costume design incorporates intensive research, character development, garment construction and more to bring to life the story on the screen. Costume Designer Luis Sequeira (nominated for Best Costume Designer by dozens of organizations including the Academy Awards

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Designer Spotlight: Jordan McKay of Hendrixroe

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It was a chance encounter with a complete stranger that inspired Jordan Erin McKay to leave law school and follow her dreams to become a fashion designer.   Inspired by the vintage rock & roll and old Hollywood glamour icons, Jimi Hendrix and Marilyn Monroe, HENDRIXROE embodies the epitome of “glamorous rocker couture” with close attention to construction, fabric and fine lines, combining an innovative and unique perspective on the affluent ...

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Designer Spotlight: Nikki Yassemi of Narces

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Designer Spotlight episodes are the origin stories of fashion designers.  What kind of kid were they growing up? What did they submit to design school? When did clothing and fashion start to be an important force in their life? Donna Bishop asks about them, not their collections. Nikki Yassemi is a Canadian, Austrian born, raised in Iran designer with a long family history of couture, dress making and visual arts. Her label Narces, which she runs with her husband Stefan.

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The Arc of Luxury

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There are a number of iconic luxury brands that have stood the test of time: Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Gucci to name a few. What do they have in common? What inventions influenced the growth and erosion of luxury fashion? Who has been bitten in the arse of expanding too fast? Nathalie Atkinson and Nicholas Mellamphy dissect the current arc of luxury fashion brands.

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Counterfeit, Piracy and Knock-offs

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The fashion industry is fraught with copy cats and big business legal battles. While the notion of IP (intellectual property) protection within fashion is a relatively modern notion, fashion and branding lawyer Ashlee Froese discusses why it is a critical issue to designers and consumers alike.

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