[FAT] is In this Season

Fashion Shows. Art Exhibitions. Performances. Live Music. National and International Talent: 42 designers, 22 artists, and 11 music groups set the stage for a groundbreaking event to unfold. Experience Fashion in its raw state before it gets chewed up by the mainstream. Innovative. Imaginative. Provocative. Real. This is the new generation of talent.


Slip your feet into some cake shoes, because [FAT] is in this season. The second annual Toronto Alternative Fashion Week [FAT] is in motion and is set to hit the Distillery District's Fermenting Cellar from October 17 to the 19, 2006.


[FAT] is an interactive multimedia production, melding fashion with visual and performance art and music. You can expect a slew of runway shows, live performances and installations featuring talented up-starts and established artisans redefining style and influence.


[FAT ] is Toronto's first-ever alternative fashion event. With 'alternative' defining their style consciousness, bringing the public and the industry the mutually exclusive possibilities of fashion-forwards fused with music and art.

The three-day event kicks off with an opening art exhibition on Oct. 17 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. featuring a showcase of work done by local and international artists. The art works will be on display for the duration of the event and are free to the public daily from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

[FAT] has attracted international artists and designers from Japan, England, Turkey, Serbia and Denmark each bringing a new flavor to the Toronto art and fashion scene. Each night is defined by a different theme - Fantasy, Seduction and Street. Equally stunning and innovative, each night awakens your senses and steers your imagination.

Oct. 17 – FANTASY
Immerse yourself in a world where dreams and fantasies unfold. You will experience the flavors of far off places, exotic cultures, revisit childhood fairy tails, distant lands and daydreams.

Featuring 14 fashion collections, the night opens with the Ontario College of Art and Design's mask project in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario. Designs range from the elegant Russian influenced coats from Toronto's Magpie design label; the Avant-garde experimental men's and women's wear from Japanese designer Mitsuko Makino; and Bojana Ilic's cutting edge multimedia designs, which feature imagery of her home town Belgrade projected on a white clothing collection.


Jasper Garvida, a recent Central Saint Martins graduate, comes from London to bring Toronto rich colors, multi-layered fabrics and the exquisite flavors from the natives of Peru and 1920's flapper girls. Expect to see the fragile and texture based collection of Mildred Avendano and many more inspiring designs.


Performances are by Ottawa's Karina Bergmans and Jenny McMaster and a video by Turkish artist Gul Ilgaz explores gender and femininity.


Experience the drum beating of Andy Shoniker, the exotic sounds of Southeast Asia by Roshina Joseph, and the elegant voice of the soulful Amanda Kaye.


Oct. 18 – SEDUCTION
A night of teasing, sexuality, elegant beauty and raw erotic energy. This evening will take you on a path from feminine sensuality and innocent beauty to the dark and mysterious corners within the depths of human sexuality.


Designs featured include: Lubica's romantic getaway of crochet bikinis; the sensually laced lingerie of Billy Rose; and the 50s pin-up inspired ensembles by Rockitqueen. Svetlana Trifunovic comes from Serbia to bring you a playfully seductive men's and women's collection combining transparent materials and soft fabrics; Futurstate introduces the dark side of erotica presenting deep tones of PVC and mesh fabrics; and Tahnee Reyes brings out elements of bondage and restraint, through her provocatively sophisticated collection.


Music performances by the enticingly luring sound of the progressive rock band Alison Solo, and the edgy pop-rock and heartfelt lyrics of Robert Desmond Band attempt to get you in the mood for seduction.


Video by Valentina Churylova and performance by Vessna Perunovich explore the notions of entrapment and freedom within the realm of sexuality.


OCT. 19 – STREET
This is a night where trends are created and redefined! Experience up-and-coming talent brought to you fresh off the streets of cosmopolitan cities and urban cultural centers. All the showcased collections are unique, experimental and push the envelope of style.


Designers include: babu et moi who introduces a style that is young, eccentric, energetic and somewhat theatrical; UsThemWe redefine the subculture for women of subversive thinking, who are no longer embedded in youth culture but have yet to put on a corporate suit; Kat Palmer presents a combo of vintage-funk and charismatic class; With her biker-punk look Lydia Valladares features a collection that is simply chic and functional; Melissa Bolduc from Montreal gives birth to a modern grunge taking influence from art nouveau, ancient hand-weaving techniques, knitting and medieval pattern making. To celebrate its 25 th year, Now Magazine puts on a collection by Toronto designers made from the pages of the magazine.


Music includes UNDADOGG's down tempo trip-hop, dark atmospherics, heartbreaking lyrics and sultry female vocals. The iLL-literate Crew emerges from the underground hip-hop scene bringing you original beats, and the experimental music by The First Seed will blur the lines between what is considered music and noise.


Performance and video projections by Zoja Smutny and Guntar Kravis explore the free floating and unbound energy of youth combined with the freedom of movement and expression reflecting on the childhood game of hopscotch.

Come join us for an unforgettable string of nights.

Details:

Toronto Alternative Fashion Week: October 17 – 19, 2006

Distillery District's Fermenting Cellar 55 Mill Street, Building 6

Opening Art Exhibition: October 17, 2006 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Fashion Showcase: October 17, 18, 19, 2006 from 8 p.m. – 1 a.m.

Tickets are sold at the door $10 a night and $5 for students.

Free art exhibitions daily from 12 p.m. -7 p.m.


For information: www.alternativefashionweek.com or
Contact: sonja.miokovic@gmail.com
Phone: 647.668.1127