RETAILING REPORTER
The catwalk in Canada has taken a step down market.
Fashion Week in Toronto is usually thought of as a hub of high fashion, an opportunity for domestic designers to strut their latest creations and drum up business.
But just as fashion is becoming more accessible to the masses, so is the fashion show.
This year, LG Fashion Week, which begins today, features shows from a couple of decidedly low-priced lines. One is from a supermarket chain: the cheap chic Joe Fresh Style, which is carried at Loblaw Cos. Ltd. The other is a revamped Attitude, a line from mid-brow department store Sears Canada Inc.
How quickly the fashion scene is changing.
"Fashion is very democratic these days," says Joe Mimran, the creative mind behind Loblaw's Joe Fresh, and who also happens to chair the group that runs Fashion Week.
For Sears Canada, its move onto the runway may provide a much-needed lift. For the 12-month period that ended in June, its share of the $21-billion Canadian apparel market fell to 11.4 per cent, from 13.2 per cent in 2007. Loblaw, for its part, has targeted an ambitious $1-billion of Joe Fresh sales by 2010.
But Fashion Week hasn't completely abandoned its high-end roots. Luxury retailer Holt Renfrew is throwing the cocktail launch party at its flagship store this evening.
© The Globe and Mail
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