TORONTO, April 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vancouver, Calgary and talent from Quebec are part of the |FAT| Arts & Fashion Week line-up in Toronto this April 24-28. Ontario has a massive contingency of talent from across the province: Windsor, Guelph, Ottawa, Hamilton, London and Oshawa. However, the G.T.A of Toronto dominates the schedule at this year's Arts & Fashion Week festival.
"We want the world to know Canada has incredible homegrown fashion and arts talent. |FAT| was created to provide Canadian designers and artists with a unique platform to showcase their work to the world, on their own terms," says Vanja Vasic, Executive Director of |FAT|. "The festival's distinctive vision in presenting diverse perspectives in an inclusive environment, make this event a perfect backdrop for celebrating the immense talent from Canada."
Who's who at Arts & Fashion Week Toronto 2012!
A |FAT| Teaser…
Introducing the legendary PAT MCDONAGH! This year she's at |FAT| to present her latest project: PAT MCDONAGH COUTURE & THE CONSORTIUM. Spring 2010 marked Pat McDonagh's 40th year in the fashion business, and she continues to produce two full collections each year. Pat McDonagh was born in Manchester, England of Irish heritage; she studied at Manchester University and the Sorbonne in the 1960s. Pat started her career designing costumes for The Beatles & Diana Rigg of the Avengers. Did you know: Pat McDonagh is also one of the co-founders of what is currently known as the Fashion Design Council of Canada – the FDCC. Pat is showing her collection on Day 1 – April 24. http://fashionarttoronto.ca/2012/03/10/pat-mcdonagh-couture-the-consortium-maria-manceva-dolly-sophie-patricia-kowalski-albert-yuen/
Meet 1ST Time |FAT| Participant Designer PEDRAM KARIMI from Montréal
Showing his collection on April 27th, Day 4 of |FAT| Pedram Karimi was born in Iran and spent his adolescent years in Austria. Pedram started his path to becoming a designer at the London College of Fashion. Halfway through his degree, struggling to make ends meet, he returned to Canada, where he continued at the International LaSalle College in Montréal. Pedram's current designs are meant for anyone with a modern mind. http://fashionarttoronto.ca/2012/03/15/pedram-karimi/
Design talent from outside Canadian borders includes artists and designers from: New York City; Mexico City; Berlin; Lviv, Ukraine; Maastrich, The Netherlands; and the Philippines.
The |FAT| attitude comes to life again this year at our new festival location - a former industrial warehouse located at 213 Sterling Road - Toronto's new up-and-coming arts & design district. Models will stomp their heels on an 80 foot-long runway featuring 52 innovative fashion collections from top designers within Canada and abroad.
|FAT| has an international reputation for presenting and discovering cool new talent, for instance: Wesley Badanjak, Heidi Ackerman, Martin Lim and Jasper Garvida. Now in its 7th year, |FAT| has presented over 1,000 designers and artists since it first launched in 2005.
|FAT| is the first festival of its kind to present fashion through a broad range of disciplines including - design, film, photography, arts and performance - all under one roof! The festival puts Canada on the fashion world stage as an innovative force to be reckoned with.
2012 THEMATIC fashionSCAPES of |FAT|
April 24 - LANDscapes explores global landscapes & physical environments
April 25 - CITYscapes visits man-made environments; streets, structures & cities
April 26 - BODYscapes investigates the body, identity, sexuality & gender
April 27 - FUTUREscapes looks at technology, media & innovative processes
April 28 - FATmarket is an off-runway pop-up shop featuring clothes from |FAT| designers
|FAT| EVENTS
April 24-27: 52 RUNWAY SHOWS
From designers across Canada & around The World.
April 24-27: |FAT| FOCUS GERMANY Presented by the Goethe-Institut
Fashion & art from Germany's hottest designers & image-makers: curated in collaboration with world-renowned Designer Scouts.
April 24-27: THE DRESSING ROOM PROJECT
A virtual & on-site multimedia art experience.
April 24-27: FILMS ON FASHION
International filmmakers create iconic imagery through fashion & moving image. The program includes 10+ films from Paris, London, New York, Berlin, Istanbul, Florence, Wroclaw, Baar and Montreal.
April 24-27: PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO EXHIBITION
Imagery from Canadian and international media artists & photographers
April 16-28: |FAT| DRAKElab OFFSITE EXHIBIT
Photography, Installations, Films and Videos
April 28: |FAT| & DRAKElab FASHIONmarket
11AM – MIDNIGHT http://fashionarttoronto.ca/2012-schedule/day-5/
+MUCH MORE
MEDIA REGISTRATION: To attend & report on |FAT| 2012, please RSVP via our online media registration form > http://fashionarttoronto.ca/media/registration/
Our website has complete artists & designer bios, including hi-res photos available for you to download here: http://fashionarttoronto.ca/artists-designers-2012/
|FAT| Media Contact
Sonja Andic
Media Manager
|FAT| Arts & Fashion Week
www.fashionarttoronto.ca
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