How did Attitude take shape?
For the longest time people told me I should be doing a clothing line and I always said it would have to be the right time, the right place, the right retailer. Sears Canada came to me and it felt like the right fit. Honestly, there was a nostalgic feeling for me – shopping at Sears as a kid. For me it was just creating a first collection that represented strength, while still being feminine.
Describe the woman who will love your line?
Somebody who wants to look fashionable and stylish. There are those trendy pieces that you know are just going to last one season. For the most part I wanted to create that classic style with a little bit of a different perspective on it.
Many celebrities who lend their name to a line merely endorse it. Because you’re taking on such a role in the design and fabrication of Attitude, are you nervous with LG Fashion Week on its way?
I wasn’t nervous until very recently. I had already started designing the set – I’ll let you know there are going to be some surprises at the show, some familiar faces – and of course when I cast girls I’m looking for girls with really strong walks. I was fine with the process because I’ve done it so many times for so many designers and for Fashion Week in New York. But then when I came here and realized we were starting this process and people are telling me, ‘Oh this or this person is going to be there,’ that’s when the nerves hit. But I have total confidence that the pieces are great.
You’ve travelled across the world. What do you miss most about Canada when you’re away?
My parents are still in Toronto. It’s almost that feeling of family that I feel here. It’s more of a supportive community. I think it’s really good to have been out in the world of fashion for 19 years and doing what I do and to have been all over the world because it toughens you up. But when you come back to a place like this where you’re showing your collection, it’s a place of nostalgia, as if you’re a kid. When you come here it’s an abrupt change and you can’t help thinking
This is real in a very different way.
