Halifax will put its most glamorous foot forward this week, with fashion designers from all over the Atlantic Provinces descending on the city for a glitzy showcase of homegrown design talent.
“I’m very excited,” said Veronica MacIsaac, one of the designers featured in Atlantic Fashion Week, which begins today and runs through Friday,
“I can’t wait to see what some of the new designers are coming out with.”
Produced by Halifax modeling agency City Models, AFW is currently in its third season. This round of shows will feature a number of new collections from designers like Orphanage Clothing Company, Maxwell John Designs, and P.E.I.-based Sunsets on the Eastside.
MacIsaac, 26, participated in the last two events and said the East Coast fashion industry will only continue to grow as new talent emerges.
“There’s more than we even know at this point,” she said.
“There’s a big group of us that get together sometimes for coffee or drinks, and we all want to stay here. Some people might assume that we’re trying to get to Toronto or New York, but it’s the complete opposite — we’re not going anywhere.”
Originally from Halifax, MacIsaac grew up around sewing machines and says she received most of her training from her mother.
“My parents are kilt-makers, so I was involved in that world,” she said. “At different events I would have to wear the family tartan, but I couldn’t find anything that didn’t look like something my grandmother would wear. People started asking me to make things in tartan that were modern.”
Now, with two successful shows already under her well-tailored belt, MacIsaac is set to unveil her third collection on Thursday evening.
“Sometimes I think I’m insane to work for six months, hemorrhaging money, all for a fifteen-minute show,” she said. “But it’s such an adrenaline rush.”
