Representing all communities through design, innovation was a key concept at the cities longstanding fashion event.
Fashion Art Toronto (FAT), the longest running multi-arts fashion week in the city, brought together runway shows, fashion presentations, performances, and art by innovative Canadian designers and artists in early November.
While Toronto is not regarded as fashion-forward, the city is filled with creativity and talent.
FAT provided the opportunity to discover local creators breaking down barriers on an inclusive platform through Avant Garde and thought-provoking designs and concepts that challenge society’s norms, and represent a variety of backgrounds, cultures, orientations, and sizes within the community.
Diversity, people of colour, diverse body types, and the LGBTQ2+ community were all at the centre of FAT’s commitment to celebrate everyone.
Among these presentations was one by a Canadian not-for-profit housing foundation, Raising the Roof (RTR).
With the aim of finding long-term solutions to homelessness, RTR is a national charity dedicated to providing national leadership in long-term homelessness solutions by collaborating with diverse stakeholders, investing in local communities, and educating the public.
This National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, RTR introduced a children’s concept collection called Streetswear by RTR to bring urgent attention to this growing epidemic. Specially designed for homeless youth, the children’s clothing and accessories collection included street survival features.
In recent times, adversity has played a significant role in influencing trends in the fashion industry either as an aesthetic or as functional utilitarian products.
While the clothes were not for sale, Streetswear by RTR aimed to spark a conversation about the very real issue of youth homelessness, which has become prevalent on the Canadian streets today.
“The organization wants to highlight the fact that 20% of people experiencing homelessness in Canada are youth, and that this collection is meant to make you think about the real solutions to homelessness,” said Shoshana Coodin, RTR marketing manager.
A design in their collection – the pavement parka opens into a sleeping bag and Coodin agrees that it was a cool idea.
“But is that a real long-term solution to homelessness? Absolutely not. And that’s where we’re wanting to focus, you know, so we’re hoping that you can look at this collection and think about it critically and look at what real solutions to homelessness are.”
RTR collaborated with Toronto-based designers Lauren Novak and Caitlin Wright to create this impactful collection.
Novak creates distinctive pieces from pre-existing materials, Wright designs limited-run vintage items under Kyshe, a brand specializing in limited-edition vintage items.
In this concept collection, they developed functional prototypes to highlight the features of each garment.
The Pavement Parka, a multi-functional winter coat, can be unfolded to become a full-sized sleeping bag, while the Tent-o-Poncho can attach to subway grates to form a heated tent.
Kids can lay on concrete and benches easier with Cardboard Cargos, made of hyper-durable material, and Tap-Me Teddy (which accepts card-tapped payments), so they can panhandle in a cashless society.
Lastly, Kevlar Kicks protect kids from broken glass and needles when running through alleyways by combining Carbon Fibre and Kevlar material.
While the collection is not for sale, individuals can purchase the RTR touque for $25. The profits from these sales will go towards long-term solutions for homeless people.
Since its inception, the campaign has raised more than $9-million for 200 partner agencies across Canada to prevent homelessness. As part of their mission, RTR strives to provide all Canadians with safe, stable housing and support they need to achieve their full potential. This iconic toque is available to Canadians for purchase to help end homelessness.
You can learn more about Streetswear Kids, browse the collection, or purchase a toque by visiting the website here.
