KAWAII Sneak Peek with Allysa Hollywood

I was just on set two days ago with a fantastic team to put together the vision of powerhouse Fashion Photographer Allysa Hollywood! I usually don't update about Editorials until they come into completion; but we had such a great time working together creating some absolute magic that I had to partake in this teaser pic posted by Allysa on her own website.

KAWAII is meant to be a unified clash of bright colours, textures, and the glory of youth; taking inspiration from Japan-esque loudness and the urbanity of true Street Style. Featuring select pieces from talent like Caitlin Power and Love Thy Fitted; the aesthetic took the best of Spring in seasonal sheer, contrasting print, and power pigments - layered, layered, and layered. Styled by the enigmatic and brilliant Beaucoup duo Godfrey Mensah and Tolu Ogundare, with Makeup by the awesomely talented Geneva Fong and Hair by myself, of course. The spread featured Brodie from ELITE who was stellar and was captured entirely by Allysa Hollywood with the assistance of Toni Ekunah.

Can't wait to see where this spread will end up when it's complete! There are a lot more exciting Editorials coming my way that I also can't wait to share with you all, including some fantastic Magazine publications! Much love to all my creative friends who make this possible!

▲D

Testing With Elite / #OnSet

Here are some fantastic captures from a recent shoot I did with talented photographer Allysa Hollywood and Makeup Artist/YouTube Celebrity Geneva Fong. We did a test for ELITE with some fantastic, fresh talent - Blair Lee, Carly M., and Franco. Would love to work with this team in the future again.

As always, keep up-to-date on my latest Fashion projects, shoots, and collaborations through Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

▲D

The End of Ford Models in Toronto

Yes, you read correctly! Sad and unusual news for Toronto's Fashion market today.

The industry is buzzing with the sudden closing announcement of one of Toronto's premiere Talent Agencies; Ford Models. Apparently closing at the end of the month, Toronto's branch of Ford, the headquarters of which resides in Manhattan, New York, is the agency's only Canadian subsidiary. The news comes as a bit of a shock to Fashion in Toronto, myself included. Although Toronto's market is nowhere near the level of the international circuit (that is, Paris, London, New York etc.), the level of talent in the city is quite strong; both in artistic production as well as Model Talent. But it's unclear whether Talent had anything to do with the decision in the first place, which allegedly came directly from headquarters in New York City.

Ford Models is an Internationally reputable agency, housing successful branches, aside from Toronto, in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, and Brazil. Setting up in Toronto in 1995, the agency has been an integral, driving force in the building and swelling of Toronto's growing Fashion market; contributing to a myriad of projects and launching significant Canadian Talent. A testament to the Talent they housed is easy to see; as competing powerhouse agencies in Toronto (Sutherland, Elmer Olsen, ELITE) have been flooding into Ford following the announcement, trying to secure new contracts with many soon-to-be free Model Talent. 

According to The Star, Ann Sutherland, of Toronto's Sutherland Models, confessed that there were no real warning signs that Ford was pulling out of Toronto; and that the decision as a whole was a "little bit surprising".

I've had the pleasure of working with a few artists from Ford, both in-front and behind-the-camera, and it is definitely sad to see the agency detach from the city. A strong name like Ford Models carries with it a lot of significant weight; I can only hope that our homegrown Canadian agencies will continue to flourish in the wake of Ford's decision to leave; the reason of which is still very unclear.

According to The Star, Ford Models' New York headquarters have yet to return any calls regarding the matter.

"It is not my opinion that they were doing badly. I think it was just a New York decision, people that might be a little out of touch with our city." -Ann Sutherland courtesy Toronto Star

▲D