Minimidimaxi Magazine

“Fur is It”, an event dedicated to showcasing new fur for Fall/Winter 2001, was the headliner for Toronto Fashion Week, on Monday, March 19th. Sponsored by the Fur Council of Canada, those in attendance were treated to a glimpse of Design Network Collections of Canadian Designers, including Jean Airoldi, David Dixon, Jennifer Halchuk and Richard Lyle for Mercy, Jean-François Morissette, Maryse Roye, and Marie Saint Pierre. FurWorks Canada, a fur sportswear preview, included Hilary Radley, Musi, Paula Lishman, Trinity, Bod & Crisan by Minos, Antonio Proietti International by Nadya Toto, Furko by Theo, Dino Gaspari, Krio by Natural Furs International and Zuki. FurWorks Canada is produced under the artistic direction of Richard H., a renowned fashion trend forecaster based in Paris.

The vast cross-section of designs integrated an incredible variety of fur, including classic silver fox, squirrel, sheared, knitted and grooved beaver, sheared raccoon, lapin rex, and Persian lamb. The treatment of the fur varied for each of the designers, some creating all-fur sweaters, jackets and coats, some using faux-fur fabric embroidering or simply fur finishing. As a result of advanced colouring, knitting and searing processes, real and faux executions were sometimes difficult to distinguish; a pleasing trompe-l’oeil. Real furs can now be manipulated, directly or as a bi-product, to take on an other-worldly finish. Fur enthusiasts will surely appreciate a more discrete use of their favourite material, with anti-fur groups more or less a consistent presence. With even the security guard for the event wearing a fur cap, powerful trends involving luxurious materials are difficult to hamper.

Daniel Cox, Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo, Photographer