One Year of Planning, Why I’m Leaving Canada for London, UK
Three weeks to London Fashion Week, three months to Paris Fashion Week, one week to New York Fashion Week, and one year back to London. Time is a sticky thing for me. I often feel like I don’t have enough of it, which is why I work so diligently to make each day count towards my goals.
Looking back at this year, every single day was a pursuit towards:
Living abroad like I’ve always wanted,
Starting my fashion career,
Finding my place in the world where I don’t just feel accepted, but celebrated.
A common phrase I’ve heard in my life is to slow down. Take a second, and not boil the ocean. Like any hero on their journey, a lesson may seem obvious at first, but the hero must traverse the emotional gauntlet to discover it themselves. While my journey is never-ending, I believe this year has set the foundations for me to not only accomplish these goals, but to know when it’s time to step back and let the threads of destiny tie themselves together.
Why London? London’s Place in My Fashion World.
Why London? Why not Paris, New York, or any other city? For people who don’t know me well, or those not familiar with the fashion world, this question gets asked to me a lot. I love all the other major fashion cities, but my heart is sold. London is a fashion capital. One of the Big Four Fashion Capitals of Western Fashion. London Fashion Week (LFW) with its hub of business, trade, and creativity, is among the top 4 in the world.
LFW rose to prominence in the 80s, and with designers like McQueen, Galliano, and Westwood taking the 90s and noughties by storm, it became the enfant terrible of the fashion world. To some in recent years with Brexit, the recession, and austerity placed on arts and culture, London’s edge might have cooled. Not for me. I still believe in London’s importance in the world of fashion. I am a testament to it.
London is cool. London is the gateway between North American commerce and European artistry. It is the incubator of many young fashion artists who have flocked there for its openness, creativity, and daring nature. It’s also the birthplace of my fashion career. A quick two-month trip to London and invites to London Fashion Week would prove to be one of the biggest turning points of my life. Whenever I hear the question, “Why London?” from incredulous, and often jealous, people, I respond back, “I didn’t know I could work in fashion until I went to London last year.”
The Fashion Capitals: toots and boots
I have studied fashion on my own since I was a child. When I went into marketing full-time, it taught me to not just look at fashion as a beautiful art form, but as a business that needs to adjust to the location it wants to flourish in.
While I am picking London as my next home and fashion hub, I want to continue working all over the world because I know each hub has its pros and cons.
New York:
New York likes me as a friend, but I love New York City! New York is a commercial metropolis where you will meet everyone and anyone. Doing a show at NYFW in February was thrilling and gave me amazing connections. I felt like my ambition was being seen and praised. If you want to be a giant of the world, New York is where you should be.
But New York’s commerciality can also be a detriment to its artistry. I sometimes feel like New York fashion doesn’t always carry the same weight of craftsmanship as Europe. I wonder if my personal aesthetic translates as well in New York like it does in Europe.
Paris:
Paris changed my life! A branding capital. Everyone knows Paris Fashion Week. Everyone knows the weight of Paris Fashion Week, whether you work in fashion or not. That’s why when I was scouted to Paris Fashion Week last year as a model and stylist, I knew I couldn’t let that opportunity pass by. I worked every day in the summer to ensure a successful and fabulous show. Saying I did Paris Fashion Week is still giving me opportunities!
Nevertheless, Paris’s loftiness can also make it seem inaccessible. There’s a certain chic quality you must have in order to really sell fashion there. Our show was praised by reviewers for “ending the show glamorously”, but some reviews called out other designer shows for not being “glamorous enough for Paris.”
Milan:
Incredible for sophistication and luxury fashion. If you are looking for top-tier textiles and quality, look no further than Milan. Italian fashion is the pinnacle when it comes to quality, and the style just oozes sex.
However, while I haven’t experienced MFW (yet), I have been told by fashion colleagues Milan and Italian fashion can be more conservative. Of course, my favourite Italian brand is the campy and wild Moschino. But there is an unwritten rule that Milan remains more understated, subtle, and minimalist.(Gasp!)
London: The Bold and the Overlooked
So where does that leave London? Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion continues to shoot out star designers and fashion professionals into the world. Indeed, London is often seen as the fashion incubator. Many prominent fashion professionals will attest to that. Yet, in my travels I encounter people who act surprised when I tell them I want to move to London over the other fashion hubs. Or worse, they will mention Paris, New York, and Milan as fashion cities, and forget London.
London’s pro is that it’s the most daring of the fashion capitals. It’s touted as an awe-inspiring and nurturing place for young creative fashion professionals (like me) to find their voice and build their careers. But it’s often the most overlooked of the fashion capitals.
London will always have its place as a major world player in business, theatre, and fashion. It doesn’t need me to, but I’ll advocate for it forever. When I go to the other big fashion capitals like New York and Paris, I always recount the liberating fashion and support I find in London.
In my eyes, it’s not about which fashion city is better, it’s about which fashion city is better for you.
Why I am Moving to London on October 1, 2024
I have spent the last year building a portfolio of work that I am proud of, networking, and saving money for this move. I have dreamt of living in London and activating my youth visa since I was a child wearing my English grandma’s Philip Treacy (OK, knockoff) hats. Her home felt like a refuge from how scary and chaotic my childhood could be. Growing up I loved visiting London and felt a deep connection to it. My gran would always tell me, “One day you’ll end up in London.”
My life hasn’t been the same since I gave London a two month taste test last year and got invited to my first London Fashion Week. The professionals I met there invited me in, took photos with me, and asked me point blank why I didn’t work in fashion. I just never knew. Canada simply doesn’t have the fashion industry cities like Paris, New York, Milan, and yes, London has. I didn’t think it was possible.
I am proud to be Canadian and I hope to represent the amazing Canadian talent we have, but my time here is coming to an end. It’s time to fulfil my promise to the professionals I met who have kept with me over this year. They watched me work as a stylist at Paris and New York Fashion Week, and cheered me on as I built the career I’ve always dreamt of.
It’s time to make my grandmother, who always made me feel safe and accepted, and that child who just loved British hats, proud. No city is perfect, but you must go where you feel like you can achieve your goals and dreams, such as:
Living abroad like I’ve always wanted,
Starting my fashion career,
Finding my place in the world where I don’t just feel accepted, but celebrated,
For me, that’s London.
