Christina : Parkdale

She does not follow any typical fashion style, and true to her easy-going personality, she almost always finds items randomly whilst she is out at thrift stores, or whilst she is online, choosing to only acquire things that really resonate with her. She will sometimes splurge on an expensive piece from one of the local goth stores in Toronto. Music is also a big influence, having grown up listening to all genres and going to many events, from Hip Hop shows to Raves and Punk Rock concerts; she loves to wear band t-shirts, and also, being heavily involved in Toronto’ art scene, customized t-shirts purchased from local graffiti artists. She enjoys cutting those up and sewing them again to make them look even more different.

The day I shot her she chose to wear:

o A Cheetah print jacket, which is a long time favorite of hers, worn with a toque bought from local artist and friend Brian’s clothing company, Pyramid Scheme. She paired that with a black semi-opaque top long sleeved crop top bought from an alternative store in Toronto, and black leather booties.

o A t-shirt bought from Toronto graffiti artist Elicser, with a pair of amazing tights that have a really cool revealing design at the back, purchased from NY store Trash and Vaudeville. She paired that with a pair of black PVC shorts from the east-end costume store He & She Clothing, and a denim sleeveless customized jacket from Value Village, something she would wear in the summer time to a party, or concert.

o A Cancer Bats t-shirt from one of their shows, with a pair of jean shorts she uses whilst she is painting, and a pair of really cool black and white creepers from T.U.K. shoes.

Alex: St.Clair West

Alex’s style, to me is fantastically outlandish; he goes from one extreme to the other, always catching you by surprise with his choices. Perhaps this is a reflection on his work as an amazing 3D artist, creating otherworldly, hyper-realistic environments and spaces.

He jokingly refers to his dress sense as “ghetto fabulous child” and also “playful”, and admits to being inspired by many contrasting things, such as styles he finds on the internet (Nick Wooster being his favorite), urban culture (in his penchant for flashy gold jewelry and sports shoes) but also, television period dramas such as Downtown Abbey and Mad Men. You can certainly get the feel of this in the chosen decor for his house, which is sort of Mid-Century modern and gives off a strong Victorian feel.

His lifestyle and career as an artist is also sort of a push for him to be able to wear whatever he feels free to wear.

He often shops around Toronto, most if his clothes hailing from the city, and often tries to acquire most of his apparel from friends’ clothing stores.

The day I shot him, he wore:

o A jumper from Brooklyn-based Moves Concept Store store RHLS. The colour blocking on it was insane, and he chose to accessorize it with high-tops from lifestyle brand L.A Gear, and a multitude of found gold jewelry, one including a gold pendant of a flag of Toronto’s Scarborough district by his friend Eric Peterson, .

o A light blue blazer from Topman, with a Hermes tie from Off the Cuff, paired with a pair of dark blue denims and a pair of shoes from the handmade shoe store Osborn, as he loves mixing high and low labels.

o Lastly, a black shirt by his producer friend Johnny Love, worn under a bomber jacket bought in Toronto’s Kensington Market, accessorized with gold chains and for footwear really cool black high tops from Canada’s off-price clothing chain Winners.

Arts Organization – Art Battle

"What is your background in the arts?"

Simon and I have worked on a number of projects together, from painting at home to headlining Nuit Blanche in 2010. We both seek to create new and beautiful realities, he's a little bit tech and I'm a little bit old-school

"How was Art Battle conceived?"

We were looking for a way to showcase the arts, engage the audience and build community, this seemed like a natural fit and was well-received from the beginning.

"What do you contribute your current success to?"

Good intentions, great artists and hard work.

"What vision do you have for Art Battle? What is needed to accomplish this?"

We would like to see live painting on the main-stage around the world. The National Championship this year will be the first ever stadium show for painting and we're very excited to continue and grow this model.

"What has your experience been with the variety of venues you've worked with?"

All of our shows have been fun and dynamic, we try to transform the space we work in to meet the needs of the painters and the audience. It's always nice to work in large theatre spaces, as it's a very natural fit.

"What would you advise for those interested in starting an arts organization?"

Decide what you are delivering and focus on making that as enjoyable as possible. Treat your collaborators well and make sure everyone has the right info about how to find you.

"Looking back, what would you have done differently from the get-go?"

We wouldn't change anything

Independent fashion designer – Jared Olsever

"This brand represents all that is corrupt in the glorification of Hollywood, the music industry, and many other forms of self-indulgent destruction. The reach for a lifestyle that is deemed successful by the media is not a reason for living, the love for what you do is.

Passion drives this brand. Hoping for success through endorsements from big names is not the direction this brands wants; the message alone defines its quality of achievement.

Art is expressed through iconic imagery and every piece is pure quality. Attention to detail and a long process of mostly hand drawn visuals are rendered digitally to create eye-catching graphics."
-Jared Olsever

Tag Archives: canada

Christina : Parkdale

Alex: St.Clair West

Arts Organization – Art Battle

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Independent fashion designer – Jared Olsever

Paint Breakers

Paint Breakers Year One

Photo Gallery from the first at 822 Dundas St W