You might expect to find every fledgling designer hunched over a sewing machine in a bare Parkdale loft but don’t go west hunting for Chloe Gordon.
Her headquarters until sister, and Chloe Comme Parris partner, Parris Gordon finishes design school in Halifax this summer is a bo-haute townhouse in the heart of Rosedale. It’s a free-spirited space outfitted with pale murals, crystal chandeliers and, during a visit last Tuesday, racks of beautifully finished, mostly black clothing ready to be fit on models who will wear the collection down the LG Fashion Week runway today at 5 pm.
“Black sells,” says Gordon whose spring line was scooped up by UPC Boutique and The Narwhal before the sisters debuted it last October. That first show earned lots of stylist attention and press praise, especially for a philosophy of sustainability beyond their fast fashion consuming years.
“There’s so much waste in the fashion industry,” says Gordon. “I’ve been one of those people who buys 20 things from H&M every week but I’ve learned from my mistakes. You pay a little more (for our pieces) but we’re paying people what they deserve.”
The factory that manufactures the line is at Queen and Ossington. For Fall they’ve sampled pleated dresses, tailored virgin wool coats with arm warmers built into the cuffs, and distressed leather pieces accented with western buckles. Parris’ jewellery is inspired by wrought iron fencing she found while interning for designer Pamela Love in New York City. There are miniaturized fence post pendants in sterling silver and ornate headpieces created with 3D printing technology.
“We have too many ideas,” says Chloe. That’s an enviable challenge for a young design team with a premature knack for editing them together into tight, covetable collections.
