Jean-Pierre Braganza - The Shows Toronto

The month of fashion shows is upon us and starts off with two nights of fashion hosted by "The Shows".  We missed this event last year, but were determined to see what all the hype was about this year!  We were not disappointed!  

The goal of The Shows is to bring talented Canadian designers, Hair and Makeup Artists and models into the spotlight and allow them to present to the top media, buyers and stylists in Toronto.  The Shows are unique in that they allow designers to present their collections without incurring any production costs and give them the opportunity to continue to build their brands.  

Jean-Pierre Braganza

Jean-Pierre Braganza was born in London and moved to Canada as an infant.  He initially started studying fine art before realizing that fashion was his true calling.  He returned to London to pursue his dream of studying at Central St Martins College.  Jean-Pierre has been a finalist for many awards including:  the British Fashion Councils Fashion Forward awards, The Swiss Textiles award and the Mango fashion award.  He also was selected by Karl Lagerfeld as his protégé  for the AW08/09 season.  You can find his collections stocked internationally in over 30 stores across 15 countries and when you see his collection below, you will understand why!!   

The collection

Jean-Pierre's collection was certainly the show stopper of the night.  The lights went up and a dramatic and powerful beat began to play as strong, futuristic looking models began stepping onto the runway.  The collection was all about the strong powerful woman, often with samurai warrior elements.  In his post runway show with Dr. Alexandra Palmer (curator of textile and costume at the Royal Ontario Museum) Jean-Pierre talked about his fabric selection and design elements.  Many of the patterns and prints are designed by the artist himself and he has worked hard to ensure many of the fabrics are from Britain (supporting the British textile industry).  Favorites of the show were the tuxedo jacket, the color blocked looks and the colorful science fiction repeat print dresses.  The jewelry and shoes were phenomenal and statement making.  It was one of the most phenomenal shows we have seen in a long time - BRAVO!!!!