| One of my dreams is to see Calgary’s fashion designers achieve a stronger representation at the national level, and eventually put this city on the map for great fashion.
This past summer, Robin Kay, president of the Fashion Design Council of Canada, came to Calgary to encourage local designers to get involved in Toronto Fashion Week – an event that is now on the international fashion calendar, and attracts over 200 media representatives from Canada, New York, London and Paris. In order for any designer to gain stronger recognition, he or she must eventually take the risk of getting involved in the national or international arena, and invest their time and money into producing a show.
My dream is becoming a reality thanks to local designers like Paul Hardy, who took Toronto by storm in October 2002, and now Haithem Elkadiki, who recently debuted Kaadiki, his Fall 2003 menswear collection, in Toronto. Prior to his departure, I met Elkadiki at his studio to see what he has been working on for the past four months, and to find out what motivated him to take such a big step in his career.
Elkadiki graduated from Academy of Design in Toronto in 1995. While studying in Toronto, he worked for Body Body Wear, where he received valuable knowledge on general production and manufacturing. He began custom designing in 1996, but took a break from designing around 1998 to try out other artistic ventures such as painting and graphic design, and graduated from The Applied Multimedia Centre in Calgary in 2001.
But it was a trip to Europe that reconnected him with his love of fashion design, and he hasn’t strayed since. "I felt a great energy in Milan, and visiting the flagship stores of my favourite designers, such as Gucci, Prada and Armani, made me want to create my own designs once again," he explains.
Like most designers, Elkadiki got his start designing made-to-order pieces for private clients who admired his work, and their encouragement helped him decide to expand his talents from private design to commercial.
"People who show a deep interest in what I create give me the drive to design more," he says.
Elkadiki had always wanted to participate in Toronto Fashion Week, but felt that the timing was never right. He says he eventually realized that there is no such thing as the perfect time, so he put his fears behind him and registered.
"I decided to make it happen, because producing my own show was not going to happen on its own."
When it comes to designing a garment, Elkadiki does not follow trends. Instead, he prefers to see himself and his clients in clothes that make a quiet yet strong statement.
"I do not create fantasy clothes, but they are clothes that are distinguishable and incomparable to off-the-rack clothing."
His focus on mixing traditional construction techniques with contemporary silhouettes allows men to look well proportioned and fashionable. Elkadiki also creates excitement and innovation by altering traditional details in such a way that his techniques are like his signature. Kaadiki details include patch pockets placed in an unpredictable spot, or omitting elements like buttons from a jacket.
"I like reconstructing the appearance of a garment by breaking the traditional rules. Why do some jackets have to have buttons? I love the natural fall of a jacket – without buttons or closures, it gives the garment a certain ease and comfort."
His theme for Fall 2003 was Soldiers of Love, a creative response to the notion of war (coincidentally, his collection showed the day after the U.S. attacked Iraq). The collection has elements of military detailing and colours such as camouflage, earthy shades of brown, olive greens and black, with contrasting colours in red, golden yellow and cardinal blue.
"Fashion is a reflection of the times.... I guess it’s my way of dealing with life’s realities," Elkadiki says.
He confesses that he had some crazy nightmares about things going wrong prior to his Toronto show, which is natural for anyone who is taking a big step in their career, but he also kept a positive attitude towards his new venture.
"I've heard many designers say that producing a fashion show is hard work and a headache, but once the show is over they look back and realize that it was all worth it."
Elkadiki is already looking forward to doing Toronto Fashion Week in October, where he will be showing his Spring 2004 collection. |
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