| Hailed as "Canada’s favourite designer," Calgary-based fashion-phenom Paul Hardy has had enough – with Air Canada, that is.
Hardy, who first launched his haute couture signature line exclusively at Holt Renfrew three years ago, was recently in Paris, where he encountered a snag that would set off any seasoned traveller. The designer took action and went up against Air Canada in a way that would make any fashion designer proud – by wearing a T-shirt.
When Hardy arrived in Paris to showcase his fall/winter 2005-06 collection at an international fashion designer’s trade fair, he discovered his personal luggage was missing – a rather common occurrence that would be annoying to anyone, but especially to a designer arriving in the world’s fashion capital. Thankfully, he had the collection for the show – still, as the sole Canadian representative among 40 designers invited to attend the biennial event, Hardy was in Paris for a total of seven days with little more than the shirt on his back.
Hardy believes his luggage was mistakenly re-ticketed during a stopover at Toronto’s airport. The luggage consisted of one bag, containing over $15,000 worth of clothing, which should have arrived at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, but whose whereabouts are still unknown.
The designer made every attempt to track down the luggage during his stay, making nearly a dozen calls to Air Canada’s customer service.
"The worst part was waking up every morning and having to make ‘the phone call,’" says Hardy, whose requests were being forwarded to Air Canada’s call centre in India, where he received little more than the standard "I’m sorry for your inconvenience."
As compensation, Air Canada gave Hardy $100 US. Using the money, he made do with two undershirts and a pair of pants from the Gap.
"I mean, what can you buy in Paris for 100 bucks?" asks Hardy.
Letting his clothes tell the story, Hardy had a T-shirt made with the slogan "Air Canada lost my luggage and all I have is this lousy T-shirt" pasted across the front, which he wore for the duration of the show. To make matters worse, the designer fell victim to the same misfortune a second time on his way back to Calgary, when part of his collection went missing – it turned up later.
When it comes to his lost wardrobe, Hardy values the stories and the sentiment attached to them more than simply the articles themselves. An emerald velvet vest bought in England and a tie made from his family’s Scottish tartan will be missed, along with a custom-fit pair of pants made by a New York designer.
"One of the things I’m really sad about losing is a custom-made cross necklace and a ring," says Hardy. "Those two pieces were one-of-a-kind."
Exactly how Air Canada plans on replacing Hardy’s luggage remains to be seen (Air Canada officials couldn’t be reached for comment). The designer has still not been contacted by the airline giant and is simply thankful that his spring collection didn’t wind up at the lost luggage graveyard.
"The most disappointing thing, other than losing the bag, is that there doesn’t seem to be any evident accountability," he says.
Despite the circumstances, Hardy maintained a positive attitude while at the show, sporting his T-shirt and joking about the incident on a televised interview for E-Talk Daily.
So far, the National Post, Globe and Mail and Fashion Television have all taken notice. The objective of taking part in the show was to establish greater international appeal among the industry’s buyers and retailers – this, at least, has been achieved, as Hardy was invited back for the tradeshow to be held in October. |
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