There’s much more to Toronto fashion than the Canadian tuxedo, and it’s not flannels and toques. Toronto is Canada’s version of New York City. A hub for sustainable fashion, this city is the ultimate crash pad for eco-friendly designers to collaborate. And 100% Silk Shop is doing just that. A textile gallery in downtown Toronto, this sustainable fashion brand is passionate about showcasing emerging artists from around the world. With dedication to exalted textiles, 100% Silk Shop features handmade collections using special cloth fashioned from traditional techniques like hand dyeing, knitting or weaving. The truth is, much like current 2024 trends such as graphic stripes and sheer layering, sustainable fashion is gaining traction; people now have an appetite for ethical apparel.

100% Silk Shop has given a nod to these trends, and it isn’t afraid to showcase a statement belt too. Our team spoke with Inez Genereux, photographer and creative director, to understand better the origins behind 100% Silk Shop. Genereux met Lee Deke, the creator of 100% Silk, in 2018 and the pair have run the brand together ever since.

How did 100% Silk Shop come to fruition?
100% Silk Shop came to be in 2018 when the designer Lee Dekel decided to open a pop-up store based on the ethos of her brand. 100% Silk, which is now our house line, is a textile forward brand where everything is made using traditional heritage techniques. Everything involves traditional, slow processes, created by a couple of people. The pop-up store that she started was made up of brands, clothing designers, object designers, glass blowers and sculpture makers who have the same work ethic. And so, the pop-up store is quite successful. People in Toronto have such an intense reaction and strong appreciation for hand-loomed fabric and textiles.

How would you describe the garments at 100% Silk Shop?
Well, we always say 100% Silk Shop is the future of handmade. So, when people think of handmade pieces, there's a folky or vintage association that goes with that. But we are trying to find designers and artists who use the same kind of techniques and bring it up into the modern time, in the 21st century. We want people to know and understand that you might find something at the store that uses vintage seaming techniques, but it's special, rare, and coveted as a high-end couture designer piece. I think the aesthetic of the store is a little bit punky. It's a little rave-y. It's on the fringes of regular “fashion.”

Figure 3: SPLIT TURTLENECK IN KIWI AND TURQOISE

What makes 100% Silk Shop such a unique brand?
We want everything in the shop to look and say that it was made in 2024 or is from the 80s? Is it from the 18 hundreds? The trend cycle in fashion just goes so quickly, and that's just not a part of the ethos of making things in a considered, slow kind of way, because it's just impossible to handmake things and then have a 30-piece collection that's coming out, say, four times a year.

What does “handmade” mean to you and 100% Silk Shop?
I think that handmade has more to do with the intention of the people or person who see the garment crafted from start to finish. So, what handmade means is the involvement that the designers or artists have throughout the whole production of the piece. And that doesn't necessarily mean that one person has to do the whole thing, but the level of involvement that the artists, sewers, or weavers have with the construction of the piece is much deeper from start to finish.

Daniella Williams, a model for 100% Silk Shop, says that the brand’s team is extremely kind and creative. 100% Silk Shop typically uses people who come into the store as models. They don't necessarily go for top models or signed models, explains Williams. “It's important to use models of different body types, body sizes, ethnicities, and work around beauty standards. So, it’s a great company, and they live in this beautiful feminist way over there.”

Daniella, what has your experience been like working with Inez at 100% Silk Shop?
Working with Inez is lovely. She's a kind soul. She does all the photography for the store and a lot of art direction as well. It is exciting to collaborate with her because she has interesting ideas about different images she wants to get, or different ways that she wants to style me. Over time, we've developed a nice friendship, and I think that's something that is important to her when she's working with models, because she makes them comfortable. She has this approach to photography and art direction that's theatrical, so she'll often get me to make fun faces or do interesting dance moves or poses. She's creative and has a lot of people in the arts around her. She's an artist herself.

Figure 4: DANIELLA MODELLING CHIFFON POLKA DOT TIE STRAP TOP

In conclusion, it’s safe to say that sustainable clothing is a front-runner for upcoming fashion trends. 100% Silk Shop features high-end couture designer pieces that reflect tedious ethical sourcing, limited production, and premium materials that are intertwined into every garment. However, in many cases, sustainable fashion comes with a higher price tag. So, what is handmade worth to you?

Written by Brya Sheridan, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Nicolas Harris, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine

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