Designer Dimanche: Lovas

Wesley Badanjak is the creative director behind his fashion label Lovas. He says one of the greatest fashion advice he has ever received was to follow his instincts, not trends. This advice was certainly followed for his s/s 2012 collection which was apparently inspired by his travels through the Caribbean sea. The collection stood out with an all-ethnic cast of tropical models, breezy blouses, hues and grandiose feathered head pieces. Badanjak stuck to oranges, corals, white, black and sand colours. He created a chic island girl look completely unique and distinct from other fashion week designers. Sometimes the supposedly tropical look took on another appearance: the coral shift dress paired with a beaded belt in combination with the model’s long messy braids made me think of romanticized Pocahantas fashion more than that of an island girl.

Anita Clarke from Toronto-based fashion blog I Want I Got was quite impressed by Badanjak’s island-inspired collection. In a one-on-one interview conducted by Calgary Fashion’s Daniela Codreanu, she said:

“Wesley and I have an understanding. He knows that usually his stuff is not my style. I appreciate that it’s always well made. He is very excellent at making clothes and putting [them] together. Construction is always fantastic, but THIS time it was like [a] perfect storm. The style was on to what I personally would like. Everything on that runway I would wear!"

It’s true. Every runway outfit was not only beautifully crafted but extremely wearable. The feathered head pieces were a highlight: they were the perfect addition to a long ruffled black dress and a 60s mod shift dress in black and white stripes on sand .

– Claire Miglionico

Photo source: fashion windows.net 

Designer Dimanche: Adrian Wu

Toronto-based fashion designer Adrian Wu

Adrian Wu was recently voted by iVillage.ca as one of the ten Canadian designers to watch for in 2012. His spring/summer 2012 collection created buzz like no other. Wu is unpredictable, daring and created one of the most peculiarly fascinating collection at fashion week.  Wu’s collection called “Creatures of the Photons” is said to have been inspired by the ambitious topic of quantom physics, and apparently, the models represented “evolution” of some sort.

"My theme was quantum physics, but at the same time, it was this conceptual idea of taking the modern silhouette and modernizing it, the whole idea of Parisian dress making,” he revealed backstage during an interview conducted by Daniela Codreanu.

"Creatures of the Photons" - Adrian Wu S/S 2012 at LGFW

At age 18, Wu taught himself how to sew and then shortly after, he started his own design company. He already has seven collections under his belt at now age 21. According to oy. & co – Wu’s marketing agency – “Wu is known for his layering in fabric and eccentric pieces such as French Couture styled gowns with focus on authentic 18th Century siecle des Lumieres craftmanship, fabrics and silhouettes.”

The runway was covered in what looked like circle-shape place mats of assorting colours and a live string quartet positioned at the centre of the runway accompanied slow-strutting models (due to their towering platforms). 
Wu told us he used the colours blue, green, and red for his dresses: “It was inspired by the orbs that circle the electron,” he said.

A male model opened the show in white platforms and a lace white shift dress. The show continued with a mix of male and female models wearing swelled up haute couture dresses. Few dresses were made for everyday wear, only perhaps Lady Gaga would give it a go at this point in time. Most models wore head pieces that looked like orbiting wires covering the front of their face like veils. Their mysterious significance was revealed by Wu after the show: “They were actually representation of black holes,” he said.

The three-dimensional aspect of each dress was a pure delight to look at as each were overwhelmingly covered in fabric, fabric and more fabric. A favourite of mine was the gorgeous blood-red ball gown with protruding baby-blue balls coming out the front at waist height. Such a bizarre of a design but what a beautifully crafted dress. See for yourself, and let yourself be mesmorized by Adrian Wu’s designs and the amount of time he must be putting into such amazing creations.


Please watch Adrian Wu's Fashion TV profile. It's amazing and gives you a great insight into the kind of designer Wu is. He considers himself more of an artist than a designer, talks about his boredom of life and how he defies social dress conventions: "Why can't men wear dresses?," he says. Wu is pure genius. 

– Claire Miglionico with interviews by Daniela Codreanu

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