15 of the photos and accompanying interviews are published in a Streets of Toronto article (featuring Haley Benoit, Anastasa fashion influencer Sara Camposarcone and sister Hannah Camposarcone, Delia Trube and Zeb, TMU journalism student Haley Sengsavanh and University of Toronto equity studies student Keyda Sloane, designer Brandon Keir and Halifax-based singer/ songwriter Emstuu, Hippie Market and Sunday Variety founder Kealan Sullivan, content creator, creative director, stylist, makeup artist and activist Myles Sexton, designer Evan Biddell, and model Shaquone Blake, artist Katrina Anastasia, designers Naz Samenipour and Jacqui Plonka, DJ and co-founder of Yohomo gay dance party Phillippe Villeneuve, fashion stylist and designer Dixy Rodriguez,and Andrea, founder of Prehistoria Museum and and SkullStore Oddity Shop and touring performer for Kiesza Ben Lovatt, and Anna Zaidi, and FAT assistant director Lilli Wickham.) The rest are published here.
L-R (Models): Shaniece; Eleany González; Sawith Abey
Shaniece
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Second season walking.
What is your favourite part about FAT?
"Walking for Ballesteros Designs"
Eleany
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Second season- walked in the Spring/Summer 2024 season for the first time.
What is your favourite part about FAT?
"Fashion"
Sawith
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Third season. Started helping backstage, then became a rostered model. This year they will be walking for the first time on Sunday- for queer south asian designer, Aadhe.
What is your favourite part about FAT?
"I feel celebrated. I came out this year so it's a big moment to walk for the first time, especially for a queer designer."
L-R (Media): Journalist Hillary LeBlanc; Content creator Renesha Monaco; Founder of Content Day Studio, and photographer Khary Safari aka The Dancing Photographer
Hillary
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Five years since first attending in 2019. She modelled in 2022 and became the first official carpet correspondent in 2024.
What is your favourite part of FAT?
"The sense of community. Often in this industry, there is a perception of competition, unkindness, and a maliciousness that comes with fashion. FAT embodies the antithesis of mean girl energy by bringing together different people, beliefs, and identities under one roof, with the shared love of fashion, art and expression."
Renesha
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Three years
What is your favourite part of FAT?
"It's a safe space to wear whatever you want," she says, wearing a superhero themed childhood duvet that she had designer Wander Bird Co/ Nostalgia Vintage Chick turn into a jacket for her.
Khary
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Three years, ever since opening Content Day. Has walked at least once in every season, this time it was for PORTIA J. ALIGHT on day 2 (shown wearing the outfit he walked in)
What is your favourite part about FAT?
"It really seems to be open minded and community oriented. As an extrovert, It's great to see people who aren't very extroverted getting the chance to express themselves."
L-R (Designers): Pandina Bondar; Designer Emily Scandal-Navian Gordon of Methuselah Designs, with family Thorin; 2/ 3 of the designers behind 3ndolith, sisters Naz and Maryam Samenipour
Pandina (pictured wearing her own design, and in front of her installation. The material is made out of garbage bags)
How long have you been coming to FAT?
7 years, her first show was in 2017. What is your favourite part about FAT?
"The organization and the quality of the production."
Emily
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Third season attending
What is your favourite part about FAT?
"The guests and their outfits. Absolutely stunning!"
Samenipour sisters
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Came 15 years ago for one season. Now have been coming for the last four consecutive years since showing for the first time four years ago.
What is your favourite part about FAT? Naz: "I love the inclusivity and diversity as well as seeing everyone's creativity–it's really inspiring to see how everyone brings their vision to life."
Maryam: "Same."
L-R (Attendees): Singer and performer Jaym O'Esso; illustrator unitnumbernine; Director of Queer Skate Toronto Ju Stein (right) and CJ (left)
Jaym
How long have you been coming to FAT?
A year and a half
What is your favourite part about FAT?
"Networking- meeting new people and new artists. People are so creative."
Unitnumbernine
How long have you been coming to FAT?
First time
What is your favourite part about FAT?
"Everyone has really beautiful energy, everyone is really warm."
Ju:
How long have you been coming to FAT?
First time
What is your favourite part about FAT? "We're here to support my friend Jess behind Hotpot Variety [making her runway debut on day 4]. I skated for her three years ago and we became friends." My favourite part? "Everyone's outfits. I went into this knowing nothing."
L-R: Designer, stylist, and vintage curator (Cloth of The Curb) Summer Shepherd; Bar manager and founder of I Love Promise raves, Irving Shaw; Montreal based designer and stylist Junior (right) and model/ stylist Xena (left)
Summer
How long have you been coming to FAT?
3 years. Second year styling. Last year her roommate and best friend walked in the show she styled for Mimisikko. This year she styled for Ballesteros Designs
What is your favourite part about FAT? "It brings an unlikely group of people together. It feels accessible because not everyone is an actual model [in the Ballesteros show, all the models were actually dancers] but it brings together beautiful, lovely people."
Irving (pictured kneeling down to serve us champagne)
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Has been coming since 2010. FAT collabed with me for an after party and we've been friends ever since.
What is your favourite part about FAT? "I trivialized the fashion scene before–the stereotype of the pretentiousness. But as I experience it more and more, I see this really endearing scenario where so many people show up in clothes they've clearly made themselves. This event is their chance to show off their work. It's everyday expression with a little more thought and substance."
Xena and Junior
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Xena: 5 seasons (since starting to model for the show)
Junior: 2nd year driving down from montreal What is your favourite part about FAT?
Xena: "It's about community– I feel like the Toronto scene is very diverse."
Junior: "The diversity– I meet people from all around Toronto and Ontario, even New York and Paris."
L-R: Artist Kiesza (who performed an unreleased song in the Saturday closing show); Director of FAT Vanja Vasic with model and animal wrangler at Hands on Exotics Seth Falk; Founder of Content Day Studio, and photographer Khary Safari aka The Dancing Photographer
Kiesza (pictured posing on the runway floor)
How long have you been coming to FAT?
First time What is your favourite part about FAT? Kiesza: "The runway. The community. The people and the connections I've made–people who are just as weird as I am."
Vanja and Seth
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Vanja: Since its conception, duh <3
Seth: Third year walking and attending
What is your favourite part about FAT?
Vanja: "The fashion, and people dressing up. I love seeing the fashion on the runway, off the runway, on the playground. And I always enjoy meeting cool people in Toronto."
Seth: "My favourite part is that it celebrates community, and also that I was able to share my passion of animals and nature through the Hands on Exotics activation along with being part of the FAT campaign this year. It was truly a dream."
Khary (pictured in his roller skates on day four) Outfit inspo: "cocaine cowboy"
L-R: Director of FAT Vanja Vasic with entrepreneur David Cash(on day 1); FAT co-producer Liam Colbourne with model Vinicius Burger and designer Hyla Golden; DJ brothers Andrew FranDisco (front) and Jonathon FranDisco of The FranDiscos
Vinicius and Hyla
How long have you been coming to FAT? Vini has been coming to FAT for 3 years, started working behind the scenes and then modelling. This season he walked for Narces and RT Atelier Co. Hyla started modelling for the show in 2021 and showed as a designer for the first time in 2022. This season she walked for Suburban Deviant, Stynstov, and Vibe the People.
What is your favourite part about FAT? Vini: "The community FAT brings together, who truly celebrates fashion and maintains the artistic and creative side of the industry, which is often forgotten in other spaces." Hyla: "My favourite part hands down is getting to be with everyone again and getting to do such cool, creative things together. It's like one big family reunion every time...a fun, loving, accepting and HIGHLY fashionable family."
The FranDiscos
How long have you been coming to FAT?
4 or 5 years. Our friend Glammy Lee showed one year and we did the music for it.
What is your favourite part about FAT? Jonathon: "I appreciate all the fashion"
L-R: Model/ stylist Xena; Designer Danny Walsh of Suburban Deviant with Journalist Emma Johnston-Wheeler (me!)
Xena (pictured walking for Trinidadian designer 1ndividual Aesthetic)
Danny ( "having a Björk moment") and Emma
Pictured on day 3 with me after I introduced myself (having recently interviewed them for Streets of Toronto about winning FAT's new FASHN DSRPTR Award. )
How long have you been coming to FAT?
Danny: Second year attending and within that timeframe he has exhibited in the fashion playground, the retail boutique and now shown on the runway. This season Suburban Deviant won the FASHN DSRPTR Award.
Emma: Third season covering, first time covering all four days!
What is your favourite part about FAT? Danny: "The commitment and camaraderie between attendees. There is a very strong community of creative people at FAT."
Emma: "The opportunity for unabashed self-expression and the exchanging of enthusiastic compliments of everyone's fabulous outfits."
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