Toronto’s Ultimate Sneaker Show embraces the city’s sneaker culture

The local event brings together attendees sole-ly through their love for sneakers  

By Nageen Riaz

Toronto's annual Ultimate Sneaker Show, hosted by Solo Exchange Canada, was held on Nov. 11, 2023. (Nageen Riaz/CanCulture)

Toronto's annual Ultimate Sneaker Show, hosted by Solo Exchange Canada, was the place to be for all the ‘sneakerheads’. This year, the show was held on Nov. 11 at the Sheraton Centre and featured dozens of vendors selling and trading every sneaker imaginable

From old-school kicks to the latest runway pair, this show catered to every style possible and the vendors were happy to embrace the sneaker community’s needs.

“Whether you’re new to the game or a long-time collector, there is always something for everyone at these shows,” said vendor O’Shea Stewart. “I feel like everyone is into sneakers right now and you can really see how much the community has grown these last few years.”

Sneaker culture has been on the rise recently and has no plans on stopping anytime soon. In fact, sneaker shows have become so popular, many “sneakerheads” — an endearing term for sneaker lovers, fly in from all over to attend these events. Adam Edmunds, a vendor and long-time sneaker collector travelled from Ottawa to Toronto especially for the show. “I have always been into sneakers since I was a kid and now I’ve managed to turn it into a full-time business. It’s been great being able to come out to these shows and share my love for sneakers with all these other collectors,” Edmunds said.

Many of the attendees were seen leaving with carts full of sneakers. According to vendor Joel Evangelista, a big part of sneaker culture is making it accessible for everyone. “There has been so much involvement in the sneaker world and I think, with the rise of Panda Dunks and Filas, people began to realize how diverse and accessible sneakers are,” he said.

Whether you’re styling a casual outfit or rocking suits and formal wear, sneakers have become a statement piece that works with every look. “I think sneakers were the first introduction to the world of what streetwear fashion can be,” Evangelista said. “There is just something about this subculture that brings the artistic and creative side of each person out and I think people are really starting to embrace that.”

Events like The Ultimate Sneaker Show bring together the sneaker community and allow for a space where sneakerheads can share their passion while also seeking out the best deals. For most vendors, these shows are a highly anticipated occurrence that they look forward to every year. “This is my 20th show or so,” Stewart said. “I always love coming out here and meeting different people and hearing how they got involved with the sneaker world. It’s always such an amazing experience and I would always tell people that shows like these are the place to be.”

Fall 2022 fashion: What are you wearing?

Forget the runway, TMU’s Gould Street has all the fashionistas

By: Fatima Raza and Daniella Lopez

As temperatures cool and the leaves turn shades of red, orange and yellow, fashion trends are gradually changing too. As we say goodbye to crochet tank tops, low-rise micro mini skirts and Bermuda shorts, we enter fall fashion. During this chilly season, it’s all about layering. Writers Fatima Raza and Daniella Lopez interviewed Toronto Metropolitan University students about what they are wearing and their go-to fall fashion essentials. Check it out!

(Graphic by Ishitaa Chopra. Video by Daniella Lopez and Fatima Raza)

3 Toronto creatives making their mark in design, fashion and lifestyle

Take a deep dive into the individuals causing ripple effects in Canada’s creative industries. 

By: Marianne Semaan

Sean Brown, Lisa Gozlan and Amanda Rach Lee

Those in the Toronto creative industries know that it’s not easy to make a mark. So it is all the more important to acknowledge the work of up-and-coming creators, especially when they’re based close to home. CanCulture has gathered three of our favourite Canadian creatives that are making a mark this year, ranging from the fields of fashion to design to illustration.

1. Sean Brown

Experimenting with furniture design, clothing and creative direction, Sean Brown is a multidisciplinary creative from Toronto who does not hold back from testing his creative limits. While Brown, 35, has been in the fashion realm since his clothing line release NEEDS&WANTS in 2013, his new ventures into homeware and creative direction have propelled him into an endless stream of popularity within the creative industries. 

Curves, the name for Brown’s homeware collection, can be classified as “a contemporary take on everyday objects” featuring a mirror in the shape of a puddle, casted hands incense holders and most famously, CD-shaped rugs with notable hip-hop albums.

When speaking about his work in an interview with the New York Times, Brown stressed the importance of including Black culture in everything he did. With a growing passion for designing homeware, Brown notes that his new design ventures will include creating full-blown furniture pieces such as tables, couches and bed frames. 

When he is not growing his furniture line, Brown takes his love for creating in another direction as the mastermind behind all of Daniel Caesar’s visual media. His most notable project entails his artwork behind Caesar’s Freudian — an album that was nominated for Artwork of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards. 

2. Lisa Gozlan

Lisa Gozlan’s jewelry has most likely popped up on your Instagram feed at some point — especially her stackable rings and gold happy face bracelet. The young jewelry designer has always been in the creative scene as her exposure to design began from interning for Joseph Mimran, the founder of Joe Fresh. After numerous years working in the fashion industry, Gozlan leveraged her husband’s expertise and experience in the jewelry industry to finally start her own line. 

As her jewelry is prepared for everyday use and all walks of life, Gozlan adds her unique touch to timeless designs of rings, bracelets and earrings. Another element that contributes to the popularity of her pieces is affordability, with items starting from $40. While pieces can be more affordable, one thing Gozlan always keeps in mind is to never compromise style or quality—a guiding principle that continues to shape her newer designs. 

In the summer of 2021, Gozlan responded to her increasing demand and popularity by opening her very own showroom in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Located at 87 Cumberland St., the shop offers a curated display of pieces for shoppers to have a unique and hands-on experience with her work. 

3. Amanda Rach Lee 

Toronto-based creative Amanda Rach Lee is an artist and digital content creator that has taken the YouTube world by storm. At just 21 years old, Lee’s content focuses on DIY arts and crafts and bullet journaling — a form of journaling that merges drawing, planning and writing. In 2016, Lee started seeing success after posting her first bullet journaling video, a phenomenon that not many YouTubers had tapped into at the time. 

After witnessing a steady increase in success, it did not take long for Lee to drop out of X University’s media program and commit to YouTube full-time. Her work also exceeded the realms of YouTube as companies such as Microsoft, Crayola and Samsung saw her design potential and offered to collaborate on various sponsorships. In November of 2019, Lee took matters into her own hands and created her own planner that sold out at a Toronto pop-up shop in less than a day. 

In her most recent collaboration, Lee embraced her Canadian roots and partnered up with Tim Hortons to design limited edition, customized “Valen-Tims” cards. With the addition of Tim Hortons to her resume, there are no limits to what Lee can accomplish in 2022. 

Rising stars: Vincentian-Toronto designer Rhonique Ballantyne

By Aya Baradie 

Rhonique.png

Making fashion sketches during law class on the small island of Saint Vincent in the Caribbean, Rhonique Ballantyne never imagined her success as a fashion designer in a fast-paced city like Toronto. Now, only a few years later, she sits with numerous awards, including “Best in Show” and “Most Media Ready” for her latest fashion collection, Artifice. She studied fashion design at Seneca College in 2011 and received a diploma in fashion design. She opens up about her journey to fashion and her own struggles and successes as a new designer:

Describe the process of creating a design from the idea to the finished collection.

There's nothing simple about translating an idea from your mind and then bringing it to life. It's a whole process. The collection [Artifice] took a whole year to create, focusing all my energy on how to do it properly. I start by finding a few ideas and adding them to my inspiration board. This includes shapes, colours and silhouettes. I had to do over a 100 sketches for a four-piece collection. Sketching out 100 different outfits gets you the full range of ideas and that way you get the best of the best basically. After the 100 sketches, you condense it even further and develop those outfits that stand out.  

What was your latest collection "Artifice" inspired by?

It was actually inspired by a game of chess. I very much knew I wanted to pick up those faceted pieces and that can all be reflected in this collection. I didn't want my final collection to be just flowers or something else overplayed. This collection would set the pace for the rest of my career and so I wanted it to have meaning behind it, and chess is a game that is very rich in metaphors. The pawn in a game of chess is able to transform into any piece it desires as long as it successfully navigates the board and makes it to the other side. That really struck a chord to me what with my own upbringing and where I started out in life. It doesn't matter what hand you're played in life, you can choose to navigate it as you please and really make a change.

What challenges do you experience while you design?

My challenges were mostly financial. Fabric is really expensive, so I had to make do with the finances I had at the time when I was in school. I do think that the challenge of money helped me to really get creative with the resources I had. If you really analyze the pieces, they are all just simple materials, but the way it presents itself is of much higher value.

What happens when you get stuck on a piece?

This happens quite a lot, but when it does, I feel like I just have to walk away from it for a bit and do things that don't relate to fashion. There's a lot of beauty and inspiration in the world outside of fashion. Music, in particular, is really helpful when I'm stuck on a design piece. I tend to listen to artists whose passion can be felt in their music, like Beyoncé and Kanye West, feed off their energy.

How did you get into fashion?

Before I even started out in fashion school, when I would buy clothes, it would make me feel very confident about my image. That feeling of confidence that fashion gave me was a big reason for going into this industry because I realized I wanted to give that feeling to someone else.

 Did you have an "Aha" moment that made you realize you wanted to do fashion?

My grandmother was a seamstress and I spent a lot of time watching her work while I was growing up. I feel like what she did really resonated with me. Even in the Caribbean while I was studying law, I would get distracted easily during class and I would be sketching outfits.  

Tell me about your transition from Saint Vincent to Toronto.

Saint Vincent was an incredibly small island and I think I always knew I wanted to do bigger things for myself outside of the Caribbean. Coming to Toronto, it was definitely difficult. I would get lost a lot and attract stares because of my heavy accent and I didn't really have any friends here when I first started out. It's like you're starting your life from scratch.

How has your Caribbean upbringing influenced your work ethic?

One big thing I was taught growing up in Saint Vincent was to be resourceful. We didn't have much going on for us on that tiny island, but we made the most with what we had. We also were used to waking up very early in the morning to get work done and that's a habit I carried on to Canada and has helped me succeed as a designer.  

What motivates you to continue designing?

My family is a huge motivator for me. My mom raised my siblings and I as a single mother and most of what I'm doing is thanks to her. I feel like each generation should aim to do better than the previous one and I want to create a legacy for my family through fashion. I feel like I have a certain point that I'm trying to get across with fashion and designing helps me share it with the rest of the world.

How was your family's support when you decided to pursue fashion?

When I first applied to the fashion program, my mom thought I was applying to nursing. When she found out I never actually applied to nursing, and that I got accepted into fashion, she was really upset and we didn't talk for a couple of weeks. She thought it was a joke telling me "How could you do fashion design with no sewing experience?" I had to show her what I was capable of doing and how hard I was willing to work to succeed. After winning a couple of the fashion competitions at school, she saw how dedicated I was and was happy with my decision to go into this program. 

This piece was edited by Isabelle Kirkwood.