Can you make a couture gown out of bathroom
tissue? Farley Chatto thinks s
o.
For the past 7 years he, along with a host of uber talented Canadian designers, have proven it. Part of an annual awareness-raiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, it challenges our home-grown talent to put compassion into their fashions as they create a “vision of the future without breast cancer”.
Farley, who’s curating the event this year, is full of enthusiasm. “I’m really excited because the designers took up the challenge and a lot of them went out of their comfort area and hopefully realise that bathroom tissue is actually a strong material.”
Designer Franco Mirabelli explains it further. “The ‘BT’ comes in and it’s 10 feet wide, so we have to physically cut it down just to get it on the cutting table. We do have to treat it. We send it to a company in Montreal and they bond it.”
I had to ask Frank why he chose to take part. “Farley, who’s a very talented designer, asked me if I would. I’d seen the ads on TV and I thought ‘you know what? It’s for a worthy cause, so why not? Let’s try it.'”
He laughs as he adds “We worked on it the studio and we fought like cats and dogs.” But he gets serious again when he says “It’s a one of a kind outfit; it’s a couture dress, an elaborate, elaborate dress, and I’m really proud of it.”
If I could do what he did, I’d be proud too! As I watched the runway show, I had to keep reminding myself that these stunning works of art are made out of the same thing we use in the…well, you know…
Take a peek at the gallery and tell me which one’s your fave. And don’t forget to look for the incredible ‘BT’ jewlery pieces by Rita Tesolin.