Arthur Mendonca, Paul Hardy and Mackage understand what it means to build to a brand. Here are some comments from Toronto-based branding agency Portrait.

Common Cloth | Monday, March 14th, 2005

We loved the dancer-inspired aesthetic of this sister team last season. For Fall05 they were inspired by Alicia Markova and channelled the famous dancer’s love of tailoring into their distinctively simple, feminine and urban collection.

The presentation was minimal again this season – we would love to see this team take it up a notch and do a show next season so that we can see this brand get more legs and we can all appreciate the rich story that underlies the simple designs.


Arthur Mendonca | Monday, March 14th, 2005

It’s hard to say anything but kind words for the Arthur Mendonca team, who so clearly understand what it means to be true to a vision and execute against that. From start to finish, Arthur knew where he wanted to take his audience. Drawing inspiration from recent visits to Copenhagen, Los Angeles and Milan, among others – the collection entitled Global Gypsy was tight, beautifully constructed and completely desirable. It was easily apparent how a consumer could wear the collection and how a retailer could buy it. Arthur has graduated to a new level of savvy this season.


Paul Hardy | Monday, March 14th, 2005

Paul Hardy and Arthur Mendonca back to back was a sheer pleasure. Both men are incredibly talented but as different in their vision as the day is long. That is the beauty of two well-defined brands!

Paul felt very luxe – incredible fabrics and mostly unexpected takes on silhouettes. He played it safe in a few spots so he will have to be careful not to bend to conservative market feedback (There was also one cranberry cutwork piece that remains a mystery.) I love the way he made the furs his own – they were a great example of him extending his brand into another area and getting it right.

Paul is on solid footing – he has great instincts and they have served him well thus far. Well done.

Ariel | Monday, March 14th, 2005

The medium really was the message here.

One must applaud Ariel’s efforts to create an unconventional mode to present her collection. But the installation overshadowed the fashion offering both in delivery and, we fear, in design. There was not a collection per say, but a random offering of interesting but inconsistent and not particularly wearable garments. We would really love to see Ariel harness her creativity and express it consistently and impactfully in her line first, and then focus on the show. Right now, our impression of the brand has nothing to do with the garments.

Mackage | Monday, March 14th, 2005

This team knows how to focus – pick one thing and do it well. And Mackage does outerwear well. We have fallen in love with their reinterpretation of the Canadian staple – the parka. The signature Mackage coats with leather detailing were present, as well as some new additions done in tweed that were unexpected and fun.

A few things jumped out – the orange patterned wool seemed a strange addition to the fabric offering and the black coat with the ruffled collar seemed too fussy for this brand’s overall aesthetic. But largely, we thought that the styling as a whole felt inconsistent with the brand. After going through the trouble to set the stage with gilded frames and chandeliers, we did not understand the role of the ripped stockings, gold leather mini-skirts, fur tails and necklaces draped over the coats…. and the random hats were not a strong point to end the show. It cheapened a really strong and consistent collection.

Having said that, the look and feel was totally consistent with their collateral. Maybe we just have a different understanding of their brand and what their core aesthetic communicates. The one house-cleaning item to note for the future was the condition of the coats themselves, which from a modest 4th row seat looked unpressed and covered in lint.

Rose and Christina Gliha are the creative and strategic minds behind Portrait Branding. Their mandate is to brand creativity and they have worked with many Canadian designers including Arthur Mendonca, Izzy Camilleri and Mercy.  

 Other news