TORONTO – Arthur Mendonca is the picture of laid-back calm seated against a backdrop of vibrant prints and creamy-coloured creations from his new line tucked neatly along a sprawling rack.
But it promises to be a far more frenetic pace for the designer on Monday when he presents his spring-summer line at Toronto’s LG Fashion Week – and Mendonca is relishing the opportunity.
“There are so many professions where you just kind of work every day, every day, and you never really see a finished project,” said the affable Mendonca in a recent interview.
“I think this is one of those professions where you work on a project, but then it’s finished, you see it, it’s done. And doing a fashion show, for me, is usually like that.”
The award-winning designer has earned a steady stream of accolades during his career with his bold and luxurious creations, once saying “sexy” was the adjective he’s heard most often to describe his clothes.
Mendonca has made waves outside of Canada, showing collections in New York, Sao Paulo, London and Los Angeles, his fashions featured on numerous covers such as Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, and worn by celebrities including Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado and “Prime Suspect” star Maria Bello.
The opening night runway show will be a return to the Fashion Week fold for the hometown designer, relaunching his business after closing up shop in 2008.
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“It’s tough to run a business, a fashion business, when the economy is going well. But when the economy goes bad and you lose and your clients disappear and no one’s paying their bills, stores close, there’s only so much a small business like mine was can eat, I guess you can say,” said Mendonca.
“It was very difficult and it was too much for the company to handle.”
During his hiatus, Mendonca spent close to a year in Milan where he learned Italian and had an up-close view of the industry, along with hopes of exploring opportunities in Italy.
“In Canada and the U.S., it was also the time the market had crashed … so there wasn’t very much happening here, and unfortunately there wasn’t much happening there, either,” he said. “But it was great. It was a great experience.”
Mendonca joined forces with Beker Fashions a year ago after the company approached him to relaunch his company – albeit in a different way.
The 35-year-old serves as creative director, and Beker Fashions manufactures the collection. While Mendonca does follow sell-through and sales and is involved in manufacturing of the samples, Beker handles other key facets of the business, including back-office responsibilities like accounting and sales.
“All I have to worry about is the promotion and the designing, so it takes a lot off your plate, which is great if you’re a creative person,” he said. “I’m very, very lucky to be here.”
Mendonca was invited to present his collection in March at “The Shows,” an inaugural season of runway presentations produced by Paola Fullerton Inc. and Plutino Group featuring some of the country’s top style stars, including Mikhael Kale and London-based designer Mark Fast.
He admits to some initial jitters, not knowing if people were going to show up or would even still be interested in seeing his collection. But Mendonca said he received “a really great response” to the line following the show from retailers and press.
Mendonca is back in boutiques across the country and has a showroom in New York. He hopes to continue to build on his momentum at LG Fashion Week with more exposure and new clientele within and outside of Canada with the presentation of his spring-summer collection, which draws inspiration from Cleopatra as portrayed by late screen legend Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film.
While he has his hands full designing his womenswear line, Mendonca also has longer-term aspirations for broadening his relaunched brand beyond apparel.
“I’d love to get into accessories like shoes and handbags … perfume and makeup – the whole thing!” he said with a laugh.
“The whole thing about fashion for me has never just been about the clothes: it’s about the whole look from the right lipstick to the eyeliner to hairstyle, accessories, shoes. So hopefully one day we can do that as well.”
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Online:
Arthur Mendonca: http://www.arthurmendonca.ca
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