Toronto Fashion Week: IMG is in; Robin Kay is out
By Brianne Hogan
Robin Kay has stepped down as Toronto Fashion Week's executive director
Toronto’s fashion world has been all a-Twitter since it was revealed yesterday that IMG Canada bought Toronto Fashion Week from the Fashion Design Council of Canada. The coup means that, after this year, Toronto Fashion Week will be run by IMG Canada and IMG Fashion, the international fashion management group that also runs New York Fashion Week and other fashion weeks. It also means that FDCC’s long-time executive director Robin Kay is out.
The non-profit FDCC has owned and produced Toronto’s Fashion Week (a.k.a. World MasterCard Fashion Week) for over a decade. Though Kay is stepping down as the event’s executive director, she will retain her position as president of the FDCC, an organization that supports and promotes homegrown fashion designers. The upcoming Fashion Week, which kicks off on Oct. 22 at David Pecaut Square, will also proceed as planned.
So what does the new purchase mean for Toronto Fashion Week? It’s too soon to tell, but considering the past gripes surrounding the event and Kay herself, there seems to be more pros than cons. With IMG being a privately held company, there is the possibility for the event to finally make some money. Also, as Jeanne Beker tweeted earlier, the internationally renowned company has the power to attract major international press to the event like never before.
But maybe Kay herself put it best to theToronto Star: “I really believe that this is the best next step on the runway for the event, for the City of Toronto and for our market as Canadians on the global runway.”
The move has the potential to attract some serious global recognition, and it could be a very good thing for our local designers.
[Toronto Star]
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