Mikhael Kale is a Toronto based designer whose label is only in its second year, but is working up a storm. He has a profile that many veteran desginers strive for such as floor space at Holt Renfrew, notices in Nylon magazine and an off-site presentation at New York Fashion Week this Spring.
Here is an interview excerpt taken from blogTO's Designer Files:
How did you get into fashion?
Funny, I never 'got' into fashion, it got into me. I have always been drawn to garment design and construction.
When did you start sewing?
Age 10.
Canada isn't known as a fashion Mecca and a lot of talent goes overseas. You studied in London. What's the hardest part about doing business out of Toronto, and why do you stay?
I came back to start a label in Toronto. Proximity is always an issue no matter where I am located. As for fashion and talent, there is so much harvested in Canada.
Do you have a muse?
Um... er... um... ask anyone who knows me, and they'd tell you; I'm in love with a new woman hourly. I just simply find every woman muse-worthy. Every woman is the Mikhael Kale woman, case in point.
And another taken from the May 2009 issue of Elle Canada magazine:
You're the fashion police. What do you ban?
"I've banned things like purple tights with flat pointy shoes, but then I see M.I.A. wearing them, looking incredible, so I stand corrected! It's all about having a sense of self. Fashion isn't about boundaries."
What's your favourite food?
"I have this obsession with dried dates and dry-roasted peanuts. If you mush them together, it tastes like a Mars bar!"
Who's your favourite designer?
"Madame Grès. She was incredible."
To find out more about this amazing "Torontonian", please visit his website at http://mikhaelkale.com
