The Brand is Female

Kimberley Newport-Mimran is a fashion legend in Canada. She is President and Design Director of Pink Tartan, the womenswear brand that she founded in 2002 and which has since grown into an international brand known for understated luxury and sophisticated sportswear. At Toronto Fashion Week this year Kim presented a brand new collection of evening wear, or “Canadian couture” as she called it, under the label Kim Newport, which was received with great acclaim.The Brand is Female’s Eva Hartling discussed Kim’s earlier years building a career in fashion (including a stint at now defunct Caban aka the greatest home store in Canadian history!), where her inspiration comes from, the secret to keeping a fashion line alive and successful for 17 years, the obstacles she faced along the way and how she stays grounded… which translates into lots of meals at home with husband Joe Mimran and her children.

Fashion Week recently wrapped up in Toronto, and we recorded a special episode of the Brand is Female at an event held by Canadian outerwear brand Sentaler in honour of their partnership with SickKids, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.The Brand is Female’s Eva Hartling hosted a panel with the brand’s founder, Bojana Sentaler, Molly Fitzpatrick, chair of the Scrubs event held every year for Sick Kids, and Donna Bishop, host of FashionTalks podcast and fashion reporter for CBC.Bojana, Molly, Donna and Eva discussed corporate responsibility and the best way of aligning a brand’s fundraising efforts with its DNA, what personal and brand philanthropy should be about, they talked about what women should do more of… and the always hot topic of finding balance (hint: Donna Bishop called it “the worst word to have ever been put on women”).Learn more about Bojana Sentaler’s commitment to sustainability and social responsibility as the brand gets ready to celebrate its 10th anniversary!

This is Fashion Week season; Toronto Fashion Week wrapped up this week and New York is in full swing. To celebrate the many talented women in the field of fashion and design, we’re kicking off season 2 with an interview featuring Katie Kolondiski, founder and creative director of Silk Laundry, a wonderful line of silk slip dresses, camisoles, blouses and more.Silk Laundry began as a side project five years ago with just four pieces, which Katie launched when she was living in Australia. Within the first year, the brand was carried in 60 stores. Today, the brand counts three stores (two are in Australia) and a staff of 17. Katie opened a Silk Laundry shop in Montreal after deciding to move back to Canada to be closer to her family and now works out of an office space above the shop. The brand has received accolades from the fashion community, and stars including Chrissy Teigen have been flocking to the brand’s popular slips.

Caroline Torti is an internationally renowned creative director and dance choreographer. Originally from Toronto, Caroline has seen her work take her around the globe. Among other productions, you would have seen her choreography work on ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada’ and ‘Hysterica’ – the LA dance performance choreographed by Mandy Moore.If you’ve ever wondered what career path is available to you as a creative or artist, look no further for inspiration. Taking her expert skills in contemporary jazz and other dance genres, Caroline has built a career for herself, directing her own features or being called to take part in leading dance productions, either for film or for the stage, around the world.But, as we all know, a career as a professional dancer comes with its unique set of pressure and challenges. Listen to Caroline’s journey as she’s carved a unique path for herself.We recorded this episode at the beautiful Hoame — visit Toronto’s favourite meditation studio and get inspired to design your own selfcare routine!

Dr Andrea Gelinas is not a regular dentist, she’s a cool dentist. After an appointment at her clinic, I have in fact been convinced that a visit at the dentist can be enjoyable. Dr Gelinas’ office is on Dundas West in Toronto, and after years practicing at other clinics in the US and Canada she decided she wanted to launch her dream dental office, and break from tradition with a swanky space that has nothing to do with the beige medical offices we are used to. It starts with beautiful decor and amazing customer experience, but it’s more than that. Dr Gelinas even recommended acupuncture as a way of dealing with my teeth-grinding problem, something I never expected a dentist to do. We often overlook dental health as part of our self-care routine and Dr Gelinas is here to remind us of why it matters. Listen to her story and to what made her want to carve her own unconventional path!We recorded this episode at the beautiful Hoame — visit Toronto’s favourite meditation studio and get inspired to design your own selfcare routine!

This week we’re traveling to the UK, and our guest is Hayley Menzies, a London-based Womenswear designer whose latest collection of powerful, eccentric knit and silk prints for Summer 2019 can be found at Harrods, Liberty’s and an array of cool concept stores and e-comm shops. A few years earlier, Hayley’s company was facing bankruptcy, and after sitting with her CFO, she pleaded for the chance to design just one more collection, to see if she could turn things around… and boy, did she. Her latest collection has been seen on celebs around the world, picked up by leading retailers and she’s now expanding her Notting Hill showroom and team to meet the needs of her rapidly growing business.Hayley studied fashion design and styling at The London College of Fashion, moved on to spend time modelling and later, became an events planner working with prestigious clients including British royalty, Van Cleef and Arpels, The Royal Opera House and The Financial Times. Hayley eventually set up her own fashion label in 2010, after having discovered a scarf in Bangkok that she imported and sold on a stall in London’s Portobello Market.

Emily Ramshaw is the Canadian Lead for Bumble, the dating and networking app that is helping reshape gender dynamics and create a safe space for women online. Emily has an impressive track record in publishing, going from an internship at Flare in Toronto (where she became Assistant Fashion Director) and eventually moving to New York and joining the all-star team at The Coveteur.Today Emily is passionate about spreading Bumble’s message of ending misogyny and promoting equality online. Emily and I chatted about her professional journey, the complexity of the online world and social media and its impact on today’s society, especially for younger women -- and the role that a platform like Bumble can play in changing gender dynamics. We also discussed the usual, you know, leadership, feminism and finding balance in our insanely busy lives…My conversation with Emily was recorded at Hoame, The Brand is Female’s favourite meditation and wellness space in Downtown Toronto.

Noura Sakkijha is CEO and co-founder of Mejuri, a brand which has been disrupting the jewelry industry through its direct to consumer approach and its focus on entry price points — launching the existence of the “demi-fine” category in jewelry. Noura has been a complete visionary, turning away from her background as an engineer to imagining and then launching a jewelry brand that caters to self-purchasing women specifically, offering items that are often based on crowd-sourced designs and always at appealing prices. The company has grown rapidly, thanks in part to an injection of capital from VC investors, with the last round famously raised by Noura while she was pregnant with twins of a sizeable 23-million dollar investment. The future is bright for Mejuri — listen to Noura tell us about her vision of leadership, how she juggles being a mom and a CEO, and what’s next for her, and Mejuri.Thank you to Hoame, The Brand is Female’s favourite meditation and mindfulness space in the heart of downtown Toronto, where we recorded this episode of our podcast with Noura.

Caroline Issa is CEO of London-based TANK Group, and fashion director for TANK Magazine. Also known for being a fixture on the international fashion week circuit (and being a street style photographer’s favourite), the Montreal native describes herself as “a businesswoman who loves fashion”. Caroline is a former management consultant who has lived around the world; she eventually left her position to join the magazine startup that was TANK around 17 years ago… and she has not looked back since. She has definitely left her mark on the fashion industry, from collabs with the world’s leading brands including a collection designed with retail giant Nordstrom… to work done through TANK’s creative agency, where her team and her have worked on advertising campaigns for a number of major brands, from Mulberry to DeBeers and Monica Vinader. They also create digital content for several retail and fashion clients, including Hugo Boss and Lane Crawford. In 2007 Caroline launched Becauselondon.com — a digital magazine of which she is editor-in-chief.Caroline’s motto “Feel the fear and do it anyway” has always inspired her life decisions — find how why and how. In just a few days Caroline will be launching a brand new fashion collaboration (hint: her love of prints will be leveraged in this one) so make sure to follow us on Instagram as well as @carolineissa to get the scoop!Support for this episode of The Brand is Female comes from Bumble Bizz, where you can network at your own pace, on your own terms. You’ll find Bumble in the Apple app store and Android market!

Michèle and Véronik Bastien are the co-founders of PEPPERMINT Cycling Co., a Quebec-based company launched 4 years ago which has disrupted the cycling apparel industry by offering a line that targets women specifically. Today the company sells its designs across Canada, both in stores and through e-commerce, and is on the way to capture new markets internationally.Being avid cyclists themselves, the sister duo was motivated by the strong desire to create a brand that is an expression of style, leadership, inclusion and freedom. Find out how the Peppermint co-founders took on a traditionally made-dominated industry and came out ahead.Support for this episode of The Brand is Female comes from Bumble Bizz, where you can network at your own pace, on your own terms. You’ll find Bumble in the Apple app store and Android market!