Day: May 7, 2020

May 07, 2020 at 11:44PM Welcome to Texture Talk, a new weekly column that celebrates and deep dives into the dynamic world of curly hair, from springy S-patterns to densely-packed coils — because curly hair is far from one big category. This week, we asked six Canadian women with Afro-textured hair to dish on how they’re each coping with their unique curl care routines now that stay-at-home orders have shuttered hair salons and many go-to beauty supply stores. Gloria Alamrew, communications specialist and freelance writer Courtesy of Gloria Alamrew Pre-Covid hair rituals: “Pre-quarantine, I was a wash-and-go advocate through and through. I’ve always worn my curls natural and had never really been into protective styles much.” Hair under quarantine: “For the first few weeks of quarantine, I really fell out of love with my hair. Anxiety was high for me with the news and adjusting to the WFH transition. My hair was honestly the last thing on my mind. And after a while, my curls caught up to me, and I was surprised at how much they had gotten me down! Now that I had neglected them, I was legitimately sad. Recently though, I’ve started pouring more love back into my curls by twisting my hair for the first time. They’re perfect for doing yourself at home because there’s virtually no skill involved: as long as you can section your hair and literally twist two strands together, you can do it. There is something about the routine of washing my

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May 07, 2020 at 04:40PM With social distancing orders still very much in effect across Canada, fashion brands are increasingly coming up with ways to help support the community at this time, including pivoting manufacturing to produce PPE for hospitals and frontline workers. Now, a handful of brands have also committed to producing face masks for consumers to help protect against the spread of COVID-19. You can, of course, make your own mask using materials you probably already have at home, or you can purchase a ready-made mask from one of the following brands: Ellie Mae Photograph courtesy of Ellie Mae Toronto-based fashion brand Ellie Mae announced the launch of a limited-edition series of non-medical grade face masks today. The masks are available in 13 different styles – 10 made from printed cotton, including the Liberty of London florals, and three with sequins in either pink, teal or navy. All masks have been made in Canada using repurposed fabrics, and feature a nose wire for a closer fit, a slip pocket that can hold a filter sheet and extra ties for maximum comfort and security. $5 from every mask purchased will be donated to Feed The Frontlines TO, a local organization working to keep local restaurants in business by providing meals to healthcare and social services workers on the front line. Masks start from $20. Get yours here. Joseph Tassoni View this post on Instagram Meet Sara owner of @dollfaceburlington right across the street from our boutique. A luxury lash salon

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May 07, 2020 at 10:16PM With barbershops and hairdressers closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, men (and women) across Canada have been left to their own devices when it comes to grooming. Until now, that is. This week, Gillette Canada has just announced the launch of a new program called My Virtual Barber which brings the brand’s roster of experts directly to your house. Through My Virtual Barber, Canadians are able to connect virtually with a local barber in a one-on-one format and be guided through a haircut or face shave – whether you’re doing it yourself, or entrusting someone else in your house with the clippers and scissors. One of the barbers available for appointments is Tyler Lumb, who ran Toronto’s MPL Cuts barbershop which provided clients with “an inclusive barbershop experience that helped people of all genders express their most authentic selves by providing barbering services based on function, not by the customer’s perceived gender,” according to a release. As part of the new program, Gillette is supporting Dresscode Project (for whom Tyler serves as a board member), a Canada-born initiative whose focus is to provide positive, gender-affirming services for LGBTQ2S+ clients. On its website, founder Kristin Rankin, who uses they/them pronouns, writes, “Simply put, Dresscode Project is about unity, acceptance, equity, safer spaces and teaching our industry that diversity is the future.” In addition to raising awareness of the initiative, Gillette will also contribute an undisclosed monetary donation to Dresscode Project. If you’re well and truly

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May 07, 2020 at 10:06PM Canadian outerwear brand Moose Knuckles has just announced a COVID-19 relief initiative designed to support hospitals and local artists across the world. Called ‘Moose Knuckles Give a F*ck One of a Kind Jackets’, the initiative sees the brand collaborating with a handful of artists across some of the world’s major cities to create one-off, one-of-a-kind jackets with all net proceeds being donated to the World Health Organization and various hospitals fighting on the front lines of the pandemic. Among the hospitals who will receive funds from the sale of the jackets are Montreal’s Le Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and Jewish General Hospital Foundation. The initiative officially kicks off tomorrow in New York, followed by Paris, California and Milan, before ending in Canada across Montreal and Toronto. Speaking with FASHION about the project, global marketing manager Dominique Lagleva, said, “The brand is quite a big supporter of up and coming talent so we wanted to be able to give back in a way that very much embodied our values and the ethos we were built upon, whilst also giving back to the community.” The Canadian artists have not yet been selected but Lagleva tells us the announcement will be made in the coming weeks. “There’s so much talent in Canada,” she says, adding that they’re on the hunt for local curators to choose the artists. “We thought it was important to have someone that’s really connected to those communities to be the one who

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