In honour of the 60th anniversary of Barbie, Hudson’s Bay teamed up with four Canadian designers, Hilary MacMillan, Biko, Hayley Elsaesser and Narces to design capsule collections based on the highly admired doll. Not only did the designers take inspiration from Barbie herself, but they were all inspired by what Barbie represents: a bold, feminine, and multi-faceted woman with many interests, occupations and hobbies. The designers took part in a panel discussion at a Style Social Event at Hudson’s Bay, hosted by Carley Fortune from Refinery 29 Canada and Lisa Perry from Barbie. Here are the most notable takeaways from the discussion:
The first question the designers were asked was what they dreamt of becoming when they were children. Ironically, Hayley Elsaesser and Nikki Wirthensohn Yassemi dreamt about being dentists, but it was ultimately their creative spirits and love of fashion that drew them to their designer roles. Hilary fantasized about being a cashier, she joked that her career is not far off and that she manages the cash for her brand. Corrine was interested in being many things such a marine biologist or a librarian, and she credits her chosen career path to her family who always supported her aspirations.
With so many challenges that come with owning your own business, these female designers gave insight to those struggles and how they often overcome them. Hilary discussed the difficulty of always working on three seasons at once and that time and money management are the most crucial skills to running a business. Both Hilary and Hayley found it challenging to be taken seriously in their mid-twenties starting a business, especially Hayley who received criticism for her tattoos. Staying true to who you are is the key to success and the main concept that Hayley cited in helping her to overcome her rocky start.
Although Nikki was older when she started her role as a designer, she had to shake off her past role as a buyer which was difficult to reverse in an industry who purely saw her a buyer. Corrine gave insight into the difficulties of being a designer in Canada, specifically with the fashion manufacturing business in Canada practically gone. As a result, Corrine strives to support the local economy by making her jewelry in Canada which has allowed her to maintain control over most of her business.
When asked by Carley what it is like to be a fashion designer, these female designers pulled back the curtain on an industry most people associate with glamour. Hilary and Hayley shared their experiences of the hard work behind making a collection, including the long hours and sometimes dire need of finding a place to sleep at work. Corrine and Nikki shared a similar opinion that starting out as a fashion designer is about wearing multiple hats until you are successful enough to hire various departments. Thus, having a variety of skills such as accounting, marketing, and web design, are crucial to starting a business.
All women had different inspirations from Barbie for their collections, which speaks to Barbie’s ability to connect to women in multifaceted ways. With Corrine’s collection she wanted to pay homage to Barbie’s roots and created jewelry with pearl and pink opal details, as well as her signature B. More importantly Corrine wanted to evoke the empowerment of the modern woman and celebrate the evolving style of Barbie which is feminine and fierce. Nikki wanted to celebrate the multidimensional quality of Barbie and produce different moods and feelings in her Narces collection. Hilary is inspired by the future of Barbie and wanted to create a feminist message in her designs, an example being her jacket with the line “no ken no problem” embroidered on the back. Hayley was drawn to diversifying Barbie and celebrating Barbie’s change towards inclusivity. She showcased this by creating a print for her collection with a variety of skin tones and hair colours.
Hayley, Hilary, Corrine, and Nikki all factor inclusivity and diversity into their designs. Hayley states that it is the ethos of her brand and that she wants to use her voice to challenge the narrow idea of beauty in the fashion industry. She does this by being inclusive with her fits, models, and the language that she uses. Hilary is working on expanding her size range while currently testing the market with her embroidered jackets. Nikki’s company, Narces, creates custom designs which allows the clients to be measured perfectly for their designs, meaning anyone could wear Narces. Corrine is proud that her team is multicultural and that her brand celebrates Canadian diversity.
It is clear after hearing these four Canadian designers speak that Canada has a powerful voice within the global fashion community by advocating for inclusivity and diversity within the fashion market. These Barbie-inspired capsule collections by Hilary MacMillan, Hayley Elsaesser, Biko and Narces are available now for a limited time exclusively at Hudson’s Bay.
