Where to find cheap, close and creative clothing
By Katie van Kampen, Contributor
Learning to become a more sustainable shopper is not always easy. Although there are lots of thrift shops in Hamilton, many pieces might not be the right match for you. To help you along your journey, we’ve compiled a list of thrifting spots— each unique in their own right. Using the categories below, you may just find your perfect match. Happy shopping!
Out of the Past (308 Ottawa St. North)
Price: $$
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As you walk into Out of the Past, there is a smiling cat in the window to welcome you. That same cat is stamped on the sale tags. Yet, underneath the grinning feline is the word “Woof”. You see, Out of the Past is a paradox. The store has very specific alternative, punk and grunge vibe supported by a curated playlist of new wave, late 70s music. Somehow, there is something for everyone here.
The walls are covered with different clothing articles, ranging from a Halloween section to a rack of black band shirts and a cabinet dedicated to steam-punk inspired goggles. The owner handpicks the store’s clothing from used clothing factories. All of the pieces contribute to a unique aesthetic within the store through both its décor and the items offered.
New Horizons Thrift Shop (520 James St. North)
Price: $
While unassuming from the outside, New Horizons has a variety of clothing for men and women at very reasonable prices. I saw multiple Danier Leather jackets priced below $30, which can retail for well over that price.
New Horizons is a thrift shop that reinvests its revenue back into the program and services of Welcome Inn Community Centre, such as in their after school and senior programs. All donated clothing is and unsuitable clothing is donated back to the Diabetes Canada Association. If you want to shop on a budget and support a charity while you’re at it, this is the thrift shop for you.
The Thrifty Designer (203 King St. East)
Price: $$$
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From the outside, this looks like a trendy boutique clothing store with a dark minimalistic exterior and impeccably dressed mannequins. However, inside there is something more unique waiting. Owner Leslie Smith-Aragon upcycles clothing, giving the clothes a new chance at life. She also picks out forgotten and previously loved items such as scarves, sweaters and other fabrics to create entirely new and individual pieces.
There is a large selection of formal wear such as blazers, vests and dresses at reasonable prices considering their quality. For example, a blazer was priced at $60 and looked like new. If you are in the market for more formal attire, this is a perfect option as you will be purchasing something unique and sustainable from The Thrifty Designer.
Hamilton Antique Mall (233 Ottawa St. North)
Prices: $$
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Walking past this building, you wouldn’t know that there are three floors of antique clothing, furniture, toys and other items waiting to find a new home. The Hamilton Antique Mall is a collection of booths — all rented to various collectives. You’ll have to search around to find the clothing booths, but that in itself is an adventure that could fill an otherwise uneventful day.
Much of the clothing you will find here has a vintage style but are all previously worn pieces. Each booth is unique with a specific theme in mind. I found one booth with darker pieces reminiscent of the 90s grunge era, but also a more cheerful booth with pastels and clothing reminiscent of the 50s. Hamilton Antique Mall is a perfect way to spend an afternoon trip on Ottawa Street, hitting up the many restaurants along the way and having a browse through the many booths you can encounter — you’ll be sure to find something!
Deju Vu New and Used (262 King St. West)
Prices: $
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Deja Vu New and Used has been operating in the heart of downtown for the past 36 years. Walking in, you can immediately appreciate the diversity of the store — with an entire rack of sunglasses, leather jackets and jeans. The store is well-organized with every item having its own home. The walls are aligned with notable pieces from an astronaut Halloween costume to handbags and sweaters.
Clothing is sourced from multiple places, mostly Toronto suppliers, but all are picked with diversity in mind. For a wide selection of used clothing via a fifteen-minute bus ride from campus, this is the best place to go if you want to get out of that Westdale bubble but have to make it back in time for your next midterm!
Tucked away in the basement of the Hamilton Antique Mall (233 Ottawa St. North) is Dollywood Plus Vintage, a vibrant pink, Dolly Parton-bedecked, oasis of vintage fashion and body acceptance. It is owned and operated by Jessie Goyette, who is a vocal advocate for the plus size community. Last year, Goyette organized the Hamilton Plus Size Flea Market and received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
This past summer, Goyette applied for a booth in the Hamilton Antique Mall. She was accepted almost immediately, and she says the response has been incredible.
“I had people coming in and buying up everything. I had people messaging me, telling me how this is something that they’ve never seen before or been a part of and how there’s no spaces explicitly for plus size people that are run by independent folks in Hamilton, or even in the area in general. Especially focusing on vintage. That pushed me to keep doing it,” said Goyette.
While the body positive movement is slowly gaining traction, there are still many spaces that do not offer options for plus sized people. Having to choose from a tiny selection of ill-fitting clothing is all too common, particularly for anyone looking to express themselves through fun and innovative fashion. Additionally, having only plus-sized options reinforces the narrative that plus sized bodies should be hidden away. Dollywood Plus Vintage looks to battle that narrative through body acceptance and positivity.
“It isn’t just about clothes, and selling clothes. It’s about paying attention to a group of people that are just as deserving to express themselves the way they want to, and embody themselves in whatever way they choose,” said Goyette.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1RTIx3HZj3/
For Goyette, body positivity means celebrating plus-size bodies.
“I think fat bodies in particular are often devalued or seen as bad. It’s important to acknowledge that people with fat bodies are desirable and worthy of anything that anybody else with a body is. Regardless of their health, regardless of how you whether or not you perceive them to be living healthy or not, that doesn’t matter. I think it’s a human right to be able to express yourself and feel comfortable with who you are, and not be made to feel uncomfortable about the space you take up with your body,” said Goyette.
Going forward, Goyette plans to expand beyond clothing. Zines, buttons, patches and stickers are all in progress.
“I want to have different types of media, literature and art that explicitly speak to the experience of plus sized people in Hamilton,” said Goyette. She hopes that this will foster a sense of community and acceptance that isn’t always easy to find.
Dollywood Plus Vintage itself is bright and happy. Any spots not filled with unique clothes are covered with pictures of Dolly Parton, the Grammy award-winning country singer. The VHS copy of Steel Magnolias rests next to zines and patches. Goyette says that Parton’s song “Wildflowers” in particular speaks to her.
“Wildflowers are still really beautiful despite them not being the norm. They have the capacity to thrive and to overcome anything, regardless of where they are. That, to me, was something that carried over to the fat experience. Much like the wildflower, fat bodies are beautiful in their own way and are dynamic and able to bounce back from anything that society might throw at them,” said Goyette.
Dollywood Plus Vintage has only just begun, and if the initial response is anything to judge by, it will be around for a very long time. Goyette hopes that one day we will live in a world where there’s no need to have an article about a plus sized store because, hopefully by then, it will be so normal. Until then, Goyette’s store can be found in the basement of the Hamilton Antique Mall at stall 01L, and is well worth a look.
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An earlier version of this article was incorrectly published with photos from another Supercrawl fashion show. The Sil apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.
By Emily O'Rourke, Contributor
What first launched as a makeshift runway along a James Street North sidewalk has grown into a crowd favourite at Supercrawl.
Supercrawl’s Fashion Zone has grown significantly over the years, officially becoming a dedicated part of the festival in 2014. Among the Fashion Zone’s team of designers, organizers and passionate creatives, co-owners of the Eye of Faith, Aaron Duarte and Paul Heaton, stand out.
Established in 2011 by Duarte and Heaton, the Eye of Faith is a multifaceted brand, focusing on promoting individuality and expression through the exploration of the “past, fusing into the present to help shape the future.” Initially purveying high quality unique vintage finds, the brand has since expanded into original one-of-a-kind garments created using primarily vintage textiles and materials.
Photo c/o Cyprian Estrada
For the past five years, Duarte and Heaton have played a significant role in organizing Supercrawl’s fashion zone. As designers first, the pair first took over the fashion zone in 2015 with their handmade collection, “Hollywood Babylon”. Since, they’ve taken four different shows to the stage. Among them was Tarot, their 2016 collection which included a dress made from two decks of the classic Raider-Waite cards, attached with a metal chain link. Duarte and Heaton are also involved in every single aspect of their show, from stage managing, sound mixing, modeling and MCing.
“Putting on a fashion show is a huge task, and so many people go into making these shows, so the fact that it continues to grow truly shows how important fashion in all its forms is beloved in our city,” said Duarte.
Photo c/o Cyprian Estrada
When they’re not running their own shows, the duo sit on the fashion committee where they oversee applications and actively seek out new talent for the shows to ensure the programming is relevant to the fabric of the Hamilton fashion scene. All programming is local and aims to showcase diversity in all its forms, never being afraid to push the envelope.
“Supercrawl is the epitome of fashion events in the city, hands down,” said Duarte. “For us designers, it is the equivalent to any major fashion week and designers work for months to conceive and create collections specifically for the festival. We are striving to help get [designers’] full vision off the ground however we can, really.”
“It is also a great jumpstart for new designers to get their name out to the public, who in turn come out to see the shows and find their next new favourite local designer, and every year, there are more and more,” said Duarte.
The pair were busy this year, with Heaton managing the stage while walking as a model in three local designers’ shows, including Vintage Soul Geek, Thrifty Designer and Blackbird Studios. Duarte took on the MC role once again, while coordinating music and mixing sound for all shows throughout the weekend.
Photo c/o Mike Skarvinko
As a staple weekend in the city comes to a close, Duarte shares that he wishes Supercrawl was every weekend. On what’s next, Duarte hopes to see more youth talent, avant-garde work and luxury designs.
“[Supercrawl] is the one weekend of the year that brings so many facets of our city together under one umbrella. It is primarily a celebration of the talent and vitality of the City of Hamilton,” said Duarte. “As artists, it is an important platform to showcase our work to a large audience which only continues to grow every year. It’s definitely a weekend that always seems to recharge the city’s unique energy”.
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Isolated from the grey overtones of King Street West lies a splash of pink just east of Hess Street North. Walking into the space, you are immediately overwhelmed with the pleasant scent of freshly baked goodies. As your eyes gaze upon the pink shop, the show-stopping piece is the custom-made swing holding a hundred pounds of sprinkles. For Real Dough (256 King Street West) adds an escape from the downtown core by combining a bakery with the feel of a pop-up museum.
For owner Diana Smiarowski, the bakery was a chance for her to get a much needed change of pace.
“We came up with [an idea to] mix an element of fun while at the same time my boyfriend was craving cookie dough... We looked it up and saw places in the States but there was nowhere permanent here that you could go. We kind of mixed the two together and we wanted to bring a feeling of nostalgia. I know lots of people [ate cookie dough] and snuck it when they were little. Coming into a place like this with the clouds, the pink...it’s just meant to bring you back to your childhood. We just wanted it to be a happy, fun place to come,” said Smiarowski.
For Real Dough is an immersive experience in the heart of downtown Hamilton that meshes the feel of a pop-up with decadent edible cookie dough. Ranging in simple flavours like chocolate chip to more unique flavours such as cookie monster and dunkaroo. Select vegan and no gluten-added flavours are offered on the menu to ensure everybody is able to try the sweet treats For Real Dough has to offer. The bakery also boasts stuffed cookies, cookie dough paired with soft-serve ice cream and iced coffee served with cereal-flavoured milk with everything made in-house.
“It’s about bringing a sweet piece of childhood back. We try and bring some fun, creative flavours that you wouldn’t find anywhere around...We see Hamilton growing and we just wanted to bring something to help it grow,” said Smiarowski.
Raw cookie dough is normally not recommended for consumption due to the inclusion of raw eggs and flour. For Real Dough uses pasteurized eggs and heat-treats their flour to allow their cookie dough to be fully edible without the associated health concerns of its raw counterpart.
From conception to reality, the bakery was set to open its doors after a year and a half of planning and execution. With the giant spoons above the washroom, clouds hung above the tables, and neon signs mounted to the walls, the store was ready for its soft-launch in July 2019 with an unexpected turnout.
“It was wild! There is always a fear of starting a new business but it has been amazing, especially seeing people come in here happy. They’re just in such a good mood and it puts you in a good mood,” said Smiarowski.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ovNHMnwPr/
Although the bakery has a lot to offer, the menu is constantly changing with each week holding a new flavour in-store for customers. Basic flavours are kept; however, seasonal treats are swapped out to keep things fresh.
“Our number of flavours are always rotating and we are constantly trying to stay innovative. It’s a nice escape for people to just kind of forget what’s going on. They’re walking back into their childhood.” said Smiarowski.
To Smiarowski and her team, For Real Dough is more than just a cookie dough cafe. It is an experience for Hamiltonians to feel transported away from their busy lives. Put your head in the clouds and enjoy the atmosphere that has been created to ignite your childhood self.
For Real Dough is not only the perfect place for your next Instagram post but it also has sweet treats that allow you to relive your childhood years without having to leave the city. This cookie dough cafe is not going anywhere, anytime soon making it a beautifully pink addition to King Street West.
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As Ned Stark said: brace yourselves, back-to-school shopping is coming. Every fall, students are pressured to buy the trendiest, fashion-forward outfits in order to both fit in and stand out (at the same time, effortlessly). This is particularly overwhelming for university students. We are encountering more new people and ideas than ever before, and that is often expressed through changes in personal style. Clothes allow you to experiment with different identities until you find the one that fits you.
While it can be freeing to reinvent yourself through clothes, it can also be financially taxing to buy an entirely new wardrobe every year. But fear not! Here are some tips and tricks for navigating back-to-school shopping that will save your wallet and your sanity.
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If you know and love Queer Eye as much as I do, you’ll know that Tan France, the fashion expert, recommends finding a ‘hero piece’, a statement item to build an outfit around. This hero piece might already be in your closet. When the first week of school comes and you are stumped for outfit ideas, a hero piece can form the foundation of an outfit that you feel comfortable and confident in. Just one item of clothing can transform your whole outfit.
Change up your closet with clothing swaps! Threadwork (a sustainable fashion club on campus) usually has a swap in the McMaster University Student Centre each semester. It’s a quick and easy way to refresh your wardrobe while cleaning out some of the items that you no longer wear for free. There are also clothing swaps in the community; The Pale Blue Dot (240 James Street North) frequently has them, as does the Hearty Hooligan (292 Ottawa Street North).
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Thrift stores are your friend. Places like Out of the Past (308 Ottawa Street North), The Giving Closet (1162 Barton Street East) or Hawk and Sparrow (126 James Street North) will frequently have pieces that are more affordable and of higher quality than what you might find at the mall. If you don’t have the time to go in person, there are even online thrift stores, like thredUP. If you’re looking to free up some space in your closet, try donating your old clothes to avoid throwing them away. If you take them to Plato’s Closet (505 Rymal Road East) or Style Encore (989 Fennell Avenue East), then they will even pay you to donate them. This is a real thing! Check it out!
Rescue your beloved old clothes by taking them to a tailor or cobbler. My life changed when I realized I could get my worn out pants repaired for $20 rather than having to face the horrors of trying on too-small jeans in a dimly-lit dressing room. Not to mention, repairing old shoes means that you don’t have to go through the time and effort of breaking in a new pair. Your ankles will thank you. Thankles?
Not only do these four tips help you save money and live better, they also help to minimize your contributions to ‘fast fashion’ (buying clothes that won’t last and then throwing them away). The fashion industry puts out a huge amount of pollution every year. Clothes that fall apart after a few months are not only damaging to the planet, but they are also a strain on your wallet over time as you keep having to replace them with increasingly expensive options. Buying good quality pieces or repairing the pieces that you have helps to keep clothes out of landfills.
You shouldn’t feel guilty for buying new clothes or following fashion trends if that brings you joy, just keep these sustainable options in mind. Remember, by November we’ll all be wearing sweatpants anyways, so wear whatever makes you happy and comfortable!
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By Anastasia Gaykalova
The Silhouette sat down with the creative mind behind Zander, Matthew Alexander, and Foreign Waves International’s designer duo, Michael St. Jean and Kadeem Jarrett, during Supercrawl weekend to talk about the Hamilton-based streetwear brands’ take on street fashion, their creative process and friendly competition.
Photo C/O Samuel Letnik and Matthew Alexander
The Sil: How would you describe your brand in three words?
Jarrett: Wavy. Free. Real.
Alexander: Efficient. Athletic. Useful.
The Sil: Why did you start designing?
St. Jean: We wanted to create a brand that everyone around the world can rock and be represented, hence the name Foreign Waves International.
Jarrett: We printed a whole bunch of t-shirts, because we came up with a name and people loved it, and we said ‘let’s go full throttle’ and it’s been three years rocking and we’ve done a lot within the three years and we’re proud.
Alexander: I was really into art and just being artistic, touching as many mediums as possible: painting, photography [and] graphic design. I was getting into graphic design and slowly realized that it is not the career path that I necessarily wanted to take, and clothing ended up being it…I love clothing and it just fell into my life with the combination of the different things I was into.
The Sil: What is your creative process when designing?
St. Jean: That’s a hard thing to think of still…Our creative process is usually we see something and we think ‘yo, what can we do differently, what can we do to change it, how can we make it better’…And then we talk about our design with each other and decide what will work better, what colour scheme we’re going to use. Sometimes we go to places like [Supercrawl], this would be an example [of] where we gain inspiration.
Alexander: It’s a lot of internal brainstorming, just thinking out concepts in my head whenever I get influenced by certain things. Drawing out influence from everything and anything I possibly can. It could be anything from other designers or something a person says to interactions with my friends.
The Sil: Do either of you draw inspiration from other brands? If so, which and why?
Jarrett: In the beginning, yeah, but now it is more what we feel, what comes from our hearts. That’s what designs are based off of. But in the beginning, it’s just [like how] musicians look up to one musician, want to sound like them. And then they establish their own sounds.
St. Jean: Nike’s a big one, New Regime.
Jarrett: Shout-out to New Regime.
Alexander: I guess, when I first started getting into clothing and streetwear, the list of brands I would’ve listed then is completely different from now. Now I’m more into high fashion designer brands. I just feel like the designs and the materials and the backstory of the different brands and concepts are a lot more thought out. Few brands I could list now that I’m really into would probably be…Ader Error, Undercover, Palace, which is more on a streetwear, skatewear level.
The Sil: What makes a good fashion show?
Jarrett: When everything is running smoothly, [when] music [and] designs are on point.
St. Jean: I think there’s got to be a wild factor.
Jarrett: Exactly, in our day and age everyone does a fashion show. When you’re on a runway, add a little bit of something, add a little bit of art, add performances, add anything like that, you know…Be as free as you can. That’s what the brand represents. Be you and embrace what you wear every single day.
Alexander: I think outfits, for sure. I know for myself, I really like to add something more. [W]ith our latest fashion show we had more theatrics going on. It’s more than just outfits and models walking down a runway. It was like an actual show.
The Sil: What’s more important, expressing yourself or catering to an audience?
St. Jean: I think you have to have a mix of both. We want to express ourselves, but we want to make sure we are catering to the audience as well. So, we want to be like ‘I really like this, but I want to make sure my people are going to like it too’.
Alexander: I think, especially in terms of creative level, expressing yourself matters most at the end of the day. Where it gets tricky is on the business level of things, where, yeah, you do have to make money and you have to invest a lot of time, effort and money into certain projects, so you do have to cater to the audience. So I like to find a little bit of both.
The Sil: What are some challenges of the fashion industry and how to best deal with them?
St. Jean: One big thing is manufacturers. We’re a very small brand, so when it comes to manufacturing clothing, they want big orders, like you know, a hundred pieces, two hundred pieces. We’re very small, very local, so we don’t order that much. That’s why our clothes are very limited…So, it kind of leaves a little bit of exclusivity to our brand as well.
Alexander: I guess a big one right now would be finances. I know for me and my team, we have a lot of ideas and projects that we like to do, but it’s a hurdle we have to cross where we can’t financially make it happen. And that’s just a process of continuing to work and grow as a brand and building those resources in order to make those projects happen.
The Sil: What does street style mean to you?
St. Jean: Expressing yourself.
Jarrett: Yeah, exactly, expressing yourself. Streetwear is growing now. It used to be small brands like Stussy, Primitive, but now, big time designers are making streetwear. Like, Gucci, and stuff, they’re all making hoodies with “Gucci” on it, and t-shirts and stuff. So, streetwear is literally taking over the world, and everyone loves streetwear.
Alexander: I love street style. Every single day I think of an outfit and I just love putting together clothes and showcasing how I’m feeling that day with the colour palettes and the theme of certain pieces I’m wearing… Street style is growing and it’s awesome to see other people getting more and more into it… especially in Hamilton.
The Sil: Since both brands share a similar style, do you consider each other competitors?
St. Jean: For us, personally, we don’t look at things as competition because we want to see everybody succeed, so we actually know Zander personally from showing support to each other. So, when we’ve done pop-ups, they’re there and when they’ve done pop-ups, we’re there. And we promote each other, so we don’t look at it as competition. We look at it more as a community and we should all work together.
Alexander: Yeah, I 100 per cent agree. I guess, back in the day when streetwear brands weren’t as many, maybe like 6 to 7 years ago, it would’ve been on a more competitive level, but as of right now, I think brands that are succeeding and growing together as a community. If everyone’s doing well, that only makes the community better at the end of the day.
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After a few unexpected returns of the winter weather this season, Hamilton is finally starting to come out of hibernation. With increased foot traffic downtown and the Gore Park fountain no longer running dry, the city has been overcome with a sense of vitality.
Yet there’s something different about Hamilton beyond new additions to City Hall and the flourishing gardens. I would say that much of what makes the city what it is, what defines its character and uniqueness, can be found in its people.
And sometimes more specifically on its people.
I sat on a bench overlooking King Street West with a friend trying to define what the city’s style is. He was born and raised in Hamilton, wears mismatched socks and isn’t shy of the few wears and stains on his denim shorts.
On the other hand, I was raised in Mississauga where I have not so fond memories of feeling the social pressure to always dress my best, especially if it was for a trip to the mall. This is in stark contrast to what I often see at Jackson Square, where people unapologetically dress in any way they want.
There is diversity in people’s style, but there’s an underlying attitude that seems consistent across the board. Pardon me when I say this, but a lot of people simply don’t give a shit.
I was walking along James Street North when a guy in head to toe blue and orange flannel caught my eye. I got to know him as Sean Gratton, a filmmaker, actor and musician, who was strolling around that day in his ‘I don’t give a shit about society outfit’.
To gather more evidence to support the notion that Hamilton indeed doesn’t give a shit, I spoke with Becky Katz, artist, musician and Director of Outreach at Center3, who also happens to manage the Square Wear (@square_where) Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhzpDlmnXY1/?taken-by=square_where
Square Wear chronicles the unique fashions of Jackson Square and surrounding areas. It surfaced in 2016, years after Katz and her friend, Victoria, came up with the idea late one night while in university.
Katz has captured quite a few people that give Hamilton character. She often photographs a lady named Margaret, often recognizing her from her colourful attire and shopping cart decorated in ribbons and sunflowers. She met Alyshia and Ricki last spring as they carried their two pet birds and a guinea pig for a stroll to the Bayfront.
Eye-catching fur coats, outfits that push the limits of patterns and layering, eccentric pieces and repurposed pajamas often make up the Jackson Square fashion scene.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgKO164FgsD/?taken-by=square_where
Katz paid homage to Hamilton’s attitude in Sweat Pant City, a screen printed series in collaboration with Matt McInnes that was included in the 2013 Waysgoose anthology.
“Hamilton’s [style] is wearing whatever the hell you want…there are certainly a lot of people who do try to be cool, but at Jackson Square you do see a lot of people who couldn’t care less. I love that so much, especially when their fashion sense shines through that and it’s just inherent in them,” explained Katz.
Kiera Boult is a regular on Square Wear, she pays no mind to the practicality or occasion, always dressing in what makes her feel like the boss she is.
“I dress like a crow built a nest. The shinier the better… If it is embellished and heavy with sequins or jewels I’m going to buy it, even if it doesn’t fit me,” explained Boult.
Her current favourite item is a seafoam green vinyl miniskirt, but that piece is almost retired. According to Boult, everything has its moment and if you want to look your best you can’t wear outfits competitively ever again.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ1br0QHwpc/?taken-by=square_where
Boult describes Hamilton as dressing like its 1987, a year notable for Black Monday, when stock markets around the world crashed and it was around the same time Hamilton settled into a recession as Dofasco and Stelco cut thousands of jobs.
“There’s a post-industrial feel [to the way people dress], it’s kind of gritty, vintage, second-hand, and worn,” explained Boult.
Boult has a point, but despite the city’s strange style, it’s deeply endearing. There are no rules or fashion faux pas to fear because there are no shits given in this city.
Advertising is evolving. The ongoing trend of user-generated content on social media websites means that brands should be reflecting on the best possible ways to reach their target audiences. That’s where influencer marketing comes in.
Instagram sees nearly 800 million monthly users. The accessibility and visual nature of the app serves as a unique opportunity for brands to market their product to almost anyone. In fact, nearly 75 per cent of users will take action after seeing a sponsored post.
Influencers often have niche followings in various different markets. These individuals ultimately bridge the gap between a brand and consumers, and have the power to affect their audience’s purchasing decisions due to their knowledge, position or relationship with their audiences.
Nicole Rodger of @lovenicolerae, a Hamilton-based beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogger and McMaster graduate has worked with various companies to share their message through Instagram. To her, being an influencer means being in a position to have her voice heard.
“Being an influencer is more than being ‘a person that gets free stuff’,” said Rodger. “In the marketing world, it is a real life person that can give opinions on an item that can possibly making someone else want to buy it or participate in something.
Rodger has worked with a wide range of companies, from Kiehls, Aerie and Burlington’s Sound of Music Festival. When it comes down to deciding who to work with, Rodger makes sure that the company is one that aligns with her own beliefs.
“I have really put a lot more into my decisions on partnering up with brands this year, said Rodger. “If it’s something that aligns with my lifestyle, then I will likely move forward with a campaign. If it is something that is out of my realm of comfort, I likely will pass up on the offer, hoping it goes to someone more fitting for the role.”
For most influencers, developing a personal brand starts initially as a hobby. In a report from influencer marketing platform, Mavrck, sharing a passion, creative expression, inspiring and connecting with others are the main topics that inspire influencers to create content.
Krystle Ng-A-Mann of @dineandfash, a Toronto-based food, fashion and travel blogger started blogging as an offshoot of what she enjoyed doing already. She was eventually able to turn this into a full time career.
“I was a lawyer for nine years before I quit my job and started to do this full time,” said Ng-A-Mann.”This was really like my creative outlet but it started getting a lot more serious and I got more traction. When I first started, I didn’t necessarily know that whether I wanted to take it full time, but it grew a lot faster than I expected it to. So, it really got to a point where it became viable for me to be able to do this as a full time career.”
The trend of influencer marketing seems to keep growing. Over 50 per cent of influencers started producing content for brands within the past two years, while a third started this past year. Further, 90 per cent of professionals consider influencer marketing to be effective when we speak about brand awareness, while 73 per cent say that influencers help to build customer loyalty.
“[Instagram marketing] is a really an area that grew in a short period of time over the last few years,” said Ng-A-Mann. “It’s really a privilege to be able to make money from it and to be able to sustain yourself and pay your mortgage and have fun it while setting your own schedule and really doing what you love.”
By: Hafsa Sahki
When different areas of the arts come together to create a fun eventful show, what emerges is a diverse and exciting event. Style At Mac’s annual fashion show is back after a year-long absence.
This year’s team has focused on showcasing fashion from different countries, searching for local artists and reaching out to McMaster arts clubs.
Style At Mac was absent during the 2016-2017 academic year. As SAM Vice President of Events Naomi Doe explained, the previous executives graduated, so the team had to focus on hiring a new cohort for this year.
“The two best parts about coming back is that you get the platform that your priors have built, so you have that integration into that Mac community… the people who love your club and already know about your club, and then you get that fresh new start,” said Doe.
“With new executives [and] new photographers. It’s exciting building a club from the bottom [up]… we have a very adaptable structure and everyone has adaptable roles… it’s a very malleable club with a great history.”
This year’s theme, “statera”, was designed to give designers a flexible premise. Fashion artists are either trying conveying harmony with their outfits, or deliberately disrupting that balance with a mixture of patterns, colours and textures that work against each other.
“It doesn’t restrict your designers at all… [in this way], we can invite a wide variety of people with different backgrounds to that show,” explained Doe.
Selecting designers for the show can be very spontaneous. Doe explained that SAM reached out to Batik Batouk, a Ghanaian designer, after they were featured in the Silhouette.
SAM tries to integrate students into the fashion industry. To do this, the club reaches out to external designers, such as this year’s Thrifty Designer.
Various clubs within the McMaster community are also featured in the show like Threadwork, Mac Bangladesh and Mac Dance.
“We really wanted to have a club from Mac to represent themselves. Mac has a really great diverse community… [and] if we’re not showcasing the diversity in [what] Mac students wear, then we wouldn’t be doing our due justice,” said Doe.
“I love mixing and matching different areas of the arts together… when you pu them together I think it makes something really nice… it also adds to a student’s appeal to the show. Many students are interested in fashion, some are not committed to it fully, they just think about it a little bit, or they would like to… but when you have all these different kinds of performances, someone’s going to find an interest in your show in some way. You might know someone in Mac Dance, you might know someone in Mac Bangladesh… [or] you want to see some live music that day… that’s part of the reason that we wanted to incorporate all these arts into the show.”
This year’s show is partnered with Smiling Over Sickness, a student-run organization at McMaster that aims to raise funds for children living with an illness. All proceeds from the show go to the charity.
The show has ten segments, eight which showcase the designs, the other two broken up by a performance by Mac Dance and a cultural collection by Mac Bangladesh. SAM’s lookbook, popular collections showcased on their social media pages earlier this year, will start off the show, showcasing garments for all four seasons.
“Because we’re starting up [again this year], we’re very open to people coming to us. We love when people reach out to us and say ‘I have this talent, can you showcase it?’ If it fits, absolutely, yes, we’d love to feature you… we’re very happy to collaborate with them.”
Doe is excited to push the idea of involving different areas of the arts into the show, and is hoping to showcase a spoken word performance during the fashion segments in future.
The fashion show is on March 24 at the Hamilton Convention Centre. Tickets are $25 and $35 for a VIP Experience. Follow the club’s Facebook page @StyleAtMAC for more information.
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Sneakerhead culture first began in the United States in the 1980s thanks to basketball — specifically the emergence of hip-hop music and Michael Jordan’s shoe line. Today it is a worldwide movement where people who love sneakers will spend time, money and effort expressing themselves through the soles on their feet.
One student at McMaster who embraces this lifestyle to the fullest is sneakerhead and first-year player on the McMaster men’s basketball team Jacob Edwards. Edwards has been collecting shoes for several years, and now has about 60 pairs.
“Ever since I started playing basketball I fell in love with the look of Jordans,” said Edwards.
As he grew up, every birthday and Christmas he would request Jordans and slowly but surely his passion for sneakers really began to take off.
But it was the release of the Air Jordan 11 “Gamma Blue” when he was in the ninth grade that really got him involved in the world of sneakers.
“I wanted my first real pair of retro Jordans,” said Edwards. “I went to Toronto at five in the morning even though the store opened at nine, and there was a line up of 200 plus people.”
Edwards was lucky enough to get the shoe, getting a size bigger than what he was wearing at the time so that he could still wear them today.
For Edwards, getting these Jordans was more than being in style and staying up to date with the hottest trends. They were a way to express who he was.
Attending high school St. Andrew’s College, an all-boys private school that required students to wear uniforms, his shoes were one of the ways he showed his individuality.
“Even if the majority of people don’t like a certain shoe and I do, that does not stop me from wanting to wear them,” said Edwards.
Inspired by National Basketball Association players like Russell Westbrook and Kelly Oubre Jr., he allows his style to match his personality.
After high school, Edwards was recruited to McMaster due to his top scoring ability, but due to a foot injury during a charity game at the beginning of the year, Edwards has spent his rookie season watching from the sidelines.
“Honestly going through this whole injury has been mentally one of the hardest years of my life,” said Edwards.
“Not getting to experience any of the frosh week and first-year experience and play basketball has been really hard for me. But through it all, my mom has been by my side.”
After being in a cast for a month he was still not seeing any improvements, so he went to the hospital and it showed that the bone was still partially cracked. He was then advised to have surgery, which he underwent in December, and has been recovering well ever since.
“It’s definitely a beauty in the struggle because it’s totally changed my mentality towards basketball,” said Edwards. “I’m so hungry to get back on the court and it’s just motivated me that much more.”
Although Edwards was not able to excel on the court due to his injury, he did not let a walking boot stop him from rocking what he loves.
“My mindset was if I’m going to be on crutches and I’m going to be in a cast instead of letting the disappointment from not being able to play get to me I’m going to still do what I love by rocking sweet kicks, even if it just one shoe,” Edwards added.
Although many people do not understand the culture of the sneaker world, to Edwards it is just like any other hobby.
“Everyone has different passions, mine is collecting shoes,” said Edwards. “For me, wearing nice shoes completes the outfit.”
As Edwards gets older he is starting to see that there are more to the sneaker world than just Jordans. When he was younger he leaned towards basketball shoes, but now he appreciates the versatility of having all kinds of good shoes.
“I wanted to expand to dress shoes, Adidas and some Under Armour,” said Edwards. “True sneakerheads are versatile and can switch their game up from brand to brand.”
The sneaker culture may not be for everyone. The high costs and the crazy designs take a unique person to appreciate, but for Edwards and other sneakerheads, it is a way of life.
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