The stars were aligned for promoters of Alberta tourism when resident fashion designer Paul Hardy decided to preview his Fall/Winter 2007 collection, “Alberta: Fashion’s New Frontier,” on the last day of the Canadian Travel Commission’s Canada Media Marketplace, held at Manhattan’s Waldorf=Astoria April 16-18.
After all, what better way to showcase the blossoming of all things cosmopolitan in Calgary?
Long associated with Big Oil and natural attractions like Banff National Park, Alberta certainly doesn’t share the runway with fashion capitals such as Paris, New York and Milan, but Hardy, and the fact that three of the top fashion models in the world hail from the province, is changing that.
“I’m actually a bit of a unique breed,” Hardy admits. “Fashion is not much of an Alberta trademark—Women’s Wear Daily calls me a ‘fashion nomad.’”
Hardy finds inspiration in the wealth of natural attractions and curious weather Alberta boasts.
“I like being close to the mountains,” Hardy says. “I think I’m definitely influenced by the climate, because it’s an erratic climate. With the Chinooks [warm winds] that come in, it’s as inconsistent as it is almost surprising. It’s like a gift that comes in in the wintertime.”
As a rising star in the world of high fashion, Hardy, by extension, is changing the profile of the province.
“I think I’ve certainly created a different perception of Alberta because of my presence there, because I think we were known iconically for gas, oil and The [Calgary] Stampede,” he says. “Up until maybe 10 years ago there wasn’t a lot of [shopping] availability there, so the people that lived there developed their cosmopolitan edge because they’re all world travelers.”
Hardy, whose collection is available at Canadian fashion standard-bearer Holt Renfrew, has adopted somewhat of a maverick role in the fashion world.
“My collection is designed as individual pieces that can be mixed and matched, because I want people to feel they can infuse a piece of my fashion into their existing wardrobe without buying things from head to toe,” he says. “It’s functional, travel-worthy and relatively easy-care—I have one client who swears she washes everything.”
