Interview: Jennifer Fukushima

Having only graduated from Ryerson's Fashion Design Program a few years ago, Jenn Fukushima and her line Paper People, has already become one of the most recognizable lines in Toronto and perhaps even beyond. With the launch of her new Spring/Summer 2008 Collection, Jenn took the time out to answer a few of my questions.

VL: Alright, so first things first. Tell me what you’ve been working on these days.

JF: I just finished putting together my Spring/Summer 2008 collection and I’m really excited about it. It consists of remade sweater items as well as bamboo jersey and recycled dress shirt items. The sweater items are transitional pieces that are good for the in between weather or an extra layering in an air conditioned building. They consist of shrugs, cropped sweaters and cardigans. The bamboo jersey/dress shirt items are good for the really hot days. I have tanks, tube tops, skirts and some exciting high waisted pants!

VL: What has inspired you the most with this new line? What has always inspired you?

JF: What has and continues to inspire me is the materials I work with. With the sweaters, I love to combine different tones and textures and I love that each sweater I make is unique. I also love colour. I’ve hand dyed all of the bamboo/dress shirt items and I’ve worked really hard to get specific colours and shades.

VL: Nature and the environment seem to play a big roll in your work, not only aesthetically, but also with your environmentally friendly materials. Do you think this environmental consciousness is going to catch on with other designers?

JF: I think it already has. From big to small we’re seeing more and more companies incorporating bamboo and organic cottons into their lines and we’re also seeing more consciousness in terms of buying local.

If you want to see more eco-friendly and local fashions, you should check out Heart of Your Sleeve Boutique (61A Bellvue Ave in Kensington Market) and a new store that just opened: Green is Black (624 Yonge St). In terms of great local and Canadian designers I recommend Fresh Collective (692 Queen St. W) and Nathalie-Roze & Co. (1015 Queen St. E) and for the young and funky, The Rage (13 Kensington Ave).

VL: With such an environmental focus, do you think living in such an urban setting affects or influences your designs?

JF: Yes. I come from a small town and we have space, we have trees, we have a clean lake and fresh air. Toronto is really different in good ways and in bad. I definitely see the need to curb waste and over consumption. We don’t have a lot of space here, dealing with our waste is a problem and we have an over abundance of cheap, disposable products, including fashion. Trends are big here, but also, I feel that people appreciate fashion more here than where I come from. I want to create fun and versatile pieces that won’t go out of style in six months and maybe can even be worn all year round.


VL: What do you think about the Toronto Independent Fashion scene?

JF: I feel really adamantly about the local fashion scene. Since I moved to Toronto I’ve slowly gotten to know other local designers, ones at my level as well as some more established ones. We’re all just in it for the same reason. We have the chance to make a living at what we love to do. It’s great to have the network. For the most part we all try to help each other out because even though we’re all competing, in the grand scheme of things it’s us against the big guys. I try to buy local and handmade clothes as much as possible, because I’d much rather support an independent designers than a huge corporation. Plus I get tons of compliments on my Babu et Moi winter coat, my ChaCha handbag and my Preloved cardigan.

A really great event coming up is Toronto Alternative Arts and Fashion Week (http://www.alternativefashionweek.com/main.php). It will be taking place from April 9-11th and will showcase tons of great local and Canadian fashion.

If you’re looking to shop, the Clothing Show (www.theclothingshow.com) is an excellent place to find good deals on unique, handmade items and even meet the designers.

VL: You studied fashion at Ryerson, what do you think was the most important thing you learned there?

JF: Um, other than technical skills, definitely the value of networking. The reality is, it’s a small world and everyone knows everyone else in the fashion industry. Ryerson made us do 400 hours of workstudy and I didn’t realize how valuable it was until after I graduated. It helped me find paid employment when I needed it and now that I’m a fulltime entrepreneur I can call up other designers to get info on everything from trade shows to fabric suppliers.

VL: What are your thoughts on the business side of fashion? The marketing, advertising, schmoozing?

JF: Good question. Fashion is just as much business as it is design. That’s especially true if you own your own business. I’m very small. I do everything myself from the actual design process to my graphic design, web design, sales and marketing. You just can’t have one without the other. Without business savvy you’re just some crazy lady with tones of fabric and hopefully some really cool designs.

VL: What advice do you have for people trying to break into the fashion scene?

JF: Go to fashion events – you’ll meet tons of people in the industry who can help you out and you’ll learn about what’s going on.

That and you need to be self motivated. I think this is true if you want to succeed at anything in life, but I think this is especially true if you want to have your own business – anything from a clothing line to a magazine. Success comes from hard work. I wake up every morning excited to see what I can accomplish that day. At the end of the day, I look at what I’ve done, go to sleep and wake up ready to do it all again.

For more of Jenn's designs and to find a list of stores that carry her line, check out her website at www.paperpeople.com.