"By Her, For Her:" BoostHER TMU empowers women through fashion

By: Maryam Parkar

Model showcases stunning House of Ladé dress at BoostHER fashion event. (Maryam Parkar/New Wave Magazine)

As 7 p.m. approached, the intimate studio space slowly filled with people. Its warm, dim lighting became a refuge from the frigid Toronto weather outside. BoostHER touched the room with subtle accents of love—heart-shaped balloons, pink spotlights, laughter and good conversation. 

Regardless of where we come from, we all understand the universal language of fashion. And much like all other forms of artistry, fashion has the power to send a message. In February, BoostHER TMU wrapped up that message and sent their community a love letter. 

A Fashion Love Letter: By Her, For Her created a warm, loving safe-space for local female designers to tell their stories using their craft.

“BoostHER is making women comfortable with who they are,” says Sophia Nettleton, vice-president of events at BoostHER TMU. 

The Canada-wide organization works to uplift women in the workplace, frequently holding events to help build connections within various industries. Still, Nettleton feels that fashion has been overlooked as a field flowing with aspiring professionals. This event was a step toward fixing that.

The runway hosted pieces from a diverse group of designers, each with a unique set of artistic values. 

“As women, you can come in all types of shapes, colours [and] aesthetics,” says director of events Gabrielle Amponsah-Fordjour.

The BoostHER team embraced the self-love angle that many fashion events have started to adopt. But above all else, they aimed to give women’s artistry a platform to thrive and reach the hearts of others. 

From the elegant postmodernism-inspired silhouettes of ZARDAI DESIGN to the hyper-feminine style of My Dearest Doll, the designers all agreed that fashion is an outlet they use to express themselves and explore their love of creating. 

Atifa Nasiri, founder of ZARDAI DESIGN, stands alongside two of her models.(Maryam Parkar/New Wave Magazine)

Precious Ayoladé, founder of clothing brand House of Ladé and fourth-year TMU fashion student, jokingly accredits her “passion for fashion” to Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale. She uses fashion to cut through stereotypes while simultaneously bringing out the “inner child” and “princess” within.

Growing up in Europe, Ayoladé was deeply fascinated by medieval, Renaissance and Victorian fashion but recognized quite early that it lacked racial diversity. As a Black woman, she struggled to see herself in garments that were almost exclusively created for the typical structure of a white woman’s body. 

“In a way, I am decolonizing the structure of a garment,” says Ayoladé.

The young designer also noted that her Nigerian culture influences a lot of her work. 

“There’s a little bit of heritage in there as well—through colour, through technique, through design,” she says.

Unsurprisingly, her artistic force was present the moment her models set foot on the runway. House of Ladé infused a Victorian-era staple—the corset—with a West African-inspired print to create a stunning form-fitting dress. 

Fashion was always meant to be innovative. There is a certain power in knowing that this generation of female designers is breaking down stereotypes to make fashion more inclusive and relatable to the average woman. 

Erum Ozair, founder of Toronto-based brand YVESIGNER, also found a lack of inclusivity to be her source of inspiration. Ozair believes that fashion is for everyone and she’s breaking ground in the industry as a Muslim woman who embraces modesty.

“There’s not a lot of modesty for bold clothing in the industry,” says Ozair. 

She’s pushing to change that. YVESIGNER’s designs stood out as the only full-coverage garments on the runway, yet they delivered equal grace and energy.

“You can feel empowered while wearing modest wear,” says Ozair. “You can still feel beautiful.”

BoostHER TMU gave these women, among many others, the platform to tell the story of an ever-evolving industry. 

“Fashion [can] speak for us when we don’t necessarily get to as women,” says Amponsah-Fordjour. 

In their careful artistry, these designers use love as a tool to weave a future where fashion represents women—in all their forms.