Justine Iaboni
Justine Iaboni is known around Toronto as Eurotrash.
Mona is founder and CEO of Geeky Chic, Inc. and Editor in Chief of The Genteel.
Julia Parfenyuk
An East-coast girl by nature but a European at heart, Julia is a Toronto-based freelance writer and editor obsessed with the fashion, culture and art scenes from Montreal to New York.
Alexandra Sarabia
With a Bachelor's degree in Biology, Alexandra Sarabia accidentally ventured into fashion when she took a summer class at the Fashion Institute of Technology on Ethical Fashion. She hasn't looked back since.
Valerie Lam
Valerie Lam contributes to The Genteel from Toronto.
Tara MacInnis
Tara contributes to The Genteel from Toronto.
Hermes /
luxury /
Australia /
karl lagerfeld /
H&M /
retail /
fashion industry /
Family Furnishings
Certain traits are passed down through generations - things like hair colour, height and stubbornness. But for the Metrick family, their most outstanding inherited trait is a love for home furnishings and a business that has seen this love last for 95 years. Tara MacInnis speaks with the founder's great grandsons to find out more about the diverse threads that unite Elte Home and Carpet.
By Tara MacInnis
An Open Window
Window displays are our first glimpse at what a shop has to offer. They can draw us in, or turn us away, making the people who decide what they contain invaluable to the success of the store. But what does it take to effectively capture our attention? The Premium International Fashion Trade show has discovered a woman who knows - Mercé Soler, winner of the 2013 window dresser award.
Retail in Motion
In recent years, fashion trucks have sprung up from LA to New York and everywhere in between. Despite offering businesses the benefits of low overhead costs and self-employment opportunities, these mobile trucks have their own set of challenges to conquer. Now, some mobile retailers are wondering if their fashion trucks are in fact better off integrated with brick and mortar operations.
By Briana Palma
Conflict and Couture
Political instability, a humanitarian crisis and an influx of refugees spilling over from the Syrian civil war has meant financial resources in Lebanon are tight. Cultural institutions and, notably, the country's fashion industry has suffered as a result. Cristina Fei speaks with local designers to find out how they have managed to keep their businesses surviving in Beirut today.
By Cristina Fei
Incubating Fashion
New York City's deteriorating manufacturing infrastructure has made it difficult in recent times for an emerging designer to produce a line locally and cost-effectively. But fashion incubators, such as Manufacture New York, aim to help those designers by offering the mentoring and resources needed to sustain their businesses during the current economic climate.
By Alexandra Sarabia