Toronto has fashion in spades. The city oozes cool, exudes effortlessness, and teeters on the cutting edge of the latest trends. It’s home to countless boutiques, giant brands and homegrown designers. Breaking into Toronto’s fashion scene might initially seem daunting, but we’re here to demonstrate that it’s not.
Below, we give our take on the enduring characteristics of Toronto fashion and list a few of the city’s notable hotspots.
Cutting Edge and Multicultural: Fashion as a Reflection of Toronto
Home to roughly 250 distinct ethnicities speaking over 140 different languages, Toronto routinely ranks as the most multicultural city in the world. It’s also a city of immense creative energy: a disruptive tech sector, a restlessly inventive arts scene, and several post-secondary campuses churning out forward-thinkers.
Unsurprisingly, Toronto fashion takes its cue from the city as a whole. It channels that diversity and bleeding-edge innovation to create something unique. From the bohemian vintage stores at Kensington Market to the curated boutiques dotting Dundas West, you can find a hodgepodge of styles. A little Japanese streetwear here and a dash of Caribbean vibrancy there. Some high-end European luxury here, and some hip-hop-inspired, owl-emblazoned threads there (thank you, Drake).
Photo credit: Diary of a Toronto Girl
As such, it’s challenging to pinpoint precisely what Toronto’s style is. In Paris, you could point to a kind of buttoned-down formal look. In LA, you could describe the “relaxed” and “sporty chic” vibe. Here, in North America’s fourth-largest city, any attempt at description fails at a closer inspection.
Where to Find Fashion in the Six
Rather than try to summarize the Six’s fashion scene, it’s better to experience it.
As the top real estate agency in Toronto, we’ve toured every inch of the city. We’ve also shopped our way through it. Whether it’s picking out clothing for our next open house, or browsing casual attire for a weekend at the cottage, we’ve rifled through this city’s fashion boutiques, malls and outlets. You’re never far from good fashion in Toronto – basically every neighbourhood and intersection has something to offer. Still, we want to emphasize a few areas that stand out.
Here are a few places to experience the full breadth of Toronto fashion.
The Fashion District
It’s right there in the name! We can’t discuss Toronto fashion without nodding to its eponymous district. At one time, south Spadina’s Fashion District was the place for all things sartorial. It housed numerous textile factories, tailors and clothing stores – buoyed by the neighbourhood’s Jewish community.
In the decades since, the district has morphed into a mixed-use area of condos, tech startup offices, and art galleries, but it preserves some of its history, holding on to several fabric stores and clothing outlets.
Yonge Street
Like the buttons running up a fine shirt, Yonge Street connects the east and west sides of Toronto. And as the city’s central street, it’s a hub for all things shopping. Unlike other fashion-focused destinations in Toronto, the name of the game here is mass appeal. At the beating heart of Yonge/Dundas, you’ll find all the big, multinational brands: the Uniqlo’s, H&M’s, Foot Lockers and Nike Stores, to name just a few.
Further north, you’ll find Yonge and Eglinton stores, which mix big-name appeal with smaller local boutiques.
Yorkville
If Yonge Street belongs to the masses, Yorkville is the VIP lounge. The big European fashion houses have each planted their flag in Yorkville: Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, etc. And several locally owned boutiques sell the best of the best in global fashion, with a price tag to match their exclusivity.
Don’t worry, though. You don’t need to shell out a grand on a handbag to enjoy Yorkville’s fashion. You can find more modestly priced shopping in Yorkville if you put in the time. Or, to experience the fashion at a distance, we recommend securing a spot at one of the neighbourhood’s wonderful wine bars or restaurants and taking in the sights.
Photo credit: freepik
Queen West/Ossington/Dundas West
Here, we’re lumping together a few of the city’s hippest neighbourhoods. Consider it Toronto’s “fashion triangle”… the streets orbiting Trinity Bellwoods and Beaconsfield Village, like Queen Street West, Dundas West and the Ossington strip. Skewing young and affluent, the area abounds with high-end boutiques, slick streetwear stores, locally owned brands and highly curated vintage shops.
These areas are frequently name-checked in fashion magazine articles about Toronto, not just for their world-class stores, but also for the general hipness of the residents. While people-watching at a café on Ossington, you’re bound to see the latest fashion trends walking down the street.
Kensington Market
It’s hard not to love Kensington Market. The always unpredictable enclave is a mosaic of different cultures and peoples, all strung together with a heaping helping of bohemian shagginess.
The fashion in Kensington is similarly diverse. On one end, you’ll find punk and counterculture fashion defiantly “sticking it to the man.” And on the other end, you get quaint vintage stores hawking retro duds from the ground floors of 19th-Century Victorian houses. It was the original hub for Toronto’s 1960s hippie movement, and it’s stuck to those offbeat roots ever since.
Black Creek Assembly (Fashion Art Toronto)
At one time, Toronto Fashion Week (TFW) was the city’s pre-eminent “runway moment,” the second largest fashion week in North America after New York’s. Now, the TFW is basically defunct, following troubles with its corporate sponsor.
Never fear, Fashion Art Toronto is picking up the slack with its bi-annual fashion week. A slightly more avant-garde spiritual successor to the TFW, this event pulls in industry luminaries from around the globe while highlighting homegrown brands. The whole thing plays out at Black Creek Assembly, just north of the Junction.
Bata Shoe Museum
Finally, let’s put in a plug for one of the city’s most unique and enduring cultural institutions: Bata Shoe Museum. The museum started as the personal collection of Sonja Bata, a Swiss-Canadian architect married to the CEO of the Bata Shoes company. She was fascinated by the history and stories around these unassuming clothing articles, and aimed to share their cultural impact with the world. The result is one of the finest museums of any kind in the city.
If you’re keen to see and be seen, these are your neighbourhoods, hot spots and events. If you’re looking to move to one of Toronto’s most fashionable areas, contact the expert agents at Harvey Kalles Real Estate. We can’t help you with your wardrobe, but we can find you a place with a walk-in closet!
