Fashion - House of Etiquette
- Pushing the boundaries of Canadian fashion; House of Etiquette rises to the top of alternative couture.
By Victoria Izzio
Latex clothing is not a well known material in the world of couture. It's skin-tight, shiny and screams sex. Yet, a Canadian design couple has managed to turn the material into elegant and beautiful (and, dare I say it, modest) pieces that would flatter your body in a way that feels like a second skin.
House of Etiquette is a latex fashion company run by Toronto designers Ashley Davies and Matthew Smart. The two decided to create their own latex line after noticing a significant lack of 'tasteful' latex pieces.
“We both got into designing with it because there wasn't a lot of really nice, classy stuff out there in North America. Most of it you could picture in leather in an 80s bar,” said Davies with a laugh. “And that's just not our style.”
With her background in lingerie design, and Smart's history of technical design, the two created sensual, curve-hugging and elegant pieces. A far leap from the typical fetishistic latex lingerie.
“Our brand kind of walks that fine line between both alternative and high fashion, but more leaning towards the latter. Everything you see is hand-made, in Canada, it's really high quality, it's not mass produced or anything like that. It's not sold in sex stores, we're more of a boutique brand,” said Davies. All of their designs are currently being sold through their e-commerce website www.houseofetiquette.com
After only one year, the team has been able to harbour attention in a number of ways. Appearing on the runway of Toronto's alternative fashion week FAT, the design duo were able to showcase their talents to a larger audience than with their previous shows. (mostly taking place in small art galleries) Both agreed it was a hectic weekend, but was worth it for the amount of attention received.
“We made lots of contacts with people like stylists who wanted to use our stuff,” said Davies. “A lot of online coverage, too. There were blogs that noticed us,” added Smart.
It was also the debut of their second line since the launch of their official website. The collection titled 'Devotee' had a significant underlying message for the designer couple.
The line featured ultra-feminine silhouettes with high-waisted skirts and dresses cinched to perfection and printed floral designs.
“We had a lot of positive feedback. People were really surprised with what we did with latex, especially when we told them it was latex,” said Davies.
In the world of high fashion, trends can be a revolving door of disposable fashion. While House of Etiquette is couture in terms of alternative fashion, it manages to stay current and classic.
“If you're going to spend $600 on a catsuit you don't want it to go out of style the next week. We focus on long-lasting fashions. What could someone look good in three years from now?” said Davies.
Though trends in latex aren't as fast paced as the rest of the fashion industry, they remain consistent.
“They're not as specific as mainstream fashion, either,” mentioned Smart.
Not being restricted by ever-changing trends gives the two more creative freedom, making fresh and modern pieces with their take on classic shapes.
“We look at a lot of historical fashions and see how we could adapt that into latex and make it flattering. You can't just completely copy something that's older. A lot of (designers) will copy an exact corset or a certain skirt that's from a historical reference, but in latex you have to completely change your way of thinking of putting a garment together.” explained Davies.
Since their debut at FAT, House of Etiquette has been credited in fashion editorials and in a number of blogs and news stories around the web. Yet one of their biggest successes has been due to a famous pop singer.
Lady Gaga had been spotted at her concert in Singapore, leaving a nightclub in Sydney and at the Howard Stern show in House of Etiquette pieces. Of course, for a Toronto-based clothing brand, word that the famous fashionista was sporting their goods was incredible news.
“We didn't think it was real. We were kind of on the edges of our seats for months until we saw her perform in our stuff. We were like, “Oh my god, it's real!”." said Davies.
This isn't the first brush with celebrity that House of Etiquette has faced. At the beginning of their career, Davies and Smart had the opportunity to have their pieces shown in a music video. Outfits from their first collection were paraded in an eerie outdoor fashion show in the video 'Hollow World' by alternative rock band Johnny Hollow.
Ashley and Matthew still remain humble about their new found success, and are already churning out ideas for the near future. They hope to collaborate with other designers and continue to show their designs in fashion shows like the upcoming Montreal Fetish Weekend.
With the 'Devotee' line up for sale by the end of summer 2011, a new fall line and website are also in the works.
“It's going to be like an elegant lingerie line. More inner-wear, lots of really, really elegant prints. Lots of 1950s stylings, corsetry, all that kind of stuff.” said Davies of the fall 2011 line.
Their biggest goal, however, is to continue on doing what they love most.
“Definitely pushing the boundaries of Canadian fashion!” said Davies with a smile in her voice.
No matter what designs the two release, it will always be clear that Ashley and Matthew are devoted to their work, and to each other.