Canadian women more tuned in to TV than fashion magazines will soon meet Kimberley Newport-Mimran, the charming designer behind Pink Tartan, when she brings her high-fashion line to the Shopping Channel on March 30.
It’s a bold move for the Canadian luxury label, which has been spotted on the backs of A-list celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Kim Cattrall and Vanessa Williams. The chic garments are relatively pricey, with a simple white cropped tee selling for $125 online.
So will the move to the Shopping Channel, clearly a more everyday market, be a cheaper version of the Pink Tartan label?
“No, no, I don’t compromise,” said Newport-Mimran in an interview minutes before her fall/winter 2014 collection hit the runway at Toronto’s World Mastercard Fashion Week. “Everything that’s on the Shopping Channel is in my collection. Some of it has hit stores already, very successfully.”
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“No cheapening Pink Tartan.”
Newport-Mimran showed her collection one hour before husband Joe Mimran — the “Joe” of Joe Fresh. Until now the couple seemed to live on two different fashion planets; Joe Fresh made a name in the fast fashion affordable world of $8 T-shirts, while Pink Tartan targeted Holt Renfrew buyers.
Newport-Mimran will present an edited collection of her pieces, including a $395 trench coat, for her Shopping Chanel debut.
“For me this was an opportunity to showcase my clothes three dimensionally and reach a new audience that wouldn’t normally see my clothes,” Newport-Mimran said.
She is hoping to hook the untapped market on her luxury line.
“My whole philosophy is bringing runway to real life, and it’s really about helping women get dressed, because it’s stressful for a lot of people,” she said.
“I study fashion, I’m pretty current, so it’s about helping them not make mistakes when they’re doing their spend.”
As for her new Pink Tartan Fall/Winter 2014 collection, Newport-Mimran was inspired by an iconic 1966 Vogue photo shoot of German model Veruschka von Lehndorff, draped in lavish furs.
“I love the whole spread. I love what she stood for. I love the way everything is draped so chicly, and I really modelled the girls look after her,” she said.
The collection was distinctly Canadian and subtly primal, with oversized fur mittens and accents of leather and bone. Simple black-and-white plaid coats and sweaters emblazoned with deer walked down the runway.
The pieces were mostly monochromatic, with a few pops of deep red and silver sparkle. Instead, Newport-Mimran played with fabrics.
“Everything starts with fabrics for me,” she said. “Blankets were very inspiring for me, how to take blankets and make them into chic, wearable pieces. I liked the Icelandic traditional sweater and the heavy wool mixed with light sports skirt.”