cup of red: next door style

*olie designs

*all photos courteosy of martin prihoda from lumondo photography (http://www.lumondo.com/)

flip through the pages of vogue, fashion, W or any of the glossy fashion magazines and we are bombarded with large name labels like LV, prada, gucci and more. their opulence fulfills our fashion savvy spirit like candy for our eyes. but have you thought of your neighbours? maybe they are also the creators of unique, beautiful and wearable items. this is why Vanessa Fors founded the grassroots organization called “next door style” which shines the spotlight on local fashion and jewellery designers found next door. Like most of us, she thought she knew all the local designers as a children’s wear designer herself, but there’s really more creativeness in the city than one could imagine. “next door style” is an chic online store which invites designers and consumers to connect together in one central hub. true that there are online “esty stores”, but in it, vancouver’s creative bunch soon become lost in a sea of international designers. instead, “next door style” is focused on vancouver’s fashion with an assortment of designers in accessories, sports, native wear and more. with its current representation of 16 local artists, such as jolie mack accessories, olie designs and nixxi, the site is rapidly growing since its founding only a mere four weeks ago.

*jolie mack designs

as a BCIT marketing student and self-made designer, Fors understands the struggles of being a designer and the need of having a business sense in the competitive market. in filling the need, “next door style” helps market vancouver designers as a whole and foster their growth by offering weekly business tips sent to their email inbox. the current goal is to increase brand recognition and customer reach in the local scene, but with potential exposure to the international market.

*jolie couture

the launch party at the hip Raw Canvas showed tremendous local support to the cause. when asked why she chose Raw Canvas as the venue for “next door style’s” launch party, Fors thought it represented the unity of art and design. with live music in the air, attendees were invited to try their hand at painting on the canvas while mingling with the designers. a resident artist of Raw Canvas, Jillmarie Stokes was seen painting away at her abstract tears for cherry blossom. although there were “next door style” based fashion photos from Martin Prihoda and scarce display of some designers’ items, the party would have been even more outstanding if there was larger showcase of the designers creations. perhaps in the future we should look out for a possible “next door style” fashion show! ending on a good note, all donations from the night are going to Art’s Umbrella to foster creativity in the young.