RODARTE'S KATE & LAURA MULLEAVY IN TORONTO AT THE BAY

Rodarte's Kate & Laura Mulleavy in Toronto - May 2012

Since their Debut in 2005, Sisters Kate & Laura Mulleavy have taken the Fashion World by storm. The Designing Duo, known for their Collaborative Line Rodarte, have become a hit among Celebrities with their most loyal of Fans including Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, Rooney Mara, Taylor Swift, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Rachel McAdams and many more.

The Mulleavy Sisters arrived in Toronto yesterday from Los Angeles for a rare appearance to launch their Van Gogh-inspired Collection which now is available at The Room at The Bay - Queen Street. In addition to being welcomed via a Private Party at the Store, the two sat down and chatted with the esteemed Jeanne Beker earlier today before Fans - an experience they admit as being a bit surreal as they grew-up watching Fashion Television.

In addition to a high-profile Collaboration with Target, Rodarte's Profile recently received a significant boost through their work on Academy Award-nominated and winning Black Swan.  The Mulleavy Sisters count that Film's Star Natalie Portman, among their best Friends and although they were late to crossover into the realm of Celebrity, they admit that exposure has had its benefits.  "It just gives a global awareness to what you're doing ...and has a different type of life with so many people seeing what you're doing, in addition to people who might not have followed your collections", says Kate Mulleavy.  "When that awareness happens, hopefully you want to translate something about your Brand in the right way and the integrity of your design.".

The Sisters admit that up until recently many of their Friends had no idea what they did for a living. "Some of our Friends would ask 'Are you guys planning to go on Project Runway?'", laughs Laura Mulleavy, who feels a key to their resilience is having many close Friends who happen not to be in the World of Fashion.

I had the pleasure of chatting quickly with the Mulleavy Sisters, who personalized my Black Swan Photobook from Japan.  "Wow!  I've never seen this before!", she admits to me as she flipped through the Book.  "I'm going to give you a bit of exclusive info - we didn't actually design the Dress Natalie is wearing on the Cover here as our Costumes weren't finished yet when they shot that Photo.  The Photo you see here actually was used for a Poster for Swan Lake seen in the Movie.". *gushing*  They even were kind enough to pose for a Photo despite being in a rush to catch their Flight!

Follow Rodarte on Twitter here and don't forget to check-out their Collection at The Room!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

MAGGIE CHEUNG'S RODARTE COLLECTION FOR UNICEF

I don't often get to cover Asian artists on my blog, but today I want to pay tribute to an exceptional actress who has helped place Chinese cinema on the map internationally.  To say that Maggie Cheung is elegance incarnate would be an understatement.  

Cheung was born in Hong Kong and spent most of her adolescence in London, England before moving back to Hong Kong, landing a job as sales representative at an upscale department store Lane Crawford.  In 1983, she placed as first runner-up in TVB's Miss Hong Kong Pagaent and from there she went on to gain starring roles in campy television series for a number of years before branching into cinema.

There has been no turning back since then.  She has won Best Actress Awards at the prestigious Cannes and Berlin International Film Festivals.  In 2007, The New York Times hailed Cheung as one of the 22 Greatest Performers of the year for her performance in ex-husband Olivier Assayas' film Clean, which was filmed across Canada, France and England.  The role demanded she speak fluently in English, French and Cantonese.  And she did it with ease. It also brings me great pride to know she filmed the movie, which earned her that prestigious award at Cannes, here in Toronto.

Many of you might not know this but Cheung actually appeared in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 hit Inglourious Basterds, although her scenes were cut from the final version we saw in theatres.   Tarantino called her in Cannes to let her know that his film was already clocking at over 150 minutes, leaving little room for any footage not central to the story.  She is pretty much in retirement mode now as an actress.

American fashion house Rodarte previously collaborated on a collection with Target and known most for its deconstructed/gothic looks.  It has teamed up with upscale Hong Kong fashion retailer JOYCE, Swarovski Elements and Cheung herself to create a one-time only collection for UNICEF.  Each piece was featured recently at a private silent auction/exhibit as one-of-a-kind pieces and together they raised  over $500k HK (approximately $100k CAN/US) for the cause.