Spotlight: Rowe Rowe Your Boat Down This Fashion Stream

Even though I’ve lived in Toronto all my life, I just discovered the real Queen West area. Before, when you tell me that you’re heading over to the area, I’d think that you meant anything east of Bathurst. Well, without a metropass, I decided to take my time in heading over to the “End of the Decade” sale by strolling and taking in the neighborhood’s yuppie vibes. So when another sale in the same area popped up on my Twitter feed the next day, I was excited to head on over. Poking my head into the Gladstone Hotel is where I found designer Ashley Rowe and her self-titled collection.

Graduating from George Brown’s fashion management program three years ago, 26 year-old Ashley Rowe has already racked up some significant accomplishments, including internships/employment at FASHION, FLARE, Holt Renfrew , and the FDCC. Wanting to find a median between the exorbitant prices of designer department store Holt Renfrew and the stylish, yet lacking in workmanship and uniqueness, wardrobe staple of H&M, Ashley took the bold chance and started her own line in 2007.

Infusing the essences of England’s “out there” personality and American rock & roll style into her clothing, Ashley’s miss rowe line received its nomination as a finalist for the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s (TFI) prestigious New Labels competition. Particular about fabric choice, Ashley presents versatility as a designer with creations in leather, silk, linen, and Egyptian cotton. And with each season comes an evolution of the line; inspired by her holiday trip to Mexico, the upcoming season is said to be a “voyage into patterns, prints, and textures,” which I am sure will be hot with her clientele aged 20 to 40.

What remains a staple each season, though, is the suit; from the Fall’09 collection are the glimmering Lennon jacket paired with Ono pants. Believing in comfort and ease, this suit’s chic style, along with other pieces from Ashley’s line, allow for office girl to head from work to the lounge for drinks with her girlfriends after a long day. And with reference to the titling of the pieces, “Yoko” and “Ono,” Ashley creates a unique playlist for each season with Lykke Li as the inspiration for Spring’10, which features a colour palette stemming from nature and the surroundings of her parents’ farm.

What I love most about this line is that the edginess of Ashley’s fabric (and sometimes color) choices provide style for a night out on the town, and the excellent tailoring and key shapes permit them to be office appropriate. And with a small colour palette, it’s a delight to see what Ashley designs and how she makes each piece a must-have.

As of this past July, Ashley left the nest at TFI and moved into the Gladstone Hotel in the Queen West area where other designers and artists currently reside. Also, after four seasons of miss rowe, Ashley is embarking on her second line, ASHLEY ROWE.

For more information, check out Ashley’s website at http://www.ashleyrowe.com. But for now, watch her Fall ‘09 campaign, Les Smoking, featuring Mosha Lundström Halbert below: