Book Talk: The Power of Style with Christian Allaire
- Date
- April 30, 2021
- Time
- 12:30 PM EDT - 1:00 PM EDT
- Location
- Online via Zoom
- Contact
- Laura Greflund, Alumni Relations Officer, laura.greflund@torontomu.ca
Hosted by:
Toronto Metropolitan University Alumni Relations
Description:
Join us on April 30 for a book talk with Christian Allaire, Fashion and Style Writer at Vogue, Author of The Power of Style, and Toronto Metropolitan University alumnus (Journalism ’14). Christian will discuss his upcoming book, The Power of Style (external link, opens in new window) — a book that explores how fashion and beauty are being used to reclaim cultures.
As a fashion-obsessed Ojibwe teen, Christian Allaire rarely saw anyone that looked like him in the magazines or movies he sought out for inspiration. Now the Fashion and Style Writer for Vogue, he is working to change that — because clothes are never just clothes. Men’s heels are a statement of pride in the face of LGTBQ+ discrimination, while ribbon shirts honor Indigenous ancestors and keep culture alive. Allaire takes the reader through boldly designed chapters to discuss additional topics like cosplay, make up, hijabs, and hair, probing the connections between fashion and history, culture, politics, and social justice.
This talk will be moderated by Dr. Ben Barry (opens in new window) , Chair, School of Fashion, Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Director, Centre for Fashion & Systemic Change, Toronto Metropolitan University
Speaker Bio
Christian Allaire is the Fashion and Style Writer at Vogue in New York City. He is First Nations (Ojibwe) and grew up on the Nipissing First Nation reserve in Ontario. After earning his Bachelor of Journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2014, he moved to New York to begin his career as a fashion editor at Footwear News. His freelance credits include Vogue, Elle, Mr. Porter, Hazlitt, Refinery 29, and more.
Moderator Bio
Ben Barry (he/him) is a fashion educator, scholar and academic leader who is committed to social justice in fashion education and the fashion industry. As Chair of the School of Fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University, Ben is leading the department through a deep transformation by embedding and prioritizing inclusion, decolonization and sustainability in the curriculum and culture. He is an Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and teaches courses that include fashion theory, design justice and LGBTQ2S+ design studio. Ben is currently editing the forthcoming anthology The Fashion Activist: Transforming Fashion Education and Ending Body Oppression (Intellect Books). Ben holds a PhD from Cambridge University.
Contact for more info
Laura Greflund, Alumni Relations Officer,
laura.greflund@torontomu.ca