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Draft:Robin Kay


Robin Kay is a Toronto-based internationally-known fashion designer, retailer, chain store manager and industry advocate, lobbyist and supporter, publicist and organizer.Kay was born in 1950, daughter of Harvey and Sima Kay, and raised in Winnipeg. Commerce was an integral part of her life from the beginning. As related in the 2018 article “Robin Kay: Schooled by Life”, business was:

… a lesson learned growing up in Winnipeg in a family of entrepreneurs where the how-to’s of business were schooled upon her simply by her being there, an education through osmosis. She tells me, “I grew up in a very commercial environment. My grandfather was a cooper, a barrel maker, my father didn’t go to school, he joined his father. From barrels they went into steel drums, the company then grew into plastics etc. So I really heard all of that. I learned the intensity of making, buying, selling.”

She attended the University of North Dakota, but left before earning her degree, and travelled around Europe in 1969. While there she worked in a jewelry store in London and as a cook aboard a boat in Spain. She moved to Toronto in 1976 landing jobs at The Bay and then in the Eatons display department. She soon realized she wanted to run her own business and opened her first clothing store called Robin in 1976 on Bellair Avenue in Yorkville. It was stocked with interesting and unusual clothing including army surplus clothes and uniforms, jumpsuits, oversize workwear and tartan vests, as well as flea market finds. Although an upstart, she developed a reputation for being ahead of the trends. And after meeting a designer from Switzerland – Judit Adam - Kay then started to design her own clothing line – primarily knitted garments with particular success coming to her one-size-fits-all cotton sweaters. Her aim was to produce simple but comfortable clothing that could be worn all year round.

The Design and Retail Years

The company, now incorporated as Robin Kay Clothing Co. Ltd., opened two more branches in Toronto: Hazelton Avenue, and Eaton Centre. She entered into a partnership with commodities broker David Rothberg, and started the manufacture of her own clothing designs, operating her first cut and sew only mini factory on Simcoe street, then moved to 22 Mowat street in Liberty Village to  larger premises to build a knitting mill and design offices to complement the cut and sew activities.

A description of her first set of designs appeared in the Ottawa Citizen when she visited that city in July 1982:

There is a men’s line and a woman’s line, which are available in 10 different colors. Oversized sweaters, medium-sized sweaters, skirts in three lengths, jogging pants, shots, dickeys, leg warmers and accessories such as headbands and handbags provide versatility and can be combined for different looks. The older, more conservative crowd at the open house opted for an elegant look in a knit cardigan, sleeveless boat-neck sweater and knee-length skirt. More adventurous customers pulled together sensational, bright looks by compiling huge, plump pullovers with minute skirts in contrasting colors, then topping it off with inventive, detachable dickeys and bibs.

Industry recognition slowly came to her. In September 1984, Kay was one of the semi-finalists in the Clairol Fashion Awards. She had her first national profile written by the Globe & Mail’s David Livingston in August 1985:

No doubt Robin Kay could write a book on knits. Since 1982, her two Robin stores (among the city’s consistently stylish establishments) have carried primarily cotton knits. Moreover, she is in charge of the design and production of these garments from the yarn stage. This leaves Robin Kay wise but with not much time for writing books, especially not when she has a new third store in Toronto (from now on, all the stores will be called Robin Kay), has plans for opening a store in Edmonton on September 10, has just remarried, and is expecting her second baby on September 13.

She explained that her designs “..are not conceived in terms of age; that, as trite as it may sound to say it, they have to do with an attitude. Inherent in that attitude is the desire for clothes that I can wear to the office, that my mother will like, that I feel sexy in, that I can afford.”

In 1986 Kay added to her adult “Everywear” cotton lines. The burgeoning children’s clothing market beckoned (Robin Kay for Kids), as well as that for pregnant women. She opened another store in Mississauga’s newly-constructed Square One, and moved her offices to 47 Simcoe Street in downtown Toronto. And she received national television coverage when she produced an hour-long fashion show of her lines on the Life Channel talk show Shirley in October.

Kay participated in a massive fashion show called The Festival of Canadian Fashion in April 1987. Held at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre, the five-day affair brought together designers, makeup artists, fashion writers and magazines, various provincial fashion, apparel manufacturing and fur garment organizations, clothing stores, politicians from all levels of government, musicians, corporate sponsors, and exhibitors. Delegates came from British Columbia, Yukon, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario. It was a roaring success, and the synergy produced by so many disparate groups coming together was not lost on Kay.

Kay was also an important member of the Fashion Cares fundraising event at the Diamond Club in June 1987 to raise awareness of AIDS and assist those that contracted the ailment. She was among the celebrity hosts and auctioneers of celebrity fashion pieces (and Fashion Cares t-shirts) along with MuchMusic VJ Erica Ehm, fashion photographer Jim Allen, actress Robin Duke, producer of the Festival of Canadian Fashion Steven Levy, and singer Lisa Del Bello.

Robin Kay stores continued to multiply. By the summer of 1987 there were four more in the GTA: Forest Hill Village, The Promenade in Thornhill, 922 Eglinton Avenue, and Bayview Village Shopping Centre. She moved her corporate offices again: this time to 189 Dufferin Street near King Street. The Robin Kay empire was highlighted yet again by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business in November of that year. Writer Barbara Aarsteinsen examined how clothing manufacturers and retailers were “…venturing into each other’s turf. ”  She explained that Kay and Rothberg were initially happy to run a retail business, but due to dissatisfaction with suppliers and contractors, they:

…found themselves caught up in production as well as marketing, overseeing everything from design of their garments to cutting, sewing and shipping. Six years later, under the umbrella of Robin Kay Clothing Co. Ltd., they now head a seven-store chain, stocked completely and exclusively with their own label, turned out entirely from their own factory in downtown Toronto.

It continued:

Having recently formed a U.S. partnership, they are also planning to branch out south of the border this coming spring with an outlet in Chicago, followed by a second store next fall.

The story was picked up by the Canadian Press and appeared in numerous Canadian newspapers in December.

The beginning of 1988 saw another store added to the stable. This one was at 620 Richmond Street in London, ON., and her flagship store on Hazelton Avenue in Yorkville was completely renovated and upgraded. The Chicago store came into being in the Plaza Del Lago. Kay made another fashion splash that summer. Her pure cotton t-shirts (in either black or white) were emblazoned with the logo “Look, Dream, Play and Work”. Lee Prokaska of the Hamilton Spectator composed another complimentary profile of Kay in April 1988 under the headline “Beyond Ordinary”. It too was picked up by the Canadian Press and made its way across Canada via the CP member newspapers. Already well-known in Toronto, Kay was rapidly becoming a household name across the country. That was cemented in December 1988 when she opened her ninth store at 1243 St. Catherine Street W. in Montreal.

In 1990 Kay brought into her business a pronounced patriotic and caring philosophy. Her advertising emphasized this in no uncertain terms. For example an ad in the Toronto Star for January 24 read:

WE CARE ABOUT CANADA – Our clothing is designed and manufactured entirely in Canada because we proudly believe in being a Canadian company and it is from the sincerity of this belief that all Canadian benefit.

WE CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT – For the past ten years, Robin Kay Clothing has been made of pure fine combed cotton, so the recent trend towards environmental commitment is one that, if you’ll pardon the pun, comes naturally to us.

WE CARE ABOUT OUR CLOTHES – We make beautiful cotton knitwear pure and simple that can be worn everywear with style, comfort and pride at a price that is more than competitive.

WE CARE ABOUT YOU – You are our main concern. Robin Kay is a marriage of product  and people. Our stores are designed to make you feel as comfortable as our clothing. Our clothing is designed to be environmentally healthy in a country we believe in, out of beautiful, durable cotton for you to enjoy for decades to come.

She expanded her product line to include “Robin Care” - towels, soaps, shampoos, oils, creams, and beeswax candles. The Kay brand continued to grow at an astounding rate – both in-store and from a printed catalogue. She sold her collection at approximately 800 specialty shops across North America including a Robin Kay Department within the Italian-owned Brettons. In the first half of 1990 she took her collection (as a fashion show) on a tour of the major Canadian Bretton stores including the Rideau Centre (Ottawa), West Edmonton Mall (Edmonton), and Chinook Centre (Calgary). She opened further eponymous franchised stores across Canada too - Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, West Vancouver, and Victoria. At her peak she had 22 stores and fulfilled almost 600 wholesale accounts.

By 1999 – deep in debt, Kay took on a partner for her business by the name of Wing Son Garments. After a legal conflict over the ownership of her stores - Kay decided she had done all she could do in the retail sector. She disengaged, and the stores were renamed RK. They did not last long without her guiding hand and her presence.

Fashion Design Council of Canada:

Kays greatest contribution to the world of fashion presented itself in 1999, when she proceeded to organize an umbrella body for the country’s fashion industry- the Fashion Design Council of Canada. The FDCC subsumed and took over the provincial organization known as Designers Ontario, and started opening doors to designers, manufacturers, retailers, photographers, and writers across the country. With Kay as its first, and so far only president, the non-profit organization dedicated itself to assisting and supporting the Canadian fashion industry. It did so with relentless promotion of the design, manufacture, sales and distribution of Canadian product to both Canadian retailers and abroad. It also advised and lobbied the many layers of governments to help formulate a policy on the fashion industry. In addition to Kay and her office staff, the FDCC has a board of advisors which has been chaired by Jim Searle (2000-2002) and Joe Mimran (2003 – present). Among the numerous figures from the Canadian fashion world who have served on the board are Barbara Atkin, Jeannie Bekker, Dominic Bellisimo, Suzanne Boyd, Nina Budman, Eric Dingman, Yumi Eto, Lorne Gertner, Ian Hylton, Alexandre Legendre, Linda Prince, Ruth Promislow, Stephanie Rourke Jackson, Rachel Simpson, Suzanne Timmins, and Chris Tyrell.

Its 2006 lobbying registration document describes it as operating as the national trade association representing the interests of the Canadian design industry. It sought government support and funding to assist it in its efforts, and later corporate sponsorship. It brings foreign designers to Canadian markets and vice-versa. It also showcases Canadian product to the country at large, and to the wider world.

The FDCC has undertaken numerus initiatives. In 2000 it teamed up with the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television to dress the award presenters on the CBC broadcast of the Gemini award show on October 30th. Kay arranged for various designers such as Brian Bailey, Wenches and Rogues, and Hoax Couture to come up with new dress designs. Also in 2000 FDCC helped BMW connect with candidates from across the country to compete to design the interior, exterior and accessories for a BMW 540i sedan. Some of those included Brian Bailey, Crystal Siemens, Wayne Clark, Jim Searle, Sunny Choi, Amit Khurana and Tu Ly.

2003 saw the FDCC produce – in conjunction with the Bloor-Yorkville Improvement Area - a style show with the world’s longest fashion runway erected along Bloor Street between Yonge Street and Avenue Road. Called the Toronto International Fashion Festival’s Be Bloor event, it was timed to coincide with the Toronto International Film Festival and was organized by Kay, Senator Jerry Grafstein and Phillip Ing, director of the Fashion Cares shows.

Another important activity for the FDCC was to bring the creations of Canadian designers to the attention of other territories. For example, following the Fall 2004 Fashion Week, Kay flew to Milan to showcase Canadian designers. According to the Toronto Star:

She departs Sunday with a trunkload of Canadian designs to display at fashion week in Milan. The Italy-bound collections are Pink Tartan, Arthur Mendonca and David Dixon of Toronto, Paul Hardy of Calgary, and Denis Gagnon and Renate Morales of Montreal. Jane Apor of J.Rox and Rita Tesolin are providing accessories. The venture grew from the twinning of Toronto and Milan. “We brought Missoni here to show last season” Kay says, “Now its our turn, as part of our continuing effort to get more Canadian fashion on the radar in Europe”. The FDCC, the Canadian government and the City of Toronto have all kicked in funds for the 47-square-metre display                   that will be set up just inside the Fiera trade centre where many of the shows are held. Two flat screen televisions will show footage from Toronto Fashion Week and Kay plans to hold a reception next week.

A project that received considerable press attention was a design contest by VIA Rail Canada to update the uniforms their employees were wearing. In conjunction with the FDCC, twenty-three applications were reviewed, and the winner was Montreal-based handbag designer Xiao Wei who was awarded $10,000 in travel credits.

Toronto Fashion Week:

Undoubtedly the largest and widest-reaching event the FDCC organized was the Toronto Fashion Week. It was inspired partly by The Festival of Canadian Fashion and by ongoing Fashion Week events in London, Paris, and New York. Kay brought into being the first truly Canadian annual fashion event starting in 2001. It was a conference, symposium, social meeting, and trade exhibition all in one. Each event – one in the spring, one in the fall, highlighted the work of between 25 to 50 Canadian designers. Kay was its first executive director. It quickly grew in size and reach and was held in numerous locations in Toronto.

The FDCC produced 24 editions of Toronto Fashion Week as follows:

Fall 2000 (September 6-10, 2000) at Windsor Arms Hotel - Take a Deep Breath

Spring 2001 (March 19-25, 2001) at Windsor Arms Hotel - Fall Into 2001 with Canadian Fashion

Fall 2001 (September 19-21, 2001) at Liberty Grand Complex - Design, Create, Define

Spring 2002 (March 18-24, 2002) at Liberty Grand Complex - Cool Fashion from a Cold Country

Fall 2002 (October 15-19, 2002) at Liberty Grand Complex - Cool Fashion from a Cold Country

Spring 2003 (March 18-21, 2003) at Liberty Grand - Hot Fashion from a Cool Country

Fall 2003 (September 22-25, 2003) at The Carlu - Are You Ready?

Spring 2004 (March 22-26, 2004) at Liberty Grand Complex - Canadian Chic

Fall 2004 (September 20-25, 2004) at Liberty Grand Complex - Canadian Chic

Spring 2005 (March 14-19, 2005) at Liberty Grand Complex - Canadian Cool

Fall 2005 (October 17-22, 2005) at Muzik, Exhibition Place - A Perfect 10

Spring 2006 (March 13-18, 2006) at Liberty Grand Complex - no theme title

Fall 2006 (October 16-21, 2006) at Liberty Grand Complex - Canadian Cool

Spring 2007 (March 13-17, 2007) at Liberty Grand Complex - World Piece

Fall 2007 (October 22-27, 2007) staged in tents at Nathan Phillips Square - Who Are You Wearing?

Spring 2008 (March 17-22, 2008) staged in tents at Nathan Phillips Square - Wear in the World

Fall 2008 (October 20-25, 2008) staged in tents at Nathan Phillips Square - Fabulous

Spring 2009 (March 16-21, 2009) staged in tents at Nathan Phillips Square - Show Love

Fall 2009 (October 19-24, 2009) staged in tents at King and Shaw - Wear Love

Spring 2010 (March 28-April 1, 2010) at Allstream Centre, Exhibition Place - The Power of Style

Fall 2010 (October 18-23, 2010) at Heritage Court, Exhibition Place - The Style of Power

Spring 2011 (March 28-April 2, 2011) at Heritage Court, Exhibition Place - The Business of Fashion - Work It

Fall 2011 (October 17-22, 2011) staged in tents at David Pecaut Square - Canada Cool

Spring 2012 (March 12-15, 2012) staged in tents at David Pecaut Square - Canadian Catwalk

Kay brought both minor and major sponsors on board – Industry Canada, City of Toronto Economic Development, Ontario Tourism, Ontario Exports Inc., Air France, Alfred Sung, Fashion Group International, Joe Fresh, Roots, Barbie (Mattel), Evian, Stella Artois, Svarovski, Maybelline New York, MAC Cosmetics, Holt Renfrew, Eaton Centre, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Inniskillen, eBay.ca, Mercedes-Benz Canada, Town Shoes, Sony, Grand Marnier, Fairweather, VIA Rail, Redken, Intercontinental Hotels, Fairmont Royal York, Four Seasons Hotels, Drake Hotel, and media partners CityTV, Rogers, Virgin Radio, Fashion Television, Astral  Media, Globe Style, Elle, Fashion Magazine, Toronto Life, EnRoute, National Post, and Flare Magazine. Three sponsors opened their pockets so widely in certain years that the event was named for them: L’Oreal Fashion Week (2002-2009), LG Electronics Fashion Week (2009-2011), and World Mastercard Fashion Week (2012).

She also convinced internationally-known designers to come to Toronto Fashion Week to show their work and advise younger Canadian designers (Phillip Bloch – 2007, Max Chernitsov – 2008, Talenti Moda Milano – 2008)), as well as invited personnel from other countries Fashion Weeks, buyers, industry watchers, and members of the press from various European countries, Japan and the U.S.A. Kay even engaged internationally-known bands to provide entertainment such as Maroon 5 (2008).

Kay designed and assembled the guidebooks for each TFW season with the assistance of firms such as MIA Multimedia Design and Eddee Design Studio. They were not only visually attractive, but they are likely THE year-by-year record of the higher echelons of the Canadian fashion industry at the time of their publication. They contained an immense amount of information including lists of FDCC board of directors, staff, advisory board members, Fashion Week production teams, and public relations teams, as well as short essays and opinion pieces on aspects of fashion, profiles and portraits of the leading-edge designers, list of event sponsors, schedule of events, site plans-directions, and advertisements.

TFW quickly became the second largest fashion week in North America, with peak attendance reaching over 75,000 spectators, and for several years the budget reaching over $1 million. Most of the Fashion Weeks gave a considerable financial boost to the Toronto and Canadian economies, and so their significance was not just aesthetic but economic as well. In 2012 the FDCC sold the event to one of their major sponsors IMG (Kay stepped down as the events executive director, though remained as president of FDCC), who carried it on until 2016 when it closed down permanently.

With the closing of this chapter of her career, Kay did not relax. She actually became even more busy. For years the FDCC and the fashion industry as a whole had been arguing that it was an economic driver to the Canadian economy, but there was a lack of in-depth statistics to support this. While Kay devoted considerable time to lobbying the various ministries of culture and heritage for recognition and funding support, conversations and meetings did not seem to either curry respect nor carry much weight.

In response the FDCC commissioned the first serious evidence-based analysis of the impact of the fashion design industry in both Ontario and in Canada. The study, completed by policy and economic analysts Nordicity in 2015, examined employment statistics, labour income, and the industry’s contribution to the Canada’s GDP. Their report Made in Canada: The Direct Economic Impact of Canada’s Fashion Design Industry found that the fashion industry directly adds $893 million to the Canadian economy. This undoubtedly led to the legitimacy, recognition, credibility and further public investment that Kay and the FDCC had been aiming for.

That same year Kay contributed to the consultations relating to the Ontario Government’s first ever Culture Strategy. Then-minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport Michael Coteau assured Kay in writing that: “The Ontario government values both the art and the business of fashion design”, and from the information gathering process, it was determined that his ministry “… had invested $3.1 million to support fashion in the province, including exhibitions, community activities, high-profile events, and individual designers”. Its report The Ontario Culture Strategy: Telling Our Stories, Growing Our Economy was issued in 2016.

The following year the Department of Canadian Heritage finally recognized the integral part that fashion plays in contributing to Canada's cultural fabric, identity, and economy. Their report, entitled Creative Canada's Policy Framework updated, expanded and explained federal policy tools to support and strengthen the nation’s creative industries. It reads: "In our vision, we move deliberately to using “creative industries” to include a wider range of industries that contribute to the creative sector: design, fashion, architecture, video games, digital media and multiplatform storytelling - transmedia. The intent is to recognize their role as employers and producers in the creative economy."

The FDCC – under the vigorous leadership of Kay – has done more to unify the various branches of the Canadian fashion industry, raise its level of professionalism, and put Canadian fashion on the map than any other organization or individual in the previous fifty years.

Kay’s vision however always had an international character. Starting in 2018 she joined the board of The Commonwealth Fashion Council - another non-profit organization focused on the advancement of all Commonwealth fashion industries, and which was accredited by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Its aims were to support and advocate sustainable development, education, youth and gender empowerment in the current and emerging fashion industries within the fifty-two member Nations of the Commonwealth and promote trade links.

It hosted the first-ever Commonwealth Fashion Exchange during London Fashion Week that year. It was:

… a major showcase of collaborative pieces created by established and emerging designers and artisans from across the 52 Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange will be revealed in a celebration at      Buckingham Palace on February 19, in the presence of HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and HRH The Countess of Wessex. … The exhibit will then be displayed at select locations across London starting February 21, including Australia House, before eventually travelling to select Commonwealth countries. It will also live online through a digital platform hosted by Google Arts & Culture.

Kay served on the board as the Canadian representative for four years.

Kays’s career has seen its highs and lows, but she has consistently forged her own path. Though lacking in formal training, she has excelled at a number of activities and established herself as a designer, retailer, chain store manager, co-founder, manager and spokesperson of a country-wide industry association, founder and producer-manager of an internationally respected fashion week event, and networker with corporate sponsors, government departments, and ambassador to international fashion events and organizations, all to gain recognition and support for the Canadian fashion industry. Along the way she launched the careers of dozens of Canadian designers, mentored countless students, support and administrative workers, and raised the profiles of fashion writers, commentators, photographers and videographers. And all this was accomplished by just tackling the issues and taking the initiative.

For her various roles Kay was included among the “Power 50 Women” in Canada in the National Post (2003), was the feature profile in the April 2013 issue of FAJO Magazine (“Robin Kay – a woman of power”), and received the FGI Fashion Visionary Award in 2017, and the IFE Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Fashion Encounter in 2018.

References

Aarsteinsen, B. “Clothing makers, retailers venturing into each other’s turf“, Globe & Mail, 9 November 1987

“An Extraordinary Life of Highs and Lows”, Toronto Star, 20 December 2008

“Council promotes Canada”, National Post, 15 March 2003

Defalco, J. “Keeping cool – in a sweater”, Ottawa Citizen, 13 July 1982

“Designers Compete In Clairol Fashion Awards”, Daily Gleaner, 15 September 1984

Gabrys, V. “Designer cottoned on to secret of sales success”, Edmonton Journal, 10 April 1990

“Kay’s designs – comfortable cotton”, North Bay Nugget, 29 March 1988

La Rose, L. “Canadian, international designers share spotlight”, Times Transcript, 17 March 2008

Livingstone, D. “A Book of Knits”, Globe & Mail, 7 July 1985

Morra, B. “Robin Kay’s bustling business based on cotton”, Toronto Star, 3 August 1989

“Out on a limb for quality”, Vancouver Province, 19 November 1987

Prokaska, L. “Beyond ordinary: Robin Kay gives practical clothes a fashionable flair”, Hamilton Spectator, 13 April 1988

Rajpal, M. “Robin Kay: Schooled by Life”, online blog, 27 September 2018, https://www.monitarajpal.com/single-post/2018/11/29/robin-kay-schooled-by-life 4/6

Reid, P. “Toronto Fashion Week: Celebrating Canada’s Style”, Toronto Star, 15 October 2011

“Robin Kay built a fashion empire on meagre start”, Brantford Expositor, 28 April 1988

Sasvari, J. “More clout sought for Canadian designers”, Calgary Herald, 13 August 2002

“Special week brings Canada’s fashion to the rest of the world”, National Post, 20 September 2003

“The Cotton connection”, Winnipeg Sun, 13 October1988

“Try this catwalk in stiletto heels”, Toronto Star, 25 September 2003

Yakobi, H. “Robin Kay – a woman of power”, FAJO Magazine, 12 April 2013, https://www.fajomagazine.com/exclusives/robin-kay/

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