Candace Lau’s (BA ’13) up-and-coming contemporary outerwear label, Candace Daniela, graced the runways at Toronto Fashion Week and Toronto Men’s Fashion week in 2016, bringing luxury fabrics to high fashion.
Offering custom fittings for their bold outerwear pieces for men and women across North America, Candace Daniela proves to be breaking into the Canadian fashion scene with their unique offerings.
On top of growing her own fashion line, Candace, an economics alumnus, juggles a career in technology consulting as a Business Systems Consultant for CIBC.
We caught up with Candace to ask about her fashion line and life after Waterloo.
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Congratulations on Candace Daniela being part of Toronto Fashion week earlier this year. What does this mean for the future of your company?
Thank you! We’ve had such an amazing response from both Toronto Men’s Fashion week and Toronto Fashion Week this year. We hope to continue to build brand awareness and exposure to a wide ranging audience, not only in Canada, but also internationally within the next few years.
How do you manage a full-time career as a consultant while designing and managing Candace Daniela on the side?
It’s definitely difficult balancing both a day job and my own fashion label, but having my own label is something I have dreamed about for a long time. I realize that naturally, you always find ways to make time for the things you love. I am so lucky to have the tremendous support of my family and friends who continue to believe in me. Also, they understand my busy schedule but still find ways to help me no matter how small the task might be – such as sewing on buttons, or making a run to pick up supplies – I could definitely not do it without their support!
Do you plan to work on Candace Daniela exclusively in the future?
It definitely crosses my mind, and I use that as motivation to keep working and improving the Candace Daniela brand. I do enjoy the variation my current role gives me, including exposure to Capital Markets trading, and cutting edge technologies, so in a sense I feel that it makes me well rounded. Working in the financial industry has helped me with fashion because the “Bay Street” culture inspires much of my designs – finding the right mix between trendy and professional is something I thrive for in the designs.
Did Waterloo influence your aspirations in any way?
Most definitely! First and foremost, studying at Waterloo allowed me to meet people from all walks of life. Meeting people from different countries and cultures, who had different interests, allowed me to really evolve as an individual and learn from others. I was part of the Fashion for Change event which was a very first step to launching the brand. When I look back on it, some of the courses were very helpful, Speech Communication and Entrepreneurship were just a few that I found interesting and catered to my interests. These experiences have shaped who I am today and have helped me in my success both in the banking industry and fashion world.
Can you tell us a little about the evolving fashion scene in Canada?
Canadian fashion is becoming stronger than ever. There are more opportunities in fashion now in Canada and many Canadian designers are becoming internationally known. There has been so much support from other Canadians, including the "buy local" movement.
Toronto Fashion Week had adopted the "Canadian Made" slogan to support and promote Canadian designers. Although Toronto Fashion Week was cancelled for Spring/Summer this year, Canadian designers have found new ways to come together, collaborate and create a stronger community.
With fast fashion dominating the market, designers are exploring and creating new ways to adopt a more "see now, buy now" experience for consumers. I think this pushes designers outside of their comfort zone and forces them to be even more creative in their marketing and sales strategies.
What has been the most exciting aspect of working in fashion so far?
It is so exciting seeing my work worn by people I’ve never met or having a friend message me when they spot a Candace Daniela garment worn on the streets of Toronto or in a magazine. Just recently, a friend texted me saying she saw a piece from my Fall/Winter collection in FLARE magazine while flipping through magazines at a nail salon. There was so much excitement and joy when I went to the newsstand to pick up a copy for myself.
Even more exciting is the amount of incredibly creative and talented people I get to meet. It is amazing to see the creative talents of others and it is so inspiring to see and hear about their journey. Not just designers, but photographers, models, show producers, hair and makeup artists etc. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with talented individuals so closely.
Any words of wisdom for students or young alumni interested in working in fashion?
Dream big and set realistic goals and milestones to achieve that dream. When you achieve incremental goals, no matter how small, the idea of achieving that dream no longer becomes impossible. In my case, it fuelled my fire, and although I still have a lot of goals to meet, I don’t take any of the accomplishments for granted, and am enjoying every minute of it.
