STYLE
MENSWEAR AT ITS FINEST
Meet Canadian Luxury game changer
CHRISTOPHER BATES
BORN AND RAISED IN VANCOUVER, BATES’ EARLIEST MEMORIES OF FASHION INTRIGUE WERE FROM HIS CHILDHOOD OUTFITS. “MY MOM DRESSED MY BROTHERS AND I PRETTY COOL GROWING UP IN THE ‘80S,” HE CHUCKLES, ADDING THAT HE WOULD FEEL A CERTAIN “ENERGY” CONNECTED WITH PARTICULAR LOOKS. GROWING UP IN CANADA, HOWEVER, HE EXPLAINS THAT HE “NEVER REALLY THOUGHT OF FASHION AS A CAREER, IT WAS JUST SOMETHING [HE] LIKED.” HE STARTED OUT SKETCHING CLOTHING AND LOGOS, AND, BY THE AGE OF 13, HE HAD A BOOK FULL OF DESIGNS, AND IT WAS ALL JUST FOR ‘FUN.’
By Brenna Dixon Completing his BA from UBC, he went on to study marketing and advertising. “I liked the creative aspect of the business,” he claims, but he was unknowingly gathering fundamental skills for quite a successful future. He moved on to work as a marketing manager, a role that eventually allowed him to travel to Europe, and as a young adult, he returned to Northern Europe. Having visited when he was younger, he now stepped back into that world with newfound appreciation. “I was blown away by their style and individualism,” he remembers of a trip to Stockholm. Being immersed into the European aesthetic had re-triggered Bates’ inspiration. The decision was made: Bates was going to sell his apartment, move abroad, study, and start his own fashion brand. Researching the best design schools in the world, he naturally came across internationally renowned Art and Design Institute, Marangoni (alumni include: Franco Moschino, Alessandra Fachinetti, and Alessandro Sartori, to name a few). With no fashion portfolio or significant past experience, Bates’ eclectic background was leveraged by his precise vision, leading him to a successful time in Milan. The richness of the country’s culture was one of the main reasons why he chose Italy. “I always considered Italy the heart and soul of fashion for its legacy, materials, tailoring, and more,” he describes colourfully.
P.38
DTK MEN | FAS T & FURIOUS
