The One of a Kind website has a page dedicated to all of the vendors of its Spring Show.Rebecca Tisdelle- Macias 6472310068
With more than 800 vendors present at its Christmas edition, the biannual One of a Kind is the largest and most heavily attended craft show in North America. Following the cancellation of this spring’s show, which was set to take place in March, organizers are taking the show online. To connect with the 500 artisans and small businesses from across Canada who were slated to participate, would-be attendees can now visit booths virtually. Through the Instagram account @ooak_toronto, One of a Kind is filming live stories that feature each 2020 spring show artisan. These sessions take place from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST daily throughout the month of April and are also archived to Instagram story highlights for later viewing.
Founded in 1975, One of a Kind has a mandate of promoting the culture of craft, providing a marketplace for vendors and also a meeting place for the Canadian craft community. Each show is given a theme, which for spring was transformation. With curated neighbourhoods devoted to food, emerging talent and fashion, artisans demonstrate how materials can be transformed through gestures like pinching, pressing and twisting to create something new.
To purchase these unique pieces, the One of a Kind website has a page dedicated to all of the vendors of the Spring Show. Vendors can be explored by category, neighbourhood or company name, or take a look through new additions to the show. Each profile has a link to an e-commerce store, website or social media connected to the vendor.
One of a Kind, oneofakindshow.com.
Mark Burstyn
Lloma Flower Vase, $225.
Mark Burstyn
Freon Collective Cotton Rounds, $35, and Face Cloths, $18.
Mark Burstyn/Supplied
Lohn Candles, from $22 each.
Style news
As mandatory business closures continue, local beauty studios are using video conferencing technology to offer consultations. At B.Beautiful Studio in Toronto, owner Brittni Alexandra is offering free video chat skin-care consultations and free shipping of skin-care and brow products from brands including Kypris, Patchology and Kelley Baker within Ontario. E-mail concierge@bbeautifulbeauty.com to book an appointment. And at Montreal’s Etiket, new virtual personal consultation services with an expert can be done online to discuss anything related to the store’s extensive skin-care, fragrance and cosmetic offerings. Visit the website to book an appointment.
Digital programs are giving travellers the opportunity to explore the world from home. Toronto-based app Driftscape features more than 5,000 stories and self-guided tours from across the country. For a beach day, Visit Florida’s Florida Beach Finder offers a virtual exploration of more than 1,300 kilometres of beaches captured by Google. NYC & Company is giving tours of the Big Apple’s famous cultural scene via nycgo.com/virtualnyc, which will be updated regularly. And to help build global bridges through communication, language-learning app Babbel is giving Canadian students free access for one month.
Canadian fashion brands are continuing their support of the fight against COVID-19. Harry Rosen has collaborated with its partner Shirt Fit to repurpose the production of the Harry Rosen Signature dress shirts to produce protective non-medical face masks, which will be donated to hospitals in need. Canadian responsible handbag and accessory brand, Piper & Skye, is employing more than 30 people from across Canada to manufacture non-medical grade masks for some of the country’s vulnerable populations. Arc’teryx is producing medical gowns for health care workers in British Columbia and Ellie Mae has partnered with Kids Help Phone on a collection of ties, pocket squares and scrunchies.
To help support the local Canadian food-and-beverage industry during the pandemic, Stella Artois has launched a new gift card program called Rally for Restaurants. When consumers purchase a gift card from a participating local restaurant, bar or pub, Stella Artois will top up each $25 or $50 gift card up with $10 that is immediately sent to the establishment. Restaurants can sign up online at rallyforrestaurants.ca. Stella Artois will also be donating $250,000 to participating businesses in a joint effort to help preserve the future of the industry.
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