This episode was released April 24, 2024

Presented with the CAFA Changemaker Award in 2023, Amber-Dawn Bear Robe is a curator, art historian and Fashion Show Program Director for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Born in Alberta, Canada, and a member of the Siksika Nation, Bear Robe has spent her career working and lecturing in Native art institutions. Through her work and advocacy, she has played a pivotal role in the representation of Indigenous designers on a national platform. She has demonstrated profound dedication to empowering Indigenous talent, art, and design history and has set the stage for a more inclusive and culturally rich fashion landscape.

Presented with the CAFA Changemaker Award in 2023, Amber-Dawn Bear Robe is a curator, art historian and Fashion Show Program Director for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Born in Alberta, Canada, and a member of the Siksika Nation, Bear Robe has spent her career working and lecturing in Native art institutions. Through her work and advocacy, she has played a pivotal role in the representation of Indigenous designers on a national platform. She has demonstrated profound dedication to empowering Indigenous talent, art, and design history and has set the stage for a more inclusive and culturally rich fashion landscape.

Vanja Vasic founded Fashion Art Toronto (intentionally called FAT) in 2005 making it the longest running fashion event in Toronto (Canada's largest city).

In this episode Vanja and Donna discuss:

• Vanja's history and how her artistic, rebellious parents helped shape her creative spirit
• the tie between fashion and art
• the "naughty" origins of Fashion Art Toronto
• key milestones throughout the past 18 years
• the importance of the runway show and why it is still the anchor of Fashion Art Toronto
• the surprising impact of Covid/ lockdowns and how it positively impacted the event

The next FAT is Nov 16 - 19, 2023 in Toronto, ON.

To learn more about Fashion Art Toronto - http://fashionarttoronto.ca/

On IG - https://www.instagram.com/fashionarttoronto/

Founder Vanja Vasic - https://www.instagram.com/_vanjavasic_/

Host Donna Bishop - https://thisisdonnab.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/thisisdonnab/

Follow the podcast

IG - https://www.instagram.com/fashiontalkspod/

To learn more about CAFA - the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards https://www.cafawards.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/cafawards/

This episode was produced by Jason Perrier

IG - https://www.instagram.com/ajasonperrier/

Thank you to Nick Craine for the amazing artwork - https://www.nickcraine.com/

John Fluevog has been designing shoes since the 1970s. His unmistakeable footwear has graced not just runway shows around the world, but have been worn by countless celebrities including Madonna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

George Clinton, known as Parliament known as Funkadelic, came to prominence in the 60s, revolutionized R&B music in the 70s and continues to make music with a host of artists including Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, LL Cook J and Drake (one of his latest).

Dame Zandra Rhodes has been a fashion designer for over 50 years and is the founder of the British Fashion and Textile Museum. She has dressed countless celebrities from Natalie Wood to Diana Ross to Freddy Mercury to Princess Diana.

Clinton and Rhodes were in Toronto to launch their latest Fluevog collaborations. Donna Bishop sat down with them in the flagship Fluevog store in Toronto to chat about:

• collaboration
• creative inspiration
• the importance of feelings
• and of course, shoes

To learn more about John Fluevog - https://www.fluevog.com/

To learn more about George Clinton - https://georgeclinton.com/

To learn more about Dame Zandra Rhodes - https://zandrarhodes.com/

Host Donna Bishop - https://thisisdonnab.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/thisisdonnab/

Follow the podcast

IG - https://www.instagram.com/fashiontalkspod/

To learn more about CAFA - the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards https://www.cafawards.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/cafawards/

This episode was produced by Jason Perrier

IG - https://www.instagram.com/ajasonperrier/

Thank you to Nick Craine for the amazing artwork - https://www.nickcraine.com/

David Cash, founder of Cash Labs, has been identified by Vogue Magazine as the leading force in bringing web3 to market. David, the 2023 CAFA Innovation Award winner, is the founder of Metaverse Fashion Week and has worked with dozens of global brands from Farfetch to Estée Lauder to Verizon to the NBA.

In this episode David and host Donna Bishop discuss:

• David's journey to founding Cash Labs
• The origins of Metaverse Fashion Week (and what is that experience?)
• Breaking down Web3, AI, VR, Blockchain and other technologies
• How these technologies impact and are essential for anyone in fashion to be aware of and pay attention to
• Explaining how prevalent so much of this technology is already
• Why the gaming world is relevant right now and in the future
• Understanding the scope of the digital realm and why it matters in a broad sense (you may be surprised)
• Amazing advice for anyone working in fashion

To learn more about Cash Labs - https://www.cashlabs.io/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/cashlabs.io

David Cash - https://www.instagram.com/davidcash888/

Host Donna Bishop - https://thisisdonnab.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/thisisdonnab/

Follow the podcast

IG - https://www.instagram.com/fashiontalkspod/

To learn more about CAFA - the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards https://www.cafawards.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/cafawards/

This episode was produced by Jason Perrier

IG - https://www.instagram.com/ajasonperrier/

Thank you to Nick Craine for the amazing artwork - https://www.nickcraine.com/

As the founder and CEO of Talk Boutique, Andrea Sampson has been training individuals in delivering engaging talks, compelling stories, dynamic presentations and building active communities based on developing thought leadership.

Listen to Andrea and Donna Bishop discuss:

• The dual value of being a thought leader
• Why fashion is ripe for new thought leaders
• How to start being a thought leader
• Thought leader vs expert vs trail blazer vs influencer vs change maker
• Why an emotional connection is essential to being a thought leader
• What is the unique mindset of a thought leader and how to cultivate it
• How thought leadership supports business goals - including sales

To learn more about Andrea Sampson - https://talkboutique.com/

Host Donna Bishop - https://thisisdonnab.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/thisisdonnab/

Follow the podcast

IG - https://www.instagram.com/fashiontalkspod/

To learn more about CAFA - the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards https://www.cafawards.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/cafawards/

This episode was produced by Jason Perrier

IG - https://www.instagram.com/ajasonperrier/

Thank you to Nick Craine for the amazing artwork - https://www.nickcraine.com/

Qasim Mohammad is an investor who currently works out of Wittington Venture. His expertise is deeply rooted in consumer brands.

In this episode Qasim and Donna discuss:

• Outside investing 101 - what is venture capital and other financing options
• What are the goals of the VC/ investor
• How to build you network for potential investing
• What makes a great pitch
• Advice for crafting a pitch and where to look for pitch decks
• Scaling for capital
• How to present your opportunity and examples of companies that are doing it well
• Breaking down what the market is and how it impacts financing
• Expectations for founders/ entrepreneurs on the fundraising process - during and upon success of financing
• What is on trend in the market currently

The video Qasim mentions in the episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXYxCBBPegg

To learn more about Qasim, his thoughts on the marketing and investing, and to connect - https://qasimmohammad.com/

Host Donna Bishop - https://thisisdonnab.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/thisisdonnab/

Follow the podcast

IG - https://www.instagram.com/fashiontalkspod/

To learn more about CAFA - the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards https://www.cafawards.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/cafawards/

This episode was produced by Jason Perrier

IG - https://www.instagram.com/ajasonperrier/

Thank you to Nick Craine for the amazing artwork - https://www.nickcraine.com/

Branding/ fashion lawyer and trademark agent Ashlee Froese breaks down so many myths around the relationship and importance between entrepreneurship (and not just fashion designers), legals, trademarks, IP and more.

In this episode you will hear Ashlee Froese and Donna Bishop discuss:

• What it means to be a fashion lawyer and the eco system of the industry
• When it is beneficial to engage a lawyer (likely sooner than you think)
• Why freelancers benefit from working with a lawyer (its not just for big businesses)
• The critical business tools that fall under legal protection
• The big misstep shoe empire Manolo Blahnik made and how you can avoid it
• Demystifying IP: copy write, trade secrets, trademarks and more
• What to know about contracts from employees to suppliers to independent contractors
• How to choose a lawyer to work with
• Success stories
• How to avoid brand trolls

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.froeselaw.com/post/crocs-case-confirms-industrial-design-as-tool-in-fashion-law
• https://www.froeselaw.com/post/structuring-your-independent-contractor-agreements

To connect with Ashlee Froese - https://www.froeselaw.com/contact

Host Donna Bishop - https://thisisdonnab.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/thisisdonnab/

Follow the podcast

IG - https://www.instagram.com/fashiontalkspod/

To learn more about CAFA - the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards https://www.cafawards.ca/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/cafawards/

This episode was produced by Jason Perrier

IG - https://www.instagram.com/ajasonperrier/

Thank you to Nick Craine for the amazing artwork - https://www.nickcraine.com/

More about Ashlee:

Ashlee Froese is a branding & fashion lawyer and trademark agent. She has been practicing law since 2007. She is recognized by the Law Society of Ontario as a Certified Specialist in Trademarks Law; 1 of 6 female lawyers to carry that designation. Since 2017, Ashlee is consistently listed in the World Trademark Review as one of the top 1000 trademark lawyers in the world. In 2019, Ashlee was one of 39 lawyers across Canada to be granted the Lexpert Zenith Award, which recognizes her as a change maker in law. In 2021, Ashlee was granted the World Intellectual Property Review’s Diversity award as an Influential Woman in IP, one of only 69 lawyers worldwide. In 2022, Ashlee was an awardee with the Canadian Law Awards in the Female Trailblazer of the Year category. Prior to launching Froese Law, Ashlee was a partner on Bay Street. She fast tracked to partnership within 6 years.

Ashlee's scope of practice includes trademarks, copyright, contract, licensing, domain name, social media, marketing/advertising, packaging/labeling and start up corporate laws.

Ashlee holds numerous leadership and mentorship positions