AUGUST 6, 2020
In those days we felt we were invincible and Jim’s zeal for my success was bursting out. We shifted gears after I gave my notice at Comfort Clothing and were off to Toronto to accept the offer for his doctoral work at the University of Toronto.
Shortly after arriving we found an apartment that we liked in the Beach neighbourhood. The rental came with a garage. Jim was thrilled to have a space to tinker on an old car and to build things. The landlord, a police officer that lived across the street, took a liking to us. We rented the third floor in a two-and-one-half story house.
After committing to a lease we learned that Jim’s two advisors had been in fight with the university over the future of the doctoral program and had resigned. Jim took it as an omen. He had been accepted to three doctoral programs and none had worked out. It was time to go to work, so in the fall of 1979 he set out to find work with a developer.
I set up my first fashion design studio on College Street, just around the corner from the EL Mocambo (a live music venue), the garment district on Spadina Avenue, and a short walk to the School of Architecture at U of T on College Street where Jim had expected to go to school.
Janice Colbert Fashion Design was born.
Janice’s business card c.1980 ©Janice Colbert 2020
I rode the 510 Queen street car from the Beach to work. In the 1980s the Leslieville, Riverdale and Moss Park neighbourhoods were not gentrified. I made sure to sit up front as close to the driver as possible.
My studio was on the second floor above a bagel shop. I could walk the length of Spadina from Queen Street West to College Street in fifteen minutes. With so many fabric shops, the walk took longer because I could find any fabric or notion that I needed on my way to work.
We made a cutting and design table; bought a used Juki industrial sewing machine, a rotary electric cutter, a Wolf dress form, a roll of pattern making paper and a sample bag. Good to go! There weren’t any computers for drafting patterns or for grading the design into the various dress sizes—it was all on me—with just a pencil, paper, rulers, and scissors.
Janice’s sketch, fall 1980, left: corduroy jumper-dress, right vest and skirt suit. ©Janice Colbert 2020
Corduroy was and still is a popular fabric to transition wardrobes from summer into fall because it is cosy. The fabric was popular in cottage country north of Toronto where the cold temperatures arrived much earlier than in the city, but either way, corduroy jeans with a wool sweater or corduroy blazers with denim were the look.
I purchased two bolts of wide wale corduroy, one in teal and one in grey, zippers, buttons, lining, cone thread, labels, CA number and a business license.
I did all the sewing as well, so the two garments that I designed (in Fashion, production prepares six to eight months before the next season) for the 1980 fall season were a good start, a jumper- dress and a button-front vest with skirt suit.
I tried to find a sales rep. We met with an agency. Something was wrong. I unpacked my sample bag to show my collection. The senior sales rep tore into me. ” So you think you can just walk in here and expect us to carry your work! Just like that? Without any experience! See this gold hanger? You have to put your best garment on a gold hanger. That shows to the buyer what your best garment is. You need gold hangers, not wood ones.” He held the hanger in my face. “Who—do you—think you are!”
I wasn’t prepared for his rebuke. My mother had passed two months ago, my emotions raw, I couldn’t conceal my indignation and disgust. He achieved what he wanted. Packing up my stuff, we scrambled to the door. A younger salesman ran after us. “Let me talk to you. Listen. I don’t know why he is like that. He couldn’t design his way out of paper bag. You could do more with a sack of burlap than he could ever imagine.”
Jim and a university friend in law school offered to be my sales reps.
The reception was great. I sold to stores in Burlington, Stoney Creek, Oakville and Toronto. One store was J’s Place at 2191 Queen St. E.in the Beach. It is now a jewellery store known as The Gingerbread House. My designs were in a fashion show, J’s Fall Fashion Brunch at the pub across the street.
detail of corduroy jumper-dress, high-waistline, V-neck, welt pocket, zip back, lined
corduroy vest, V-neck, welt pockets, button front, lined