Coterie, a lifestyle blog on social media, was founded by two University of Guelph-Humber students
Coterie was founded by Vinnick Clerf Leudjeu and Alexandra Ellison late last year and currently has over 10, 000 followers and over 150, 000 likes on Tik Tok.
“I want Coterie to be what you need to know about Toronto,” said Clerf Leudjeu.
The event takes place on May 6-8, 2022, and is the first in-person fashion week in Toronto since COVID-19 safety measures have been lifted.
It will feature over 40 Canadian designers, fashion-inspired art installations and a live runway experience.
They conducted their first two interviews with the lead designers of local brands Desmascare and Drakes for the event on Tuesday.
They are in charge of several interviews, taking over the official fashion week Tik Tok account as well as general coverage of the event.
Coterie’s partnership with Fashion Art Toronto (FAT) came about like most of their partnerships: simply reaching out and asking.
They quickly gained popularity on Tik Tok from their “What are you wearing?” street interviews as well as their local small business profiles.
The word itself is defined as “an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose,” per Merriam-Webster.
In the future, Ellison said they hope to expand their content from primarily just fashion and food to things like music, art, and more.
Despite neither being from Toronto originally, both said they have a strong connection to this city and are passionate about what they do.
Clerf Leudjeu is originally from France but grew up in Mississauga and Milton, ON. Ellison grew up in Victoria, B.C.
Both said that while they knew there was a niche for their content, they did not expect it to progress so quickly.
“We’re almost overwhelmed with the number of opportunities,” said Ellison.
Clerf Leudjeu said the most difficult part of running something like Coterie is the “elitism in Toronto.”
Ellison added that when they first began asking around, some places would turn them down simply because of their lack of followers at the time.
“Now that we’ve built a name for ourselves and made some big connections we’ve gotten ourselves into the space we want to be in,” said Clerf Leudjeu.
“My favorite part is the fact that I’m able to do something that I love and see a future for myself,” said Ellison.