Victoria Hayes has quickly become Hollywood’s favorite Canadian Designer and is once again turning heads with her iconic women’s wear line. The collection is inspired by her Toronto roots, and the Raptors‘ first-ever championship win in sports history.
Complete with a Swarovski covered basketball, Victoria Hayes infuses bold, bright and unapologetic statement pieces for the modern woman. Join us for the inside scoop on her spring 2020 collection, and the woman behind the brand.
The Collection
Victoria Hayes has dressed countless celebrities from the likes of Madonna, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga. But, It’s her Spring 2020 collection that has everyone talking. It brims with energy, from its iridescent blazers, vivacious prints, and sexy jumpsuits. Victoria Hayes cleverly incorporates drawstrings on cropped shirts to mimic those found on Raptors basketball shorts. From the nylon windbreakers to a crystalized garter, Hayes nails the look of feminity, from soft luxury to razor’s edge.
Victoria Hayes Spring 2020 collection -Photography by Darin DiClanno/BFA.com
We’re curious, who inspires your designs?
V.H: I’m designing for those who want to make a statement with clothing. For any woman who sees clothes as a means of communication and enjoys the entertainment value of getting dressed. I am creating for those who appreciate owning textiles as an art collection of sorts. You’d have to be looking for pieces that not everyone else has. Those are the people that I kind of seek out. I’m designing for very bold women. There’s nothing shy about these clothes. You can be shy, but you have to be willing to make a visual statement because all of it, is quite loud.
Victoria Hayes Spring 2020 collection -Photography by Darin DiClanno/BFA.com
Let’s talk about your custom Jewellery
V.H I love the way earrings can punch up a look to make it more interesting. I get the refined minimalist look, but it bores me. I have a weak attention span, so I tend to gravitate towards elaborate style.
Ming Lee Simmons wears Victoria Hayes Alligator earrings – Photography by Joe Rosado – Styling by Angel Neal
Describe your personal style?
V.H: it’s kind of funny because I love to present bold colors, but I myself wear black. I have to say designing is the only activity I’ve ever experienced that makes me not care at all what I look like. Even when I was pre-med, I remember going to the anatomy lab with make-up on, all dressed up. But there is something about designing, the work means so much to you, it’s like an extension of your body in a way. It’s the only pursuit I’ve ever lost myself in completely.
Victoria Hayes Spring 2020 collection -Photography by Darin DiClanno/BFA.com
What is your ideal day off?
V.H: I really enjoy all the moments where I get to be a real person. I like going to an exercise class is Brooklyn where I live. I love being anonymous and just wandering aimlessly in New York City.
Christine Evangelista wears Victoria Hayes to the Premiere of “Gloria Bell” at the MoMA in NYC
How did your journey in fashion begin?
V.H: I had a degree in health sciences from McMaster University and instead of going to medical school, I went to Parsons for fashion design. I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor. From the first minute I began, I just finish what I start, and so I don’t regret it. It was a good education. Definitely a solid foundation. So at twenty years old I packed up and moved to New York City. I came off a four-year degree and would go on to finish a new four-year degree. I found the fashion design program at Parsons to be the hardest academic experience of my life and I’ve been to graduate school as well. Nothing compared to Parsons, but as tough as it was, it was truly enthralling.
Photography: Lalo Torres – Styling: Davis Carrasquillo
“I never let myself pursue fashion design as a career when I was in high school. I didn’t even think of it. I thought it was honestly way too risky of a career choice. But as an adult, somehow I forgot that part and tried it anyway.” – Victoria Hayes
What is your process?
V.H: It starts with looking for fabrics, sketching and seeing what silhouettes are conducive to each textile. Then in the weeks leading up to the delivery, you draw out all the possible outcomes of pattern and color and play around with paper dolls to visualize it. Every move you make causes a ripple effect in the collection. I’ll often make the same design pattern in widely different fabrics, to achieve different end results.
What’s next for your brand?
V.H: Stay tuned for a women’s ready to wear line that will deliver a fall collection, to be released in February.
Madonna wears Victoria Hayes Fall 2019 blade suit pant in her new music video for ‘Crave’
To keep up with Victoria Hayes follow her @victoriahayescollection
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