Discovering Raw Talents: Mark Fast

[You can read an extended multimedia version of this article at 2beMag #12, with runway video and photogallery included!]

Mark Fast was born 30 years ago in a small Canadian village, Winnipeg, between a highway and the forest. These intimate and familiar spaces lead him to wonder how life would be outside Canadian frontiers, and decided to leave. He finally settled in London and completed his BA in fashion design at the school Central Saint Martins, and later in 2008 he also completed his MA there. Since then, he has worked for many prestigious fashion labels such as Woolmark, Danier, Christian Louboutin, Loewe, Bora Aksu, Swarovski, Pinko and Topshop, obtaining, this way, an unviable CV.

The collection under his own name is characterized by unique knitwear pieces, specially very short dresses created for strong, independent and self- confident women, or “women that enjoy life and love”, as he says. His designs are knitted by hand, using only a domestic knitting machine. His work is formed onto the body as he knits, creating an intimate relationship between the garment and the person inside it, so the finished work is always a collaboration between the two parts, dress and wearer. Mark’s designs combine areas of tension and areas of volume over the body, created by knitting methods that mix natural fibres and lycra. Fast has also devised innovative stitching techniques, blending lycra with the finest luxury wools. In this last AW 11/12 collection Mark Fast has also designed several and magnificent leather pieces produced by Danier, in Toronto, the Canadian leather goods company for whom he worked in the past, and they are even planning to create a small capsule collection together in the near future.

Since he started, the brand has been having a lot of positive feedback, after having a reorder from Browns, who are also offering the brand in their online shop. Holt Renfrew and Blake are also increasing their orders and, since last season, the brand has gotten nine other new accounts. All of this success and the results of his amazing work make Mark Fast’s brand worth of our

[article by Laura Sunyer for 2beMag #12]