Bambumoda presented by Givenchy this year features the design of Cindy Renee Mathieu and her two lines Club Soda and Sodalicious, Evol Williams and Marc and Craig Kielburger's line Me to We Clothing. This year's style movement theme is focused on the Canadian Fashion Mind. Having for years struggled with its' own identity and been handcuffed with mediocre attempts of branding what is Canadian Fashion by the Fashion powers that be, Canadians are shedding these shackles and breaking free of the one thing that truly holds them down....themselves. No longer are they being held back by the notion that being Canadian is being a lesser designer. Vanguard designers such as Dean and Dan Caten have paved the way for the next generation to wrap the Canadian Flag around themselves on the international stage and push forward to succeed.

Cindy Renee Mathieu, Evol Williams and Craig Kielburge's MetoWe Clothingr are perfect examples of this movement.

Cindy Renee Mathieu

In 2002, Cindy Renée founded her clothing line Sodaliscious. Based on the concept that every person is unique and so delicious in their own way, Cindy incorporated these principles into her design philosophy. This effervescent designer strives to create collections as unique as the individuals that choose to wear them. Cindy’s meticulous nature and inherent flare to create pieces of the highest standards in aesthetic value has enabled her to garner several awards and media attention within the Fashion and Arts & Entertainment industries:

•Recently awarded membership to the FGI (Fashion Group International) •Member of the TFI (Toronto Fashion Incubator)
•Featured designer for opening night at Toronto Week of Style presented by Givenchy (May 2008)
•Produced and art directed an entire fashion/entertainment segment for Motionball Gala in support of the Special Olympics, creating over 80 costumes (February 2008)
•Finalist at the TELUS Canadian Fashion Designer Awards in June 2007
•Invited by the Fashion Design Council of Canada to showcase her Spring/Summer 2007 collection at L’Oréal Fashion Week
•Featured in Anokhi, Yoink!, Cantos Cadre, Ambassador and Style Magazine (2004 through to 2008)
•Runner up in the “Toronto’s Phynest Designer” competition (2004)
•Best Indie Men’s Urbanwear and Best Indie Women’s Urbanwear Designer of the Year (2003) at the Indie Fashion Awards in New York City
•Most Promising Designer Award at the Art of Fashion Competition (2003)
•One of six finalists from across Canada for the Pierre Laurent “The Show” Fashion Competition (1999)
•Illustration finalist for the Smirnoff Fashion Competition (1998)
•1st place at ‘Revamp For A Coat Design’ previewed on Breakfast Television (City TV) while attending Ryerson in 1997

For a complete list of achievements and events, please visit the Sodaliscious web site – www.sodaliscious.com

Evol Williams

Transmitting a genuine sense of humor and mischief, Evol Williams' introduction into fashion was completely accidental. Formally trained in corporate finances, his first collection debuted in the winter of 2006, while working within the banking industry. Creating garments which blurred the lines between classic and contemporary structures, each of his pieces are finished with quality fabrics, skillfull detailling and most importantly, a fabulous fit; Appealing to woman who have a keen eye for quality, a taste for luxury, and an attitude which understands beautifully crafted garments.


Me to We Clothing

Me to We: [Responsible Style] is a new social enterprise that is committed to providing ethically manufactured, quality apparel for the socially-conscious consumer. Our product line is domestically produced, sweatshop-free and made using certified organic cotton and bamboo.

In addition, 50 per cent of our profit goes to our charity partner, Free The Children, to support development projects in rural and impoverished areas across the globe.

Me to We: [Responsible Style] is run by co-founder Oliver Madison and works closely with world renowned social activists and advisors Craig and Marc Kielburger. Craig and Marc Kielburger, through their work with Free The Children and Leaders Today, have led more than one million young people, schools and corporations to take action on issues across the globe. Over the years, thousands of these individuals have asked Craig and Marc where to find products that meet their environmental and social standards. Me to We: [Responsible Style] was created in response to this demand.

Our mission at Me to We: [Responsible Style] is to empower consumers to make purchasing decisions that lead to a better life for people around the world. By manufacturing our clothing in Canadian factories that pay adult workers a fair wage, we ensure that parents make enough to care for themselves and their children. By using organic cotton, we ensure that toxic chemicals aren't harming people, animals or the earth we share. And by donating 50 per cent of our profits to Free The Children, we ensure that a better life is created for children and their families in rural and impoverished areas across the globe.

Make choices that make a difference. Responsible clothing for responsible living is just a click away.


The Me to We Philosophy

At heart, Me to We is a life philosophy: it offers us a way to live life, and its wisdom is the kind developed over the course of a lifetime. At the most basic level, it embraces the idea that we can all build a better life-and our ideal world-through reaching out to others. In practice, it involves focusing less on "Me", and more on "We"-our communities, our nation and our world as a whole. Today, Me to We is a worldwide movement of people finding purpose through living with compassion, strengthening community and making a commitment to our shared humanity.

Me to We is about living our lives as socially conscious and responsible people, engaging in daily acts kindness, and building meaningful relationships with others. Some may see this as a step forward, a fresh way of looking at the world. Others might see it as a step backward, a return to the simplest, purest, and most basic impulse of humanity to reach out to each other for survival. From either perspective, this philosophy represents a change in focus, a shift from the inside out. In allowing us to bring age-old wisdom to bear on our modern lives, it empowers us to respond to the challenges facing our world in new ways, and enables us to leave a legacy we can be proud of. In an era in which we are now more interconnected than ever before, it offers us a way to mobilize our collective strengths for the good of all.

On one level, living Me to We means reaching deep within ourselves. It involves developing our capacity for connection by cultivating gratitude and empathy, and redefining happiness. At the same time, it teaches us to look beyond ourselves to create a new, inclusive vision of community. It enables us to move beyond our traditional spheres of compassion, work towards the goals that unite us all, and embrace civic engagement as a means to create a better world both for ourselves and everyone around us, whether that's next door or halfway around the world.

On a daily basis, living Me to We means making a commitment to considering the benefits for "We" when making decisions, whether small choices or major life decisions. This may sound simple enough, but the results are nothing short of life changing. Practicing this philosophy radically alters our approach to our own lives, as well as our contributions to the groups to which we belong, whether that's our family, friendships, workplace, faith group or neighbourhood.

Fundamentally, living Me to We is about being true to the best part of ourselves. It is about answering the call of who we were meant to be, and making a commitment to changing the world for the better in whatever way we can. For this reason, our personal understandings of Me to We are as unique as all of us. This philosophy involves a personal shift that each of us sets in motion as we challenge ourselves to live a more fulfilling life. As you explore the chapters that follow, you will develop your own understanding and definition of Me to We. As you begin to translate your newfound knowledge into small changes in your daily life, we will begin to experience its benefits for yourself.