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= Hayley Elsaesser =

Hayley Elsaesser (born 9 June 1990) is a Canadian fashion designer based in Toronto. She is best-known for her bold take on streetwear classics with vivid patterns and bright colors. She is also known to feature pieces with simple and timeless silhouettes. Many of her designs are influenced by pop culture and incorporate elements from music, film, literature and various childhood nostalgia.

Since beginning her career in 2013, Elsaesser has created her own self-titled brand. The company currently operates a shop located on Queen St. in Toronto as well as an online store.

Early Life
Elsaesser was born in Canada on 9 June 1990. She grew up in a small town in Ontario where she was raised by a single mother. She first discovered her love of fashion in high school where she began selling her clothing pieces on eBay. During this time, Elsaesser also completed a semester abroad in Australia where she was exposed to various inspiring clothing styles.

After completing high school, Elsaesser went on to briefly study psychology. However, once her eBay clothing sales began taking up large portions of her time, she decided to pursue this passion and switched her major. She began studying fashion at a university in Vancouver but later switched to a program in Australia at the Queensland University of Technology. There, Elsaesser studied fashion design and technology and later graduated with an Honors in Fine Arts Fashion Design.

Career
Elsaesser began her career with her graduate collection “Candy Coated VooDoo” in 2014. The designs in this collection express Elsaesser’s distinguishable style by featuring various prints, laser cutting techniques, and vibrant colors. This collection won the young designer a competition that gave her the opportunity to participate in the L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival. Following her participation in the festival, Elsaesser was featured in the 2014 Sydney Fashion Week. Shortly after this, Elsaesser moved back to Toronto where she began developing her brand.

Elsaesser first started selling her products in a pop-up store at the Bayview Village Shopping Centre. After this, she went on to open her current flagship store which is located at 659 Queens St W. Both Elsaesser’s husband (Josh Davis) and brother (Conner Elsaesser) help her manage the store and run the business. Davis assists with the graphic design of the prints and patterns while Elsaesser’s brother takes care of the sales and marketing of the brand.

Throughout her career, Elsaesser has developed a substantial celebrity following. Her designs have caught the attention of various celebrities including Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Joe Jonas and Alessia Cara.

In 2016, Elsaesser collaborated with Cyrus to create a custom look for the artist to wear in promotion shots for Season 11 of The Voice. Elsaesser took inspiration for the design from Cyrus’ pet pig Bubba Sue and created a pattern that featured various cartoon flying pigs. The finished product included a crop top, high-waisted pants, and a motto jacket.

Since her start in 2013, Elsaesser’s designs have been featured in runway shows during various New York, Sydney and Toronto fashion weeks. Her current designs can be found at her store in Toronto or on her online site.

Design Process
Elsaesser pulls design inspiration from her current interests, with a particular focus on pop culture. After she establishes a focal point, she begins building her collection by brainstorming various concepts and images. Elsaesser views fashion design as visual storytelling and aims to incorporate a story in each of her prints.

When creating her signature prints, Elsaesser uses Epson’s digital fabric printing to employ the technique of dye-sublimation printing. This technology allows her to experiment with a variety of textiles while designing. Elsaesser has also referenced using the Microsoft Surface and Surface Pen to shorten her creative process.

Overall, Elsaesser attempts to create unique designs and avoids following trends. To accomplish this goal, Elsaesser shuts off her internet access while working on a collection to eliminate external influences.

Body Positivity
Elsaesser’s brand promotes a body positive message and features models of all sizes in both photoshoots and on the runway. The online store also features sample sizes which show exact chest, waist and bust measurements.

Elsaesser’s promotion of body positivity is inspired by her own struggles as a teenager. In interviews, the designer often expresses her goal of making her audience feel represented on the runway. Elsaesser attributes her inclusion of various sized models as key to her brand’s vision of breaking down the ‘typical fashion industry’.

Ethnicity, Sexuality, Gender and Religion
The Hayley Elsaesser brand has also been identified as featuring runway models of different ethnicities, sexualities, genders and religions. Elsaesser began this brand goal in Australia to compensate for the industry’s lack of diversity. After returning to Toronto, Elsaesser continued employing this diverse outlook throughout the operation of her brand.

Sustainability
Elsaesser has also addressed the issue of fast fashion and claims to produce ethically made clothing. In an attempt to make her company more sustainable, Elsaesser opted out of Toronto Fashion Week in 2019 as an act of activism against the fast fashion industry. She also announced in 2020 that she will be closing her store on Queens St. and will be operating fully online. Elsaesser proclaimed that this decision is an attempt to limit the company’s environmental impact and carbon footprint.

Feminism
Elsaesser also promotes femininity and strength in the presentation of her brand. In 2015, Elsaesser’s collection “Heavenly Bodies” featured womenswear only, to celebrate women’s ability to encompass both softness and power. The designer has also claimed that the male-dominated nature of society has further inspired her value of female representation in the fashion industry.

List of Collections
Elsaesser has created the following collections throughout her career:
 * Candy Coated VooDoo (2013) This was Elsaesser’s graduate collection and was inspired by the idea of mixing dark and creepy elements with bright colors to make them appear cute.
 * Redneck Nostalgia (Spring/Summer 2014) This collection took inspiration from Elsaesser’s teenage years and the idea of the American Dream.
 * Droogs (Fall/Winter 2014) This collection was inspired by the novel and movie adaptation of A Clockwork Orange.
 * Heavenly Bodies (Spring/Summer 2015) This collection focused on womenswear with the intent to celebrate bodies of all forms while exploring femininity.
 * Midnight Cowboy (Fall/Winter 2015) This collection was inspired by the idea of a cold desert at dusk and features the reworkings of classic leopard and camo prints. It also features pieces that reference Las Vegas’ take on American culture with a disco spin on cowboy imagery.
 * Carnival of Curiosity (Spring/Summer 2016) This collection was inspired by the experience of a traveling carnival with the feature of a slightly sinister undertone.
 * Gutterball (Fall/Winter 2016) This collection was inspired by the movie The Big Lebowski with a specific focus on the main character “The Dude”. The prints featured in the collection make reference to "The Dude's" favor of White Russians, his love of bowling, and the pair of scissors his enemies use to threaten him.
 * Verona Beach (Spring/Summer 2017) This collection was inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet and features a gothic and pseudo religious Californian surf style.
 * Deja Moon (Fall/Winter 2017) This collection included a partnership with Hasbro and was inspired by My Little Pony. The collection features lighthearted memories, ethereal dreamscapes, and nostalgia for those who grew up in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s.
 * Teenage Wasteland (Spring/Summer 2018) This collection was centered around the idea of a post-apocalyptic world where only young people survived and features styles of old fashioned country club leisure.