Toronto Fashion Week is acquired from IMG by Peter Freed

By

Kate Dingwall

Published
Dec 19, 2016

After IMG dropped the event in July, Toronto Fashion Week is back, having been acquired by a dynamic ownership group, headed by real-estate mogul Peter Freed.

Freed stated, in a press release, “"Toronto is a city that is experiencing exponential growth; fashion and retail have been integral contributors to this. I've witnessed it first-hand developing commercial and residential properties across the GTA over the past 15 years. With the purchase of Toronto Fashion Week® from IMG, we have the opportunity to create a multi-faceted program that embraces the Canadian fashion and design community, addresses today's retail trends and consumer interests together with the creation and integration of a strong digital platform. It's extremely exciting.”

Also joining Freed in the dynamic ownership group is Suzanne Cohen, co-founder of ASC Public Relations, and Carolyn Quinn, who previously acted as the Director of Fashion Events and Properties for IMG Canada.

IMG cut ties with Toronto Fashion Week after four years of running the event, citing lack of local support as the reason. This comes just one season after Mastercard was announced as a title sponsor, with a full branding make-over to match.

Although there are still fashion week events in Edmonton, Halifax, and Vancouver, Toronto is the largest fashion week in Canada and the second largest in North America.

The group has not announced its plans for the event yet, but it is expected they will be released in Q1 of 2017.