Iris Simpson

juin 2022

Mois 20xx

Tasnime Skafi and Rhea Singh

Charmaine Gooden

Carol Martin

Points forts

Jamaica-born Iris Simpson rose from Eaton’s sales associate to one of Canada’s most influential luxury buyers, stylist and mentors in high fashion.
Trained in fashion merchandising, she rose through Eaton’s and Hazelton Lanes to buy for elite designer boutique Yves Saint Laurent.
As a Black woman in a coveted buyer role, she faced disbelief from clients, yet won respect with impeccable taste and business savvy.
Reinventing herself as a stylist and co-founding Hello, COUTURE!, she now champions sustainability, upcycling and greater diversity across the fashion industry.

Few people in the fashion industry possess the professional credentials and social network of contacts that Iris Simpson has amassed over her four decades in the business. She’s emerged as an astute merchant and advocate for social justice and Black inclusivity.

Simpson credits her mother, Vashti, a dressmaker, who taught all her daughters to sew and imparted to Iris a love of fashion. She could cut freehand without a pattern and made all of Iris’s clothes, including matching outfits for her dolls at the same time.

Jeunesse et Carrière

Born in Clarendon, Jamaica, Simpson was the youngest of eight children to parents, Arthur and Vashti Simpson. In 1958, the family emigrated to Toronto, Canada. She was educated at Monarch Park Secondary School and then at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University), where she graduated in 1978 with a diploma in Fashion Merchandising. While pursuing her diploma at Ryerson, Simpson worked simultaneously at Eaton’s department store as a part-time sales associate.

For Simpson, Eaton’s management trainee program was where it all began. It’s where she developed from a part-time sales associate at the Attitude Shop, which showcased all the hip young designer collections, to manager of the designer department, Signature Shop, home to established Canadian and international designer labels.

Nella Walker est une directrice de la création et du design qui, au milieu des années 80, faisait également partie du programme de formation des jeunes cadres d’Eaton lorsque elle rencontra Simpson, alors responsable de l’équipe. Selon Walker, “ Iris partageait ses compétences, ses connaissances et son expertise d’une manière énergique et accueillante. Même dans ces premiers temps, Iris était une commerçante, une spécialiste du marketing, une connectrice de réseaux et une éducatrice talentueuse. Notre relation professionnelle s’est rapidement transformée en une amitié d’une vie ”. Les relations professionnelles qui se sont transformées en amitié d’une vie sont un thème récurrent chez Simpson.

La carrière de Simpson en tant que responsable de la vente était sur le point de prendre un tournant décisif. Elle raconte : “ En 1981, j’ai rencontré Krystyne Griffin, qui était responsable du bureau d’achat d’Eaton à Paris. Lorsqu’elle a démissionné pour prendre en charge le rebranding de Hazelton Lanes en destination de vente de luxe haut de gamme, elle m’a convaincue d’accepter une formidable opportunité : accompagner sa famille pour visiter Hazelton Lanes, où Yves Saint Laurent allait ouvrir son premier concept store indépendant au Canada. ”

L’icône de la mode canadienne, Krystyne Griffin, évoque le début de leur relation d’une durée de plus de 40 ans comme collègues et amies. “ Elle est venue dans mon bureau vers la fin des années 70. Iris, belle, jeune et noire, était une jeune femme dynamique et accomplie à l’âge de 25 ans, et j’ai immédiatement senti qu’elle devrait rejoindre notre équipe chez Hazelton Lanes ”, raconte Griffin. “ Nous créions un centre commercial spécialisé, où seules les boutiques internationales de luxe – Rive Gauche de YSL, Hermès, Guy Laroche – étaient présentes. », Courrèges, Armani — were being assembled.”

Aux yeux de Simpson, c’était le début d’une mode de luxe à Toronto à l’échelle internationale. À l’époque, Hazelton Lanes — aujourd’hui Yorkville Village — attirait les plus grands amateurs de mode de la ville, les femmes de la société affluentant vers les nouveaux magasins de créateurs, selon Simpson. “ C’est très excitant pour moi, surtout en tant que jeune femme noire ”, dit-elle. “ Mon esthétique a évolué, nous avons organisé toutes sortes d’événements spéciaux, des déjeuners et des défilés de mode. ”

Simpson’s success owed as much to her business acumen as to her refined sense of style. According to Griffin, “Iris was not only a ‘fashion’ personality, she was a business executive. She travelled internationally to buy the fashion collections. And I was witness to her abilities, as were many VIPs both in Europe, and the U.S. They were impressed by Iris; She was capable, firm, yet courteous to all. A winner!”

Griffin, qui possède une solide réputation et de vastes réseaux dans le monde de la mode, rend un hommage exceptionnel à Simpson : “ Je serai toujours reconnaissante d’avoir pu travailler avec Iris Simpson ”, déclare-t-elle. “ C’est grâce à des personnes comme Iris que j’ai pu bâtir ma propre carrière réussie dans le monde de la mode. ”

Cette section spéciale crée une photo à côté d'un extrait de texte.

When a client asked to speak to the buyer, the sales associates pointed to Iris as the buyer. The woman kept looking around saying “Where?” The sales person pointed again, “She’s right over there.” The woman then replied, “No, I want to speak to the buyer.”

It was obvious that because of her preconceived ideas, this client would not believe that Iris, a Black woman, was the buyer of expensive designer collections.

Mode et Diversité

After two years at YSL, in 1984, Simpson went to work as a buyer at Creeds, an upscale destination known then as ‘Toronto’s Bergdorf Goodman’ for a year and a half. Three months after her first day, Simpson was flying to Paris and London, working with buyers and luxury fashion brands and building her ever-growing career across the border.

Une expérience particulière se présente lors de la visite chez Creeds. Lorsqu’un client demande de parler au vendeur, le vendeur indique Iris comme étant le client. La femme continue de regarder autour d’elle en disant : “ Où ? ”. Iris sait que, comme femme noire, elle se distingue vraiment. Le vendeur indique à nouveau : “ Elle est juste là-bas. ” La femme répond alors : “ Non, je veux parler au vendeur. ” Il est évident que, en raison de ses préjugés, ce client ne croira pas que Iris, une femme noire, soit la propriétaire de collections de designers très coûteuses.

Simpson says that aside from that experience and a few others, she encountered much kindness in the industry, for which she has always been very thankful.

En regardant en arrière, Simpson affirme que l’industrie de la mode a évolué et que les choses sont différentes aujourd’hui. “ Il n’existe plus ces petites boutiques indépendantes qui se rendent en Europe pour acheter des pièces très recherchées, comme j’avais l’habitude de le faire quand j’étais jeune et que j’avais accès à beaucoup de petites boutiques. ”

Simpson elaborates, “Now you’ve got to buy huge minimums, and most of the buyers deal with planners that set the amounts and dollars. You’re buying capsule collections that are predetermined. You don’t get to pick and choose the way I did. Now in 2021, buyers deal with chains, rather than boutiques, in major fashion cities. With chains, buyers are working with a lot more numbers and logistics and the system isn’t as individualized or personalized.”

Simpson adds candidly, “You have to realize back then, and even today, being a buyer for international designers was a very coveted position. It wasn’t a position that came up often, especially for a Black person.”

Her next career move brought her to Holt Renfrew, where she had the opportunity to further expand her buying experience with many more top designer collections. One of her proudest moments was buying the collection of Patrick Kelly, the celebrated Black American designer. Simpson is extremely grateful for all the amazing opportunities she was given.

Influence et Héritage

After giving birth to her son Tareke in 1991, Simpson felt that the extensive travelling required of a buyer would take time away from him, so she ended up reinventing herself as a stylist. This career happened somewhat out of the blue for Simpson, but for the people around her it was simply another of her natural talents.

Vangie Sipidias, une autre ancienne collègue d’Eaton, a contacté Simpson pour prendre la relève à la dernière minute pour un job de styliste. Son collègue a pensé : “ Qui va le faire ? ”, raconte-t-elle, rappelant les paroles de l’ancienne collègue. “ Je vais appeler Iris ‘, a-t-elle dit.’

In Simpson’s eyes, she was a ladieswear buyer and retailer, but in her former coworker’s eyes, Simpson was a multifaceted talent who had the knowledge and style to put the ensembles together. She packed her tape measure, safety pins and a lint brush and made her way to the location.

This was the start of her styling career, which has been going strong since 1992. She found herself travelling to many southern destinations in October to shoot spring and summer collections, and working with different studios. Simpson is still working as a stylist, always busy and on the move.

Hello, COUTURE! was launched in 2018 with Mary Jo Appugliesi (aka MJ), her schoolmate from her Ryerson days. Says Simpson, “We always wanted to do something based on sustainability and decided to work with recycled denim and vintage fabrics to create up-cycled fashions and accessories.” During COVID they added home decor items and also segued into producing fashion masks.