Metric's Emily Haines rocks runway in collaboration with Rudsak

Metric's Emily Haines arrives on the red carpet at the Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto on Sunday, March 3, 2013. (Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

TORONTO -- Metric frontwoman Emily Haines may be in the midst a European tour, but she's still finding a way to rock the runway back at home in Toronto.

The indie rock singer-songwriter has teamed with Canadian brand Rudsak on a special design collaboration which will be unveiled during Toronto's World MasterCard Fashion Week on Thursday.

Her inaugural foray into fashion comes on the heels of Metric's latest full-length album "Pagans In Vegas" released last month.

Haines said she was approached by the Montreal-based leather goods retailer to create a custom piece for the brand. She teamed with Rudsak founder and head designer Evik Asatoorian in designing the limited-edition leather jacket.

"For me, the Rudsak collaboration is all about creating something for the modern woman who has to live life on Earth -- not on stage," Haines said in a phone interview from Berlin.

"And the jacket that we've designed is as suitable for a working professional woman or a mother or a rock 'n' roller. It's not about showing off. It's about function and elegance."

Haines said she came to the process with "zero experience," but wasn't surprised to see the level of care required to design a new garment.

"That's true, I think, for every craft. But it was amazing to see how Evik works and to see the huge spectrum of fabrics and materials and options, and the qualities of the leathers that they're using and all the workmanship. ...

"My idea, I thought, was maybe a bit out there. But Evik was really excited and got behind it right away. Like all creative processes, it's always interesting to see how other artists work."

Asatoorian said Haines's rock star image was the ideal fit with the label, which has prided itself on its "cool rebel" signature look after two decades in business.

"We started looking at her lifestyle, what are a true rock star's needs, and what does she wish to have," he said. "She's so talented -- not only for music but even taste-wise.

"It's nice to know when a person says what her true passion on a product is ... and she looks at it from outside the box

Asatoorian said the design collaboration with Haines is slated to be the last item in the runway showcase.