Montreal Fashion Week is ongoing, and one local artist offers the opposite of “fast fashion.” Artist and entrepreneur Tonya Dickenson’s signature necklaces are zero-waste pieces of art. Tucked inside a heritage spot at 1844 William St. in Griffintown is a pop-up collection created by Dickenson. “This is the art centre and a museum. So it combines both my antique and vintage feel as well. All my pieces are wearable art, so they all have a message. They all have a value, they’re unique. And they have a name just like you!” Her necklace collections each have names like “Never a 51st State,” featuring maple leaf items and Canadiana. She explains, “These are old stock pearls. These are actually also vintage.” Another collection called “Shattering the Glass Ceiling” celebrates equality and strength – and necklaces are presented on broken glass shards encased in frames. “This one is called Diamond in the Rough,” says Dickenson, pointing to a beautiful, asymmetrical necklace. “Recycled glass from Ghana as well. And coconut shell. And again, everything is fully circular. “ Called circular fashion because the beads are mostly upcycled from items like old vinyl records or animal horns. “With antique carved lapis. And these are antiques from Yemen, pure silver,” describes Dickenson. She points out that each creation comes with a card explaining the environmental benefit of this kind of fashion. “Litres of water saved as well as kilograms of carbon not emitted, comparing old versus new.” Montreal Fashion Week has a whole host of events going on, with great local artists to discover. “I’m happy to share that I’m a triple finalist this year, and during fashion week we’ll find out at a gala on Sept. 30. So I’m crossing my fingers,” Dickinson said, grateful for the recognition she’s been receiving.
