Stevie Crowne

Photos by: Daniela Behnod

Energy Never Dies

In a coffee shop nestled in Toronto’s east end, I had the opportunity to sit down with Toronto turned Montreal designer, Stevie Crowne. The first thing that stood out about Stevie was his unique style of dress, paint splattered black jeans and jersey with a hat and sunglasses to match. It is safe to say that he not only made an immediate impression but a lasting one as well. 

As we sat down, we wasted no time in getting into the questions. Stevie, eager to divulge the juicy details about his up and coming collection for this year’s Fashion Arts Toronto, formidably known as FAT for short got the conversation flowing. This was Stevie’s third collection for FAT, one that he described as the brightest,  transformative and different thing he had to give of himself and his audience. After going through what he recounts as some very dark times in his life and ultimately filtering that darkness in his previous collections, he was excited to come back with a collection which he entitled E.N.D an abbreviation for Energy Never Dies. E.N.D is a very visual collection full of neon’s, holographic details and lights. 

For Stevie, it took him leaving the hustle and bustle of Toronto and its voracious nightlife  to really sit down and channel his inner being and ask himself one hard-hitting question “why am I doing this?” which brought him to the realization that you have to keep fighting  for what you believe in, even when it feels like the world is against you and for him that means twenty hour work days and one meal a day. What I found most interesting was Stevie’s take on the word  “fashion”, to him better known as “fast-fashion”. He believes that the term style is far more fitting.  As an artist and creator that takes items of clothing that were once worn and possibly considered fashionable, he is able to take them and re-work them turning them into something greater, as he affectionately refers to himself as the alchemist of unused clothes.  

FAT has become a benchmark for him, Stevie says as it has given him the space to be as creative as he wants to be. He is able to be very hands-on with the show and the way it portrays his designs. He says he just wants to create a universe of his own that he can just get lost inside and FAT continues to give him the space to do just that.  For Stevie it’s not just about the shows or his collections, it’s a part of him that lives on forever. 

Written by: Denniesha Thomas