Michele Taras Art Apparel

We had the opportunity to interview Michele Taras, the creator behind Michele Taras Art Apparel. Michele currently resides in Orangeville, Ontario but is originally from Montreal, Quebec. She began her professional career as a family and portrait photographer. Looking to explore her trade and add more artistic flair to her work she decided to make the transition into fashion photography.

Michele’s photography is well renowned having been published in fashion magazines such as Chloe, Bride and Groom and HUF to name a few.  Michele began a creative journey where the sky was the limit for her, so naturally, fashion photography was not where she stopped. In 2016, Michele published her first issue for her very own fashion magazine titled, IntElegance.

In 2018, Michele began to paint and to her own amazement, she sold 14 paintings in the first year. Her artwork was received positively and lead to starting her clothing line. Later that year she began to put those paintings on fabrics. Thus her one of a kind collection was born. Ultra vibrant and fun, her pieces are made up of scarfs, dresses, and leggings; perfect for everyday wear. We could not help but notice the 60s and 70s inspired designs and colour choices giving her collection a burst of energy and life.  

Michele is not a stranger to Fashion Art Toronto (FAT) originally attending as a photographer. This year however was a very special year for her as it was her designer debut!  As she prepared her collection for the runway she realized that she needed tops to go with the pants she had designed. Being the strong creative force that she is, she began to up-cycle jean jackets and crop tops. 

Her collection for FAT was entitled “Better Together”. We asked Michele what that phrase meant to her? She really wanted to emphasize that she couldn’t have put the show together on her own. “It’s always better when we work as a team”, she says. This year her team included designer Leah Evans of Buffalo Feathers alongside Liena Kido of Ajita Fashion. Together they created three unique one of kind pieces that were hand painted by Michele and adorned by various models on the runway.  

We loved Michele’s models. Michele had a very diverse line up of models at this year’s FAT ranging from age, ability, ethnicity, and sexuality. For her, it is always important to show diversity in fashion as she believes that fashion should be celebrated by everyone and not just those who are what she considers to be the industry standard. You can watch the fun and high energy runway show here.  

What’s next for Michele? Well, you can catch her along with her collection at this years Vancouver Fashion Week. Michele continues to aim to use fashion as a way to spread happiness and educated others. Best of all, she is just enjoying the ride!

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