“Lesley Hampton is a prominent Canadian fashion designer from Toronto,” writes torontonka.com. 

Interestingly, the creative work of our heroine is truly unique, not only because of the one-of-a-kind costumes she designs but also because of a particular approach and the values she promotes. It reflects on her designs and declares her not only as a talented designer but also as a Canadian who has a high appreciation for her people’s culture, past and traditions.

All these things most likely contributed to the fact that the girl quite early started her professional path, which eventually brought her great success. The designer got numerous fans, with her designs increasingly being showcased during fashion shows and significant fashion events.

A hobby that turned into a job

It is worth starting with the fact that art has interested our heroine since her early years. That’s why, when the school years were behind her and it was time to decide on the place of further education, as well as specialty, it didn’t take long for Lesley to think about it. She became a student at the Faculty of Art and Art History of the University of Toronto. As for fashion, the girl studied it while attending George Brown College.

As a result, such extensive and valuable knowledge allowed our heroine to start her professional career quite quickly.

At the beginning of her career

Lesley’s professional journey began when she was just twenty-two and still pursuing her studies. 

Debut

The girl succeeded in designing her first collection while studying in her first year of college. As a result, the author’s clothing has been shown at major events such as Vancouver Fashion Week and the Vogue Runway.

An unusual trend

Interestingly, the designer began actively involving models with specific physical disabilities in her shows.

In particular, for the show of her Fall-Winter 2017 collection, the young designer invited a model who was disabled (she lost her leg following a terrorist attack), five overweight women and one woman suffering from albinism.

Landmark year

The 2019th was a truly landmark year for the career of our heroine. It was then that she became the first fashion designer in many years to be able to present models belonging to one or another indigenous people during Toronto Fashion Week. Also, in the same year, Lesley was able to finalize an incredible dress which was then worn by the winner of Mrs. Universe 2019. More interestingly, the idea behind this piece was to draw attention to the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Such a message subsequently provoked a furious reaction from critics. Furthermore, many people responded very favorably to the idea and agreed that Lesley is a really conscious Canadian citizen and a great patriot of her home province.

Sensational event

June 2022 was memorable for our heroine as her collection was presented during the Toronto Indigenous Arts Festival. It became a spark of sensation, the proof of which is that many residents of Toronto and the suburbs came to see the unique costumes created by Lesley. 

A sudden desire

Our heroine’s desire to support Indigenous people and help their descendants was so great that she decided to establish a ten thousand dollar scholarship for a Toronto student studying culture and the arts and, of course, has a direct connection to the province of Ontario. Such an act was perceived by Toronto society as very noble. Therefore, people’s interest in the activities of our heroine has increased significantly. Moreover, even those who previously had not heard of the designer began enthusiastically supporting her new endeavors.