Faculty Roster
PAULA SHNEER
CHAIR, FASHION DESIGN
Paula began her career in education as the co-coordinator of the Fashion Marketing & Merchandising program at the Academy of Design in 1997 while still remaining a partner in a wholesale sales agency. With over 25 years in the Fashion Industry, she brings to her position extensive experience in fashion merchandising, retailing and wholesale. Paula worked with a number of designers, manufacturers and retailers developing lines and private label programs across Canada and into the U.S. In 2005 Paula opened Mix Consulting working with new fashion entrepreneurs to help develop their marketing, merchandising and sales strategies. Paula has also worked very closely with The Toronto Fashion Incubator conducting sales clinics, seminars, workshops and webcasts. She has been a key note speaker for the Educational Program for CSCEx 2006, a member of the Business Advisory Board for the Yukon Territory and is a BDC consultant. Paula is also on the executive of Fashion Group International currently co-chairing their educational committee. A graduate of York University, she is currently pursuing a MA.
JENNIFER DARES
Jennifer Dares is one of Canadaʼs recognized contemporary designers currently reshaping this countryʼs fashion landscape. Graduating from Sheridan Collegeʼs fashion program with coveted honours and awards, Jennifer Dares gained her knowledge and expertise over the course of a long and fruitful career stretching for over twenty years. Jennifer has pattern drafted for a major clothing manufacturer; managed and recruited
for a major department store; excelled as a sales associate and assistant buyer for the Emporio Armani boutique; established her own collection; and, provided trend
forecasting and fashion consulting services for major retailers and manufacturers. The breadth of Jenniferʼs knowledge and her extensive experience in every facet of the
clothing industry enabled her to arrive at an important milestone with the establishment of the LAYER label in 2002. Over the course of six seasons, LAYER made a profound
impact on the Toronto fashion circuit. With dazzling off-site shows, cutting-edge styling and standing-room only crowds, Jennifer quickly established herself as the darling of the
media.
LAYER had been the focus of numerous television broadcasts, published in every major Canadian magazine and newspaper, as well as internationally. Jennifer was also
selected from over 600 international entries, to present in two of five categories featured on the runway at Gen Artʼs new designerʼs presentation in New York City.
In recent years, Jennifer has firmly established herself as a respected consultant on trends and design. Initially for the Hbc Fashion Office in 2006, and then independently,
Jennifer provides direction on themes, colour, fabric, print, pattern, styling, details, and silhouettes for a number of major players in the industry, including Sears, Walmart,
Forzani Group and PYA Importer.
ANNA Di LORENZO
Anna Di Lorenzo is a former IAOD alumnus and has been an instructor at the Academy of Design for nine years. After graduating from school she worked in fashion show production for many years working with many local as well as international designers. Anna also worked as a personal assistant to Loucas, a Toronto based designer for several years. Her second career is as a make-up artist on television commercials. Recently she decided to further her education and is now enrolled at a local university.
KEITH RICHARDSON
Keith first studied architecture and environmental design at the Ontario College of Art. Realizing the similarities of the two medium, both involve turning two-dimensional materials into three-dimensional items, the intimacy and immediacy of fashion won out, and Keith went on to study at the prestigious Galasso School of Design in Toronto, learning couture techniques of patternmaking. After graduating Keith went on to further his studies at George Brown College, where he studied industrial methods of garment design and manufacturing. Keith spent 10 years working in Miami, for numerous sportswear companies, and upon returning to Toronto, began teaching at the Academy of Design.
Keith has won numerous awards for his work in fashion, he continues to design and has published a textbook “Introduction to Stretch” a patternmaking manual for knits and stretch fabrics.
CARRIE HAYES
Carrie Hayes is an honours graduate of the AODT’s fashion design program. She has nine years of apparel industry experience working in the areas of design, product development and quality assurance. For the past four years Carrie has received praise for her self-titled womenswear collection. The collection was awarded the Lulu B. Fashion Award by the Toronto Fashion Incubator. She is a former resident of the TFI. Her work has been featured in Flare, Elle Canada, FASHION, Clin D’Oeil, Inside Fashion Television and the National Post. Carrie also co-directs the FDG, a designer-driven organization notable for spearheading the Get Dressed boutique at Toronto Fashion Week.
SUSAN ANDERSON
A graduate of the Institute of Design in Caracas, Susan did freelance work in textile design, worked as an assistant art director and as an editorial photographer’s assistant on location in Venezuela. She has worked in the industry as a carpet designer catering to a market niche in ‘one of a kind’ pieces as well as commercial applications. Her work has been published on covers of National trade magazines and has won an award in “Focus I Design” at the One of a Kind Canadian Craft Show.
PAT KLINE
Pat Kline began her career teaching. She directed the Communication Arts program at Seneca College and taught in the English division.
Pat left Seneca to co-found Finishing Touches, a high end fashion store known for its impeccable taste, customer service and commitment to Canadian fashion. For many years, Pat, and her partner, designed and produced two private lines for retail in Finishing Touches. These lines developed a very loyal following and received substantial editorial coverage. Finishing Touches was voted ’Best Independent Retailer for 2000’ by the City of Toronto’s Fashion Excellence Committee.
Pat remained connected to the academic environment: she served on the Advisory Committee of Humber College, spoke to many fashion classes and mentored students.
Finishing Touches was cited often for its involvement with both charities and high schools. Pat founded the North Yonge Business Association (forerunner of the current BIA) and was instrumental in turning the area into a vital retail community.
Pat received an Honours B.A. from McMaster University, and spent a graduate year at Queens.
ROBERT OGILVIE
Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, Rob headed west and spent several years in Calgary before returning to make Toronto home. He has distinguished himself in the industry in buying, sales management, marketing, and training roles with several major retailers before beginning his teaching career. Robert continued to develop and instruct courses for both private sector and public post-secondary institutions specializing in the marketing and computer area until becoming full-time faculty at the Academy of Design in 2001. Rob was honoured to receive the Faculty Excellence Award from the Academy in 2000 for ‘outstanding long-term consistency in achieving high-quality work in the classroom, administratively, and with co-workers’ and was one of four faculty members selected by students and colleagues to represent the Toronto Campus of the Academy as Educator of the Year in 2004 and again in 2007. Rob holds a Diploma in Social Science (Psychology) from John Abbott College (1976), Montreal, and a Diploma in Business Administration (Human Resources) from Mount Royal College (1981), Calgary. A lifelong learner, he continued to attend courses and seminars completing a Teaching Effectiveness Certificate at Humber College (2000) and his B. Ed. (Adult Education) from Brock University (2003). M. Ed. From Brock University April 2009.
DOLORES HORCASITAS
Dolores Horcasitas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. But ever since she was a young girl she also had a love of fashion, clothing and textiles. Coming to Toronto, she went on to study Fashion Design at the Academy of Design and before graduating in 1992, she had started working for a clothing manufacturer as a designer and pattern drafter.
In 1995, she started her first business venture called Dress for Two, a maternity wear company, selling across Canada, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, before closing in 2002. After that, she started freelancing as a designer and pattern drafter and she has done work for companies such as Lida Baday, Shelly Oh, Peachtree Originals, Rococo, Zen Couture, Guats, Elegant Expectations and many more.
Currently she is a part-time instructor at the Academy of Design and teaches Pattern Drafting II, Pattern Drafting III, Grading, and Workroom Techniques besides designing the Azure collection. Dolores started Collection Azure, her second business venture in 2007 with a partner, a clothing line catering to sophisticated, professional women.
FARELY CHATTO
Trained at Toronto’s Ryerson University, the Regina native began his own successful line, “Farley Chatto”, while still a student and was soon chosen as one of the top ten young Canadian designers to watch. He was subsequently given the opportunity to live and work in New York, Paris, Milan and Chicago, collaborating with numerous international top designers. Upon returning to Canada, he refined his Haute Couture skills through an extensive private clientele that has now grown to span the globe.
As his reputation expands, Farley’s unique talents and expertise are also being sought out in broader circles; from furniture companies to magazine publishers to cutting-edge choreographers such as Tedd Robinson and Edouard Lock. He has provided costuming for productions at Paramount Studios, Warner Bros Studios and Mirvish Productions in Toronto. Celebrity clients have included Simone Denny, Duran Duran, Natalie Imbruglia and Elton John. Farley has been labeled in the fashion media as one of the top eight designers in Canada. David Clemmer, a Toronto celebrity stylist, recently referred to Farley in an interview with the Toronto Star saying “everyone needs a Farley.”
JAMES FOWLER
At age four I cut up a wedding dress trying to make clothes for my new Barbie doll. Fast forward V.C.C.-Fine Arts- for textile manipulation. Next -Ryerson Polytechnic for Fashion followed by a decade as a noted fashion designer, followed by a dozen years as Chair of Fashion at the Academy of Design and a couple more as Director of the School of Fashion. But, I missed the cloth, so full circle and back to cutting up clothes to make new things! I started TEXTI’LL five years ago. Shows have included: SKIN: in the cooler at MADE, The One of a Kind (Toronto),
Originals(Ottawa), The Cabbagetown festival, The Queen west art crawl, Pieceworks (Gladstone hotel) and Radiant Darkness I (Toronto) and Radiant Darkness I(Cambridge) as well as several private commissions, including work for the government of Ontario.
SUZANNE POLLACK
Suzanne Pollock has 23 years of expertise as a retail executive, she has seen and done it all. Before becoming a consultant, Ms. Pollock was the Director of Planning and Purchasing at Sporting Life Inc., leading them into a period of financial and profitable growth. During her tenure, she became a recognized and respected leader in the Toronto Fashion Industry. She began her career as a salesperson. With hard work and dedication, she rose rapidly in the business. Suzanne has become an independent consultant, guiding growing companies through the organizational and growth process. Suzanne holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude with an AA from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
MARTYN LEE
Martyn Lee was introduced to display and communication arts while working at a heritage museum, in his southern Ontario hometown. Having an artistic and aesthetic sensibility, an interest grew. A career of being creative in a three dimensional way, with possibilities to educate, persuade or evoke emotion appealed to him. After studying fine art in post secondary school, Martyn went on to graduate from a Visual Merchandising Arts program. This was the launching point into an exciting nineteen year career.
As a Visual Presentation Specialist, he took every opportunity to move through his field gaining exposure, experience and education. Martyn is proud to have worked at two of Toronto’s leading department store, flagship locations.
Martyn’s appreciation for visual appeal goes beyond fashion merchandising. Martyn spends his down time building a fine art collection of oil paintings.
ROBERT KENNEDY
For 25 Years, Robert Kennedy has dedicated his career in fashion, to custom tailoring, pattern drafting and draping. Recently, working alongside such designers as Justina McCaffrey, Greta Constantine and Joeffer Caoc has given Robert the meticulous ability to create and fuse many techniques in order to continue the hands on expertise necessary to progress in the fashion industry.
