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Thomas Tait

Designer, Thomas Tait

The young Canadian designer’s curvilinear shapes and experimental materials have set him apart at London Fashion Week.

Biography

Since his graduation from Central Saint Martins, Thomas Tait has become a much buzzed-about London designer, when he won the inaugural LVMH Prizein 2014 and was named Emerging Womenswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards as well as the London Design Museum designer of the year in 2015. His collections are invariably exercises in the cognitive consideration of proportion, cut, form and texture, offering a fully realised, probed and tested product of his inspiration points and references

Born in Montreal, Canada, Tait completed a three-year diploma at the Collège LaSalle, delving into the commercial side of fashion. With a growing desire to explore his creative abilities, Tait first developed his sculptural and modern aesthetic when he began studying at the London Central St Martins College of Art & Design. At 21, he was the youngest ever graduate from the school’s esteemed MA Fashion programme. Upon completing his degree in 2010, Tait launched his womenswear brand, debuting it in collaboration with the London Wilkinson Gallery. That year, Tait won the Inaugural Dorchester collection prize and just a year later, the designer received The British Fashion Council 's Newgen sponsorship scheme, subsequently presenting a collection in collaboration with the Alison Jacquest Gallery in London, and another for Nike. 

Tait is known to take creative direction of his shows from end-to-end, including lighting, sound, staging and venue, alongside the collection itself. Manolo Blahnik , one of Tait's industry supporters told BoF, “Thomas has such potential. The couture of it, the lines – his work is exceptional and wonderful.”

Despite gaining much recognition hot on the heels of a successful 2015, the emerging designer fought a looming bankruptcy that rolled dark clouds over his growing momentum. Showing regularly at London Fashion Week from then onwards, the designer announced he would no longer present fashion shows in 2016. After unveiling a final collection at the Almine Rech Gallery in Paris, the artist ceased production of his brand.

Career

Thomas Tait

Thomas Tait

Designer

2010 - Present

London, United Kingdom

Education

College LaSalle

College LaSalle

Central Saint Martins

Central Saint Martins

Vital Statistics

Nationality

Canada

Location
United Kingdom
Member since
2013

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What is The BoF 500?

The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.