PARKLUXE 2024

Born in Gonaïves, Haiti, Helmer Joseph has traversed the world of fashion. In his early career, Helmer began with training as a men's tailor. Subsequently, Helmer pursued further education in several institutions, including ESMOD in Paris, Lesage School where he mastered embroidery, the School of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne (now known as the French Institute of Fashion), and LaSalle College in Montreal. Over a span of 20 years, Helmer worked for renowned fashion houses, including Thierry Mugler and Christian Dior in Paris. Throughout his career, Helmer Joseph also collaborated with numerous artistic and museum institutions, such as the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts during the Thierry Mugler exhibition in 2018. In 2021, at the request of the prestigious design education university, Helmer Joseph joined the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) to initiate a training and professional development program for future fashion designers from Quebec and Canada. Additionally, Helmer Joseph is the founding director of a fashion and arts school in Jacmel, Haiti. Today, Helmer continues to develop his collections while imparting his knowledge and techniques to the next generations. 

Greta Constantine is an accessible luxury line of ready-to-wear womenswear based in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 2006 by Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, the label is named after Wong's mother, Greta, and Pickersgill's grandfather, Constantine. Now designed solely by Pickersgill, Greta Constantine is available in over 40 stores worldwide across 15 countries, including high-end retailers like Holt Renfrew and Selfridges, as well as online platforms Moda Operandi and Farfetch. The Toronto-based team continues to push the boundaries of contemporary fashion for the modern woman.

Perfecting the women's blazer since 2004, SMYTHE has grown into a multi-faceted fashion brand with a sixth sense for contemporary style. Friends for over thirty years, founders and co-designers Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe have channeled their diverse backgrounds into a shared vision in SMYTHE.

Overseeing their independent, Toronto-based business together, they have expanded beyond individual tailored pieces to ready-to-wear collections. SMYTHE now exists as a distinctive 360- degree lifestyle wardrobe. With an ambition towards retail expansion, the first boutique opened in 2022, followed by the launch of a fragrance. Maintaining a dedicated following and embraced by high-profile women over the past 20 years, SMYTHE will always be synonymous with impeccably constructed clothes that embolden the women who wear them.