Tastemaker of the Week: FASHION DESIGNER HILARY MACMILLAN

Hillary MacMillan is a Toronto based womenswear designer with her own self-titled brand. Her line consists of contemporary, cruelty-free Canadian womenswear. It was founded in 2013 with a focus on creating wearable designs for the modern woman.  The Hilary MacMillan woman is adventurous and fashion aware. She likes a tailored fit, bold prints and inspired fabrics that make fashion effortlessly conscientious.

21 QUESTIONS WITH HILARY

 

1. Three words that describe my personality are… fun, cheerful, and bubbly.

 

2. A typical day in my week consists of… working in my studio. Depending on the time of season, or what season we are in the day can range from sample making, selling, pattern drafting, grading, fits, getting ready for fashion shows, etc.

 

3. My biggest challenge is… keeping myself on a schedule. Being self-employed allows you to have more freedom in your schedule and it can be difficult at times to keep yourself on track. Luckily now I have a team that works with me in my studio, which forces me to keep a more rigid schedule.

 

4. My heroes are…in the fashion world: Stella McCartney, Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood, Diane Von Furstenberg, Mary Quant, and so many more. In the world: Malala Yousafzai, Gloria Steinem, Hillary Clinton, and of course my parents.

 

5. What I find most satisfying is…taking off your shoes after a long day, especially if they are heels.

 

6. Three instagram accounts I follow are… @plastikmagazine, @thegentlebarn, and @yamchopsto

 

7. The charity I support is…Majengo Children’s Home, and Wishing Well Sanctuary

 

8. The last three items on my credit card statement are…Lakeview Restaurant, Uber, and Tim Hortons

 

9. The item in my closet that I wear the most is…impossible to pin down.

 

10. One thing everyone should try at least once in their life is…bungee jumping!

 

11. My favourite travel memory is…hiking the Salkantay Trek in Peru.

 

12. My favourite hotel is…the Hazelton in Toronto. Great Spa.

 

13. Three of my most cherished travel necessities are…Stay don’t Stray by Benefit, Tata Harper Reparative Moisturizer, and a good pair of shoes.

 

14. My dream travel itinerary would consist of…going to Russia. It changes all the time but right now I really want to travel to Russia.

 

15. One piece of valuable advice I have received and would love to share with others is…’Someone else’s beauty is not the absence of your own’. I loved this when I saw it – as women we tend to get competitive or tear each other down and it’s important to remember someone else success, or beauty, whether that be inner or outer, doesn’t make you any less successful or beautiful.

 

16. My Favourite Restaurant is… Fresh in Toronto.

 

17. My dream dinner guests are…Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

 

18. I’d like to see more vegan options on restaurant menus

 

19. The cities that have the best food are…Toronto, NYC, and LA. I’m a vegan so these major liberal cities always have so much diversity in their menus, and I never have a problem finding food. Of course Paris, and pretty much every Italian city have amazing food, don’t get me wrong but I have a harder time eating in cities where it is heavily a diary, and meat diet.

 

20. My favourite quote is..”Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”

 

21. What I’m working on next is…my FW18 collection, and making more strides in sourcing cruelty free fabrics.