Beginning his professional design career at Travis Taddeo, Stowe transitioned to M0851 then Matt & Nat before joining the ALDO Group. He launched his eponymous clothing label in 2016 and was a featured designer in the 2020 digital edition of Montreal Fashion Preview.
A graduate of Concordia’s Department of Design and Computation Arts, with a major in design, he recently sat down to talk about his fashion journey.
How did you get into fashion design?
Lucas Stowe: I went to F.A.C.E., a fine arts-focused high school in Montreal. I did painting and sculpting, then applied for Concordia’s Design program, which is pretty broad. My last semester, I studied abroad in Paris at École Boulle and that changed my life. I went to Paris Fashion Week and decided that was what I wanted to do for a living.
When I returned home to Montreal, I had a seamstress teach me how to make garments. I did another semester abroad in London, England, at the London College of Fashion and studied footwear design. Fashion became my passion. That's how I started.
You began your Lucas Stowe brand designing clothes for both men and women.
LS: I play with gender but don't really think about it. It’s not women’s or men’s fashion. It’s not gendered, really. The word I like to use to describe it is “gender-full”. A lot of people in fashion use the term “genderless” and I hate that word. It insinuates that there is a lack of gender. For me, it's really the opposite. I celebrate all genders.