Andy Warhol once said “If you want to know all about me, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and there I am.”

Who is the Beaufille girl?

Launched in 2009, by sisters Chloe and Parris Gordan, Beaufille loosely translates into “Handsome Girl”. The designers originally launched under the nom de plume Chloe Comme Parris. The name change in 2013 marks the label’s shift in focus from local to international expansion and exposure.

“Beaufille isn’t for every girl. It’s for that specific girl who has an eye for detail and construction; something unique and artistic.” Parris, Beaufille

Beaufille’s appeal comes from catering to the latest movement in fashion consumption: the abandonment of larger label chasing for the desire to purchase things only of high quality and supreme fit. These new consumers, or the “nouveau cool”, are defined by a higher taste in aesthetic and the appetite for an almost artisan quality to life. Beaufille is just that. Designed for women who are looking to incorporate both art and history in their everyday attire and are less concerned with a ‘brand’ or it’s name. For the girl that Beaufille resonates with, fashion becomes less of a conscious struggle for personified identity; it becomes fluid, effortless and accessible.

Wharhol’s philosophy can be applied to the Beaufille girl; ‘ What you see is what you get’. The Beaufille girl’s personality; artistically bold, androgynous, downtown, rocker, is fully visible in the Fall 2013 collection of slashed velvets and ornately designed prints. Toronto based Beaufille, have been perfecting this ultra-cool aesthetic since the launch of their Fall 2011 collection at Toronto Fashion Week (I’m pretty sure the definition ‘Bad-Ass’ defined in the Urban Dictionary was modeled after them).

“We no longer felt it necessary for our names to define the brand. Beaufille represents every girl who has an eye for sophisticated construction and who appreciates the juxtaposition between old and new.”

“Throughout our collections we have been inspired by French culture, art, and history. We wanted a name that plays on our personal style, I myself, tend to prefer feminine touches, while Chloe approaches fashion from a menswear point of view.” Parris

With Chloe designing all the ready to wear, and Parris designing all the jewelry, the balance of work and creativity is approached from the girl’s vastly diverse sets of inspirations. The result; creations so harmoniously beautiful it’s no wonder that their clothing has become an institution for Toronto’s discerning fashion urbanistas. We met the designer duo at The Collections Masscast to discuss their Fall ’13 line. It was easy to feel the electricity, ingenuity and fashion magic going on just beneath the surface, despite the girls laid back demeanor. Taking inspiration from 90’s grunge and the artistically playful Rococo era: Chloe and Parris have managed to create a collection that is fresh and intensely covetable. It’s hard to suppress the fevered feeling that one may cease to exist without one of their pieces to call your very own.

The equation of historical references, unique perspectives and a large sum of bad-assery equates into one hell of a boundary breaking moment in Canadian Fashion history. It’s no surprise the girls’ vision is a radical one. Channeling other visionary risk takers such as: Claude Montana, Yves Saint Laurent, Cristobal Balenciaga, Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Jim Morrison, Courtney Love, Hedi Slimane and Diana Vreeland as inspiration is a recipe for historic greatness. If Chloe and Parris keep doing what they’re doing there’s no doubt Beaufille will quickly transition to an international success.

-Lauren Schell