As part of the Toronto Eaton Centre’s 30-year celebration three galleries of apparel from the Seneca College Fashion Resource Centre (FRC) will be on display until mid-October, and a fundraiser will take place this weekend to help the College’s FRC continue serving as a vital resource to the fashion community.

“There are a lot of fashion retailers in the Centre,” says Pamela Setzke, Toronto Eaton Centre’s Senior Marketing Director. “It only made sense that there was a retrospective that connected beauty and fashion. But the question was, ‘Where were we going to get the clothing?’ When I learned about the collection at Seneca’s Fashion Resource Centre, I didn’t go anywhere else. It was a natural fit.”

Housing approximately 10,000 garments dating from 1840 to today, Seneca’s FRC is one of the most important resources in Canadian fashion today. The Centre functions as a working library, consisting of historic garments and accessories made or worn in Canada. By acquiring, researching and exhibiting a collection of garments and accessories, the Centre seeks to further industry and student education and appreciation of the historic value of Canadian fashion through hands-on study.

Along with the showing of vintage garments, Toronto Eaton Centre has 37 fashion design sketches by Seneca students and alumni on display until October 13. Contributors of sketches include Marilyn Brooks, Franco Mirabelli and Senator Vivienne Poy .The sketches will be sold on Saturday, October 13 beginning at 9:30 a.m., with all proceeds going towards the purchase of environmentally-controlled display cases for the FRC.

The sketches can be viewed at the Toronto Eaton Centre and online at www.senecac.on.ca