I’ve just spent three weeks in the US and admittedly was not very surprised by the present style on the other side of the big lake. It has always been a bit more girly – if we forget about the Jeans and T-Shirt look for a while.
Now for us Europeans, Canada and Northern America are not that far apart, so let me just say: it is a Canadian brand that is currently touring our continent with a budding young Miss America on its coat-tail. After 54 years in the fashion industry, Joseph Ribkoff has decided it was time for change and in this he means: time to create a more youthful image for his brand. Certainly, 18-years-old Teresa Scanlan, named Miss America in January 2011, does a good job at rejuvenating the label as its current brand ambassador. I meet the new face of the business at the Marylebone Hotel in the West End in London. I learn from her that the Miss America Organisation is a nonprofit dedicated to offering the most scholarships for women in the world. Last year alone, it awarded scholarships valued at over $45 million dollars. Teresa, the middle one of seven siblings, therefore has already paid off all her school fees to become a judge or eventually a politician.
I must say, she is very mature for her age and seems a natural communication talent, it is a pleasure chatting with her about her mission as Miss: to prevent girls from becoming anorexic or bulimic due to a distorted beauty pictures and ideas that are ever-present in fashion imagery and editorial content all over the world. ‚We all look different‘, the beauty says ‚It’s not about looking like the person next to you, but about being the real you and looking the best as yourself.‘ To keep her own body fit, Teresa recommends: ‚Just make the healthier of two choices, every day. Get active but don’t go to extremes.‘ And she is the kind of person we absolutely believe in what she’s telling us.
Joseph Ribkoff’s collections are changing quarterly and are sold in 3000 boutiques worldwide. Each collection consists of over 300 articles of clothing at prices ranging from CA$75 to $350.