Address:
The Toronto Fashion Incubator

Have you heard of the saying "She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth"? Susan Langdon in her words described her design career as a path which was laid out for her since birth.

"I was born with a thimble on my thumb. I grew up surrounded by clothes (my father was a dry cleaner and my mother a seamstress who worked in the garment biz) so it's no wonder that I had an interest in clothes and fashion from an early age. Sometimes, my dad would bring home unclaimed tulle and taffeta gowns for my sister and I to wear when we played "dress up". We were the hit of our neighbourhood! All the girls wanted to play dress up with us! We were on such a power trip. Even then, I recognized the relationship of how clothing affects our acceptance into society. It was a fascination I have held all my life."

And it was fascination which had turned success into bigger success. The little girl who played dress up grew up to go to Ryerson Polytechnic University, where as a student she won several designing awards, including the "Fashion Canada" Award which was the most prestigious student award given by the Canadian government at that time. She was selected as one of 6 undergraduates from across Canada to win a paid internship at an apparel firm.

While working as a designer, Susan Langdon won the Concours Design Award in Montreal (1988) and was selected one of several Canadian designers to participate in the International Wool Secretariat's Woolmark Awards competition in 1990.

She also designed an eveningwear line called "Zakura". The obviously Asian-influenced label was meant to reflect her Japanese roots. (Susan is a third generation Canadian of Japanese heritage). She did that until 1993. There was a change of tide in the Canadian economy, and Susan started her own contract design/patternmaking business. It was while she was doing that when The Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) asked her to be the Executive Director of TFI.

After 17 years of designing, Susan decided to go into management and help out young designers. She accepted the position as Executive Director and has held the job since then. Susan describes her role at TFI as not only to act as administrator of a non-profit organization, but to provide advice and consultation to new, emerging designers.

At that time that the job offer from TFI came to her, she had other offers: full time fashion instructor at the Ryerson Polytechnic University, her Alma Mater and an opportunity to expand her contract design/patternmaking business through a grant from the Canadian Foundation. Her decision to accept the position at TFI was because of a subtle challenge thrown her way.

"When the position of Executive Director came forward, I was told that the job had never been offered or held by a designer because designers were not generally known for their business and budgetary skills. This irked me enough to apply for the job. I wanted to prove to everyone that they were wrong; that designers were not just creative air-heads. I also felt that by demonstrating this, I would be providing a good role model for new designers too. They would see that to be successful, you need talent but also brains," quoted Susan with a smile.

As it turned out, being Executive Director for TFI was like putting a duck into water. It was the perfect blend of all her skills and talents. She would be able to tap into all of her experiences as a designer, an entrepreneur, an educator and a business person; all for a really great cause. She had never run a non-profit organization before and knew it would be a challenge in terms of generating revenue each year. But then, she had never run away from a challenge before. In fact, Susan thrived on challenges. "It motivates me," she said.

Successful as a designer, entrepreneur and management. That's Susan Langdon. Her advise to young designers, "Follow your heart and your dream. Reach for the stars but be realistic at the same time. To be a successful designer you need more than just talent. You need to be a smart business person too. I've seen the most talented designers waste their time and money by not paying enough attention to their cash flow."

It seems to be the correct formula, looking at the long line of success stories of TFI under her tutelage.