We talk with the Canadian designer championing an inclusive approach to beauty

Born in Macau and raised in Vancouver, Steven Tai apprenticed with Stella McCartney and Viktor & Rolf before launching his eponymous womenswear label in 2012. Since then, he has been an ANDAM Award finalist and received the prestigious Chloé Prize at the Hyères fashion festival. This past fall, the critically acclaimed, London-based fashion designer made international headlines by collaborating with prominent photographer Rankin and a U.K. charity, Changing Faces, on a new book and campaign, Portrait Positive.

Co-created by Tai and Stephen Bell, an events company director born with a congenital hand difference, the Portrait Positive book features portraits by Rankin of 16 women with visible facial and bodily differences, all wearing Tai's designs (three of the women also modeled for his Spring/Summer 2019 presentation during London Fashion Week). Proceeds from the book sales benefit Changing Faces, which provides support, advice and psychosocial services to people with visible differences or disfigurements.

We talked to Tai about the groundbreaking project, why he thinks it's important to challenge the fashion industry's notions of beauty and how the experience might impact his work going forward.

What is the Portrait Positive project?

Portrait Positive is a project that set out to challenge the fashion industry's rather narrow view of beauty. Its centrepiece is a book that features 16 visibly different women shot by the renowned photographer, Rankin, in their favourite steventai archive pieces. I co-created the project with campaigner Stephen Bell, who was born with a rare medical condition called syndactyly, where his fingers [are] fused together.

We worked closely with the charity Changing Faces here in London. They specialize in campaigning for equality and fair treatment for people who are visibly different, and in supporting these people in their aspirations to have full and successful lives. We launched the project at the Wellcome Collection last month with Gail Porter as the host of the evening.

How did the collaboration come together?

When Stephen approached me to work on a project together, I was really excited as steventai [the brand] has always celebrated the underdogs in life, those who are separate from the crowd, who have their own style and view of beauty. The brand celebrates "otherness," and I have always believed that beauty is about confidence and celebration of the self and the different. 

Because we really wanted this project to be visible in the fashion sphere, I wanted to make sure we worked with prominent individuals who are well respected in fashion. In terms of photography in the business, no one has the standing to match Rankin, who is acknowledged internationally in his field. Luckily for us, he, too, believes that the fashion industry's view of beauty is one that is too narrowly focused, and he leapt at the chance to join us in the project. 

We were also lucky to work with other amazing luminaries in the industry such as Caroline Issa of Tank magazine, who edited the text in the book, and Katie Felstead from Glass magazine, who styled our models.

What message or story were you hoping to communicate with the portraits?

We wanted to let these women do the talking, so to speak. Rankin is amazing at capturing individuals in a very clean setting, without distractions, which is exactly what we wanted. These women have all experienced prejudice, judgment and segregation, yet they were all incredibly joyous and fun to work with. Their positivity filled the set on the days of the shoot. 

We wanted the portraits to show their strength, and through their images — especially through their eyes — to almost feel each of their personalities and their experiences. The women themselves wanted to show the world that, despite all they had been through, they were confident in their own skin.

Do you think that your experience with the project has had an impact on your designs?

Definitely. Aside from learning more about different disabilities, I got to work with women from all sorts of backgrounds and [with different] body shapes. Although we make a wide range of sizes for stores, we rarely get this chance to do continuous fittings with such a diverse group of women. It was really valuable for me and it helped me a lot in terms of understanding their needs. 

Three of the models from the book were also part of your latest presentation at London Fashion Week, and you've cast seniors and grey-haired models in previous seasons. Why has embracing unconventional model choices been important for you?

The brand itself has always celebrated things not often celebrated. I have felt like an outsider and an underdog for most of my life. Maybe this comes from my experience of arriving in Canada at a young age, not speaking English and feeling very isolated. Although, at first, I felt as though I would never fit in, I had a great group of friends who also didn't fit anywhere else. We were the odd ones out, but we were so happy and proud of who we were. 

When I had the chance to create my own label, I wanted to make sure we were inclusive. Because familiarity breeds normality, and as someone who has an active audience with our shows and social outlets, I want to make sure we are being responsible in our representations. 

Looking back, how did your experience growing up in Vancouver influence your work as a fashion designer?

Vancouver is such a multicultural city. It taught me so much about acceptance and respect of everyone's culture and background. I think my high school experience, being one of the outsiders in a gang of outsiders, really shaped who I am as a person, which in turn influenced my designs and brand ethos. 

Also, as Vancouver has such a strong active community, I think — even though I was terrible at sports — the aesthetics of athletic wear has seeped through and translated into the details of my garments. 

Truc Nguyen is a Toronto-based writer, editor and stylist. Follow her at @trucnguyen.