Toronto fashion designer Rosemarie Umetsu whose new studio
is located at 198 A Davenport Road, has made a name for herself as someone who
dresses the stars and her line known simply as Atelier Rosemarie Umetsu features
breathtaking couture gowns and scrumptious ready to wear designs.
Although her client list is comprised predominately of a who’s who of the
Canadian entertainment community, those outside of Canada will no doubt
recognize performers such as; Alannah Myles (singer-songwriter), Sarah Slean
(singer-songwriter), Sophie Millman (Jazz vocalist), Colin Ainsworth (Classical
tenor), Joyce DiDonato (mezzo-soprano), Wendy Crewson (actress), Vivica A. Fox
(actress), Veronica Tennant (dance performance filmmaker and director) and Karen
Kain (artistic director National Ballet of Canada).
Ms. Umetsu’s black and white studio features a wall of gowns, classical
music playing in the background and photographic artwork of some of
One immediately notices the European sensibility which
affects Rosemarie Umetsu’s designs and she agrees, “I think that the European
flavor comes from the fact that I am very detail oriented and I am really into
the old fashioned couture way of doing things and whether it is the fit or the
design of the pieces themselves. Here (
Just as she pays careful attention to detail with her designs, Rosemarie Umetsu, just as carefully tracks what her clients wear and to what events they wear her pieces.
“When I first got into fashion I was working for Holt
Renfrew and then I was working for Club
Rosemarie Umetsu appears to have
discovered her niche as the designer of choice for many performing artists. “It
was only about four years ago, in 2007 that I looked through my client base and
I realized much to my surprise, because I hadn’t really been paying attention,
that fifty percent of my clients are in the performing arts. It could be,
because I have been a classical pianist since I was three and classical music is
still my first love. Maybe there is some attraction there and there is something
in the clothes that attracts them (she laughs). I think one of the big selling
features, particularly with musicians is, that not only does the garment look
stunning, but it has to be functional. It is one thing to go and buy something
off of the rack, but then you have to take into consideration what a pianist
needs versus what a violinist needs, what a cellist would need, what a conductor
would need or what a singer would need. You can have the same garment if you
wish, but they would have to be cut very differently when you take into
consideration the functionality of it.”
Atelier Rosemarie Umetsu
is starting to gain a foothold, albeit still small on the international scene as
her clients spread the word throughout
As far as deciding on what
designs are best suited for her clients, Ms. Umetsu says, “It is really a
symbiotic thing. Sometimes I have done it and I have not met them until the day
before a performance or something like that and then it becomes very
challenging. By and large I decide what is going to look good on them, based on
their shape and that is one thing, but then you look at personal preferences. It
can be anything from color or the neckline or whether they like sleeves or not.
With all of these things in mind, I give them a bit of an interview first then I
do a bunch of sketches and I send it to them. What they like from the sketches,
they are going to love and then we build it from there.”
Although the performer’s own
personal body type and preference are keys to determining a style, there are
other important elements that also factor in, such as, “what their repertoire
is. What type of venue they are performing in and whether it is the Mod Club,
Carnegie Hall or The Blue Note. They are very different venues. I just had a
mezzo- soprano a few days ago and she is doing a World Aids Day concert and she
wanted red and black. We have a whole (bunch) of red and black dresses that she
could choose from, but I directed her to something that wasn’t going to take up
the entire stage or room. The venue sat 300 people versus 1,200 people and she
was on the stage with a small orchestra. All of that needed to be taken into
consideration with what we chose as well,” she explains.
Some of Rosemarie Umetsu’s designs are featured on the Riveting Riffs Magazine front page and you can enjoy more of Atelier Rosemarie Umetsu by visiting the website