Raise The Rhythm With Whitney Linen

“My love of timeless elegant things started when I was a child. My parents brought the first Hermes store to Toronto and ran it for 15 years. I grew up with Hermes, so to speak, and absorbed its style, colour and line. I have spent much time in Europe and have watched elegant men and women, dressed in linen, walking the cobbled streets of France and Italy, looking so chic. The more worn linen looks, the better it looks. I want to introduce the comfort and confidence of this image to North Americans.” – Whitney Westwood

Whitney Westwood is an accomplished, self-employed fashion designer and the face behind the notable clothing line “Whitney Linen.”

She  has been involved in the world of fashion for almost two decades, starting out as an international model for Elite and holds expertise in fashion representation, event planning, marketing & PR, and more recently as a partner in an online fashion and lifestyle magazine.

Her unique line was launched back in 2011, and has since skyrocketed to notoriety within the public fashion eye. Whitney Linen functions as an online shopping boutique that features clothing and housewares made entirely of linen; including table linens, and bedding. Her brand is 100% Canadian made, and it’s demographic is predominately geared towards mature women, though she does in fact have a male line being released soon called “Whitney for Men” (which I’m sure you fashion privy males out there are thrilled to hear!) In fact, she already has a few select pieces available in her shop as far as men’s wear, so I invite you to check it out.

What makes Whitney’s clothing line so appealing is that all of her gorgeous pieces are created using raw linen from the Baltic States, one of the largest exports for linen in the entire world.

“…Whitney Westwood pulls inspiration from her travels around the world, from the cobbled streets of Italy– the beautiful flax fields of the South of France, to the blue waters of the Cote D’Azur.”

I have personally had the pleasure of seeing her line modeled live and meeting her, and she’s very warm and kind. A pleasure to be around, and she certainly loves what she does.

Below is a video that showcases her brand during Fashion Week in 2013 of last year to give you a taste of what the brand’s vibe is like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQRMglh4ozo

Not only is she an incredibly talented and vivacious designer, she has also worked with revered industry names such as Gucci, Hermes, Valentino, Lenny Kravits, P Diddy and Maxwell, to name a few.

Linen is one of the world’s oldest fabrics. It’s usage was popular in Egypt and was highly revered for it’s elegant and light qualities. It was worn to symbolize the light of the Divine, and as a wrapping for mummies being placed in the sarcophagus after death.

Whitney’s Linen  is all natural, eco- friendly, durable, permeable, and absorbs dampness readily. Hence why the Egyptians were so akin to sport it in their climatically dense environment.

Something else to keep your eyes open for is the launching of Whitney’s brand new site–and to give you an idea of what to expect, this updated version that I’ve had the privilege of previewing is absolutely gorgeous! In my opinion it really demonstrates her brand in a way that is fresh, light, and fun. Lot’s of great things happening for Whitney this year, including the launching of her new Fall Line, so definitely keep your eyes out for that.  I look forward to viewing more of her work and covering her events in the future.

“It’s quite possible that you’ve never seen linen designs as luxe as the ones presented in the Whitney Linen Spring/Summer 2013 show at World MasterCard Toronto Fashion Week, which showcased exciting and innovative ways to wear the lightweight fabric that included pearl-adorned evening dresses and a sultry, one-piece playsuit.” – THE BRUNETTES

For more information about Whitney you can visit her site here.
(I highly suggest you check out her site and do a little shopping for yourself!)

To keep tabs on updates from Whitney Linen, follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook.

– Written by: Grace Shaw