Malta-made fashion breaks the ice in the Cold North

Fresh from their "fantastic" experience at the L'Oréal Toronto Fashion Week last month, designer duo Charles and Ron are hoping to be able to keep up their contacts and try to infiltrate the Canadian market by participating in the March event.

It is, however, a question of financial backing, they said, as they have already been invited again.

That would be the only hurdle. Otherwise, the creators of the CR Charles&Ron label are optimistic that "slowly, slowly, we could penetrate the market - maybe more than Italy (where they have already sown their seeds), which is only into and faithful to its own established labels".

Based on the positive feedback they received, Charles and Ron felt the Canadians were eager to see their work and that their success in Canada was possible.

"It is not a closed market and the fact that we are European, appeals - especially since they think we are part of Italy!"

It was the first time the duo participated in a fashion week and they say they have learnt a lot from the professional event. But it was only "an introduction to a new country and we have to go back," they said.

"The venue, a massive exhibition space, was amazing and the enormous hall where we did our show was packed solid. We didn't expect it... Afterwards, we were assaulted by the media, who showed lots of interest that has resulted in good coverage."

The only international designers among their established Canadian counterparts, Charles and Ron aroused curiosity and attracted attention. They were even followed and featured by Canadian Fashion TV.

Charles and Ron showed the 37 outfits that make up their spring/summer 2007 collection and which they intend to present to a local audience at the end of the month - even though a number of items were snapped up for sale in a Canadian boutique and would have to be remade. In fact, the designers have agreed to send over a capsule eveningwear collection for Christmas as the boutique owner did not want to wait until spring.

The collection was "toned down" for the event, Charles said, the designers being aware that the market is different and not Mediterranean "However, they were still overwhelmed about how glamorous and feminine it was" - their trademark.

"The Canadian designers tend to play it safe, because it is, after all, what sells, and they are more into selling. Their system is different, but we are not prepared to compromise on our style, even though this collection was, for us, more controlled to be more approachable. Our dresses are normally more extravagant and can only be worn for special occasions. We don't design them to sell them; then if we do, it's a bonus. If we went back, we wouldn't do anything differently."

The original inspiration for the collection was "jungle red nail polish", mentioned in the 1930s, glamorous, all-women movie, The Women, starring Joan Crawford. In fact, their show started with a clip from the film.

"Red is the only bright colour in the collection, next spring not really being a season of colour. It is mixed with neutral shades: ivory, silver grey, sand and black. We have one Art Deco pattern that incorporates all these colours..."

The collection is a contrast between soft, spotted, silk chiffon garments; flowing dresses in jersey, complete with French lace panels, exposing strategic areas of the skin; fresh-looking summer shorts; and hard cottons, with an equally hard, graphic pattern, which allows for firm, umbrella shapes, best seen in a particular structured coat. In some cases, the fabrics are mixed and cotton dresses have silk trimmings.

Other looks include lace leggings under mini tunic-like dresses that are "so short they could be tops", and gauze-like puffballs over tight dresses, while a shiny red coat dress, with complicated three-tier sleeves, is the pièce de résistance, and accessories come in a variety of bags - one patriotic pochette even sporting a subtle image of a knight superimposed on a Maltese flag.