Matriarch Moments

“There’s an energy about the women in my family that is passed down; my legacy is to carry that on. My grandmother came from nothing and built this amazing family. I used to sit at the kitchen table with her, and she'd have tea and she'd be writing little handwritten notes. Those are the moments that I crave so much, and that's why I started the brand SIDIA, named after her.”

Erin Kleinberg
Founder, SIDIA

A Trailblazer’s Tale

“I grew up in a very traditional Chinese family, and we were taught to honour yourself and everybody around you. I came to Canada; I became a single mother. When we first came here, we were a very small community. I got to meet many likeminded people and these women, they are trailblazers, they are pillars of the community. They taught me everything that I learned today.”

Mabel Sin
Special Events Manager, Holt Renfrew Bloor Street

The Freedom
to Be

“There are many women in my life that have shaped me; the most important has been my mother. She always gave me the freedom to be who I was, and let me be who I became. I am very proud to have lived life on my own terms and know that every decision and everything I have is purely because I wanted it to be and because I worked hard for it.”

Natalia Chryssoulis
Buyer, H Project

Carving Space

“As a child I was a little shy. Coming from an immigrant family, you’re told to show up a certain way. So that translated into quieting yourself. You start to discover some of the boundaries you can push, and you decide if you want to push against them and become a different person. You have to carve your own space because it takes a lot of practice to make some space for yourself and your voice.”

Vivian Ting
Director of Buying, Menswear