Toronto clothing designer Philip Sparks threw open the doors of his Junction factory on the weekend so curious members of the general populace could have a look at where his creations are made. He's been operating out of Toronto for six years and moved to this space last August.

His workspace is nothing like what I imagined a clothing factory would look like. It's not miserable or dingy or full of tiny, long-faced children sewing for their lives. Rather, it's bright, clean, and airy, with only Sparks and two beautiful grownups lacing the garments together.

Check out this series of photos by Kat Rizza detailing what it looks like behind the scenes.

This Week in Fashion rounds up the week's style news, store openings and closings, pop-up shops, sales and upcoming fashion and design events in Toronto. Find it here every Wednesday morning.

NEWS

The Toronto Premium Outlets (13850 Steeles Ave W) in Halton Hills is scheduled to open August 1st, with no less than 85 upscale retailers offering their goods at up to 65% off in the 350,000 square-foot space. The first ever Hudson's Bay outlet store is one of them - launching perhaps as a response to the newly opened hr2 and the rumours of a Nordstrom Rack coming to Canada.

It's starting to feel a lot like summer. With patios open and temperatures in the 20s, spring looks have made way for summer ones in the form of short sleeves, skirts and summer blazers.

Check out some recently spotted looks in our Style section.

Vintage Crawl Toronto means treasure hunters can kick up their heels and rejoice as vintage-y shops across the west end open their doors to a ton of gorgeous items on sale. Thursday marks the spring edition of the event, which is basically as cute as it gets (check out the deets on their site here). Shop owners (many of whom are friends with one another) have treats on hand, some of which including beer and wine. Is there any combination more heavenly than drinking and shopping? Here are some top shops to check out during this year's crawl.

This Week in Fashion rounds up the week's style news, store openings and closings, pop-up shops, sales and upcoming fashion and design events in Toronto. Find it here every Wednesday morning.

NEWS

Last week, The Drake General Store opened the doors to its new Yonge & Eglinton location (2607 Yonge St). The larger space carries odds and ends that make perfect gifts (for Mother's Day, perhaps?), including metallic piggy banks ($260) and ceramic sparrow mugs ($38). The well-known (and well adored) retailer now has three locations in distinct neighbourhoods, ready to offer quirky clothing and curiosities.

Fashion Art Toronto ("|FAT|") Arts & Fashion Week returned last week for its eighth annual edition, transforming an industrial warehouse into an energetic environment filled with all things avant-garde. Running from April 23 to 27, the event showcased 50 highly conceptual runway shows by both local and international designers. This year, the theme was Fashion Therapy — designers and artists were challenged to integrate into their work a connection between the human psyche and fashion.

Hundreds of looks swept and sashayed past me all week, all with a very different response to the theme. Though many of these don't fit under similar categories, here are my picks for the top 10 looks from |FAT| Arts & Fashion Week based on creativity and construction.