WHITNEY LINEN INC.
2016 MEDIA KIT
WHITNEY
WESTWOOD
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Raised by a Montreal-born publishing magnate
and a Toronto socialite, Whitney learned style
at home. The Westwoods brought Hermes to
Ontario—opening the French label’s first
provincial address in Toronto’s tony Hazelton
Lanes in the ‘80s—and summered at their villa
in the South of France. Jaunting along the
Mediterranean coast with their children tucked
into the back seat of a vintage 1930s Citroen.
With parents who enjoyed travel, culture,
dressing, and entertaining in equal measure,
Whitney was gifted with an innate sense for gracious living. Spending her summers tooling across
France and Italy on restaurant-hopping road trips with her foodie father, wandering the
cobblestone streets of Nice and Porto Ercole, exploring the galleries of St Paul de Vence and,
later, mixing it up in the beachy hotspots of Cannes, Monaco, and St Tropez.
Well-travelled and fluent in French, Whitney was signed to Elite at 15 and worked internationally
for prestige labels from Jean Paul Gaultier and Celine to Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein throughout
her 20s. Her modeling career followed by stints in PR and Event Planning, Whitney launched her
signature brand in 2012, taking inspiration from the laissez-faire elegance of the coast that had
long been her second home.
“I was always captivated by the relaxed everyday chic of the Cote D’Azur. Casual and off-the-cuff,
yet effortlessly stylish,” says Whitney. “That attitude and lifestyle is the creative muse for our
collections. We work exclusively with fine European linen as it’s essentially the official fabric of the
Riviera, so central to fashion and décor, it just reminds me of being there and all the lovely times
I‘ve had.”
THE COMPANY
With Franciska Veress as Head Designer, Whitney Linen launched with a collection of Cote d’Azurinspired womenswear at Toronto Fashion Week in 2012. Capped with a selection of seed pearl
accented evening gowns, the brand’s runway debut won praise for its innovative perspective on
a traditional fabric.
Featured in Flare, The Globe & Mail, Virtuoso Life, and style segments for the TV show, CityLine,
Whitney Linen soon expanded into a wide-ranging lifestyle brand. Producing summer and resort
wear for men and women, a décor line, and home fragrance. Adopting the tagline ‘Living in Linen’,
annual collections now range from classic home and wardrobe staples to fashion forward, seasonal
pieces that emphasize the brand’s contemporary take on linen.
THE LINEN
Introduced to the exceptional linen of the Baltics by an interior design friend, Whitney sources the
brand’s fabric from Lithuania where it’s so exquisitely produced.
Violet-blue wildflowers that flourish across the loamy meadows, organic flax is harvested a month
after it blooms. Soft and lustrous, pale fibres are stripped from the stems and, once bundled, have
the appearance of blonde hair, thus the term ‘flaxen’. Meticulously dried, spun, and dyed, then
woven into cloth by skilled local artisans, the resulting linen is extremely high quality and long
lasting.
The ultimate home décor textile, the durability of linen has distinguished it for centuries. Made
from the world’s strongest natural fibre, triple the strength of cotton, fine linen bedding and table
settings are handed down from generation to generation. Favoured since the ancient Egyptians
for its ability to wick damp, dry quickly, and keep the body arid and cool, linen is equally ideal for
garments. Highly permeable and non-allergenic, linen possesses antibacterial properties and,
processed organically, is among the most optimal fabrics for sensitive skin.
Free of the petro chemicals and genetic modifications that blight other collections, Whitney Linen
is natural, environmentally friendly, and supports local trades. Understanding that quality is the
foundation of luxury, that truly fine things only get better with age, Whitney Linen produces
investment pieces that last. Supple and wrinkle resistant, products may be machine-washed,
tumble dried, and just get softer with time.
THE COLLECTIONS
WOMENSWEAR
The brand’s annual S/S women’s line is centred on linen wardrobe essentials in a warm weather
palette of pastels and whites with a range of unique, seasonal pieces layered in. The collection
includes variations on timeless classics—the perfect shirtdress or flowing trouser—mixed in with
strikingly embellished tunics, the season’s bold signature print, and more tailored city wear.
Slated for a 2017 launch, the brand’s diffusion line, ‘Whitney’, will produce the brand’s foundation
pieces—easy basics from shirts to shorts—allowing the higher-end ‘Whitney Linen’ collection to
focus on more fashion forward, runway looks and innovative design.
Always keen to give linen a stylish spin, Whitney Linen partnered with model Yasmin Warsame for
a capsule collection of boho-chic scarves and wraps in 2015. The face of haute campaigns from
Valentino Couture and Chanel to Hermes and Dolce & Gabbana, Warsame’s boldly graphic line
was inspired by her African heritage. Printed on lightweight, superfine linen, 20% of the proceeds
from The Yasmin Warsame Collection are earmarked for theafricanfuture.org, a South Africabased children’s charity.
MENSWEAR
Whitney Linen introduced its annual men’s line for SS16 with designer Marlon Durrant at the helm.
Known for his fine custom tailoring (mdbspoke.ca), Durrant’s ‘Black Label’ collection brought crisp
jackets, fitted shirts, and bespoke suits and trousers into the mix, alongside relaxed basics like
cargo shirts and board shorts.
HOME
The brand launched its décor collection with a line of Tuscan inspired tabletop linens in 2012. Rawedged or bordered, offered in an array of colours, and monogrammed on request, Whitney
Linen’s elegant range of napkins, tablecloths and runners was expanded in 2016 to include aprons,
tea towels, men’s and women’s robes, and Provençal inspired lavender home fragrance.
Continually evolving, The Home Collection is slated to include an extensive selection of casually
sophisticated bedding, table settings, and décor items, throw pillows to window coverings.
“Effortless elegance and accessible designs.”
—Flare
“Whitney Linen’s boho chic resortwear has
earned legions of international fans.”
—Virtuoso
Press Inquiries
Social Media
Inessa Radostin
SMASH BOX MEDIA
T: 888.550.9994 x 203
M: 647.997.2860
E: [email protected]
facebook.com/WhitneyLinen
plus.google.com/+WhitneyLinen/posts
twitter.com/WhitneyLinen
instagram.com/whitney_linen
pinterest.com/WhitneyLinen
17 Bernard Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 1R3
www.whitneylinen.com