Earlier this month, legendary Toronto designer Patrick Assaraf passed away. The 66-year-old veteran of the industry is being remembered for his outsized impact on men’s fashion, reshaping the idea of style essentials and inspiring countless designers in Canada and beyond.
Assaraf is known for launching his eponymous label with the creation of the perfect T-shirt, one that prioritized quality and fit and took its cues from Italian design. Made from Peruvian Pima cotton and pre-shrunk for long-lasting wear, the shirt became the building block for a brand that focused on crafting luxury basics.
Assaraf’s connection to Italian design never wavered over his past 35 years in the industry, during 25 of which he was at the helm of the Patrick Assaraf brand after founding it in 2000. He visited Pitti Uomo every year, a premium menswear trade show in Florence that is considered one of the most important platforms in the world for men’s fashion.
Over the years, his brand slowly expanded to include collections of knitwear, blazers and outerwear, trousers and even womenswear — all with the primary goal of quality and longevity in mind.
Assaraf also founded the fashion house PYA Importer, which began as a way for the designer to important new international brands into Canada and has now grown into an empire — it’s behind iconic labels that include knitwear brand Line, womenswear label John & Jenn, internationally renowned denim company Mother, Toronto’s own Smythe and Steve Madden.
He developed strong relationships with designers and retailers in Canada and the U.S., establishing a presence for the Patrick Assaraf label in more than 180 stores across the continent. He had a particularly close relationship with Toronto suiting brand Harry Rosen. Ian Rosen, grandson of Harry Rosen and current president of the brand, wrote a tribute to Assaraf on social media.
“An immense talent, business leader and partner, we at Harry Rosen were lucky to have worked closely with Patrick for over 40 years, initially as an importer of major Italian collections and as a design partner for our private label collection,” Rosen wrote. “Those who were lucky enough to know Patrick personally were drawn to his magnetic personality and incredible smile; he truly could light up any room.”
Others have paid tribute to the visionary on social media, including Mackenzie Perras, founder of Muskoka wellness brand Fitness Beauty Health, who worked with Assaraf earlier in her career. “Under his guidance, I learned the intricacies of business and the mindset of an entrepreneur. But more than that, he taught me to see the world through the lens of art, creativity, beauty, and design,” she wrote on Instagram.
