Toronto stylist Juliana Schiavinatto has spent her over a decade-long career dressing top names including Cindy Crawford, Demi Lovato, Kylie Jenner, Miranda Kerr, Gigi Hadid and Sophie Turner for the covers of Elle Canada. Now, the stylist to the stars is taking a shot at something new: designing. Launched in 2023, Re-Pull isn’t like every other new fashion label out there — each product is technically one of one, because Schiavinatto and her team repurposes old denim and workwear to craft each piece.
“Working as a stylist for so many years, working on photo shoots and commercial clients, lookbooks, campaigns; I just see a huge amount of waste in product. We work in an industry where we ship things internationally all the time. Samples are sometimes disposed of ways that are not really pleasant to talk about,” Schiavinatto shares. “So [the concept for Re-Pull] has been on my mind for six years now.”
Over the years, the stylist built a small team, testing samples with a technical designer and small, local production manufacturers. The result was three original styles — a shirt, jeans and a jacket. “I wanted something simple and wearable, but with a quirk; something that feels a little different.”
Juliana’s Toronto shopping picks
- VSP Consignment: “This is a go-to for so many stylists, and it’s great that it’s all second-hand.”
- 100% Silk Shop: “They’re all about emerging, international designers, and they support slow, small batch production and handmade products.”
- WDLT117: “They feature a bunch of really fashion-forward designers and international brands.”
- Absolutely Fabrics: “The owner carries some really interesting labels; she’s really got her finger on the pulse of what’s interesting internationally. They operate a store and an event space; they have dinners with designers and do a 360-degree sort of operation. It’s really interesting.”
Re-Pull upcycles mostly from denim, workwear and suiting — which Schiavinatto says was partially out of practicality and partially inspired by her own style ethos. “I like utility in styling, I like workwear, so that was a natural fit for me and my brand. I’m drawn to power suits, shirts, menswear — and over the years, I saw there’s so much of that stuff out there, even just going to Value Village or Goodwill, you’re always going to find these items.”
That made sourcing the materials for her brand easier (Schiavinatto says they mostly pull from sorting warehouses and buy in bulk). “I call them the pillars of our type of sourcing — shirting, black suiting and denim — because we can always source it.”
The result is a tightly designed collection full of strong lines and architectural shapes, like a voluminous convertible tailored maxi dress featuring a layered mini skirt option made out of a backwards blazer, or a corset halter top made from layered denim waistbands.
The brand’s latest drop revolves almost entirely around denim, with stand-out items that include a patchwork denim bomber jacket and a textured mini bag.
For Schiavinatto, Re-Pull has been another opportunity for her to challenge herself in her career.
“I always say styling is a part of my blood; it informs a lot of choices I make. But I’ve kind of gotten comfortable in the job over the years, and this brand has helped make me uncomfortable again. I’m learning something new every day!”
It’s a feeling Schiavinatto previously got when she spearheaded a biannual arts and culture publication called Pulp Magazine that circulated internationally. “We were shooting couture collections in Paris for the magazine; we were shooting celebrities and distributing to 15 countries, all while making this magazine in Toronto. It kind of showed me, wow, anything is possible.”
Now, her goal with Re-Pull is to grow, “slowly and organically.”
“I don’t want to mass produce and change the ethos of what’s important to the brand, but I do want to make it more accessible in more places to more people,” she says.
