WARDROBE WEDNESDAY: FATIMA SYED

You may have spotted her in the front rows at Toronto Fashion Week, or perhaps on the event circuit mingling with the city’s style, media, and entertainment crowds. Fatima Syed is an emerging Toronto-born journalist and editor, who has covered everything from Paris Couture Week to the MuchMusic Video Awards. Whether it’s interviewing the likes of “Suits” star Sarah Rafferty, singer Alessia Cara, Elon Musk’s model mom Maye Musk or designer Anna Sui, Fatima has interviewed countless famous faces. However, life was not always this glamorous for the 26-year-old rising star, who is proud of her journey to success. As the eldest of three children and the only daughter in a family headed by a single mother, her early years were a far cry from today’s life of luxury. Surrounded by wealthy peers while still a student, a young Fatima learned to design and style her own outfits to stand out and briefly worked as a retail stylist before launching her media career.

Frustrated after being sent home one day from a part-time job for chipped nail polish, she turned her focus to writing so she would have a voice to share with other young women – and the rest, as they say, is history. It doesn’t matter what you are worth, style is priceless- and self-worth always beats net worth. Flash forward a few years to 2018, and the Ryerson University School of Journalism graduate is a proud supporter of Canadian talent in fashion, arts and culture and entrepreneurship, and a mentor for young writers. Safe to say, nobody, dare send her away for an imperfect manicure anymore!