The daughter of an eclectic mother and an entrepreneurial art admiring father, Juliana Bennett was born in Montreal on November 10th, 1982. Reared in a creative household, the young Bennett was swept willfully into a joyful whirlwind of fine art, music and fashion. Whether bathed in the fuzzed out guitar tones of late ‘60s rock or awash in the sumptuous textiles of her mother’s clothes, Bennett was immersed in a world of tactility and inspiration. Spending her formative years in Montreal and Paris (and visiting everywhere else in between), Bennett was exposed to a visual onslaught of international culture and style; an experience that both forged her love of fashion and formed the foundation of her creative self. Unsurprisingly, Bennett segued into the formal study of fashion in her early adulthood, earning a BFA in fashion from the Parsons School of Design in New York City in 2006 and interning at Brooklyn’s Vena Cava thereafter.

Never one to stay dormant, Bennett ambitiously launched Mulcair, her own fashion label in 2006. The label, which wears her grandmother’s maiden name, is rightly situated in Montreal, Bennett’s hometown- the same stomping ground that her great grandfather and great uncle—the Mulcair Brothers—tailored out of in the early half of the twentieth century. Drawing inspiration from 1930's high-society and the chic rigidity of military uniforms, Bennett's designs are architecturally boxy yet feminine.The label's high end women's wear is steeped in concept— time spanning worldliness —yet it is functional; exuding sophistication while designed for the everyday.

With Mulcair’s first prêt-á-porter fall 2007 collection now available, Bennett is sure to make a name for herself among the contemporary ‘new mood’ designers who are as fashion conscious as they are concerned with sustainability. From the organic fabrics used in Mulcair pieces to the sweatshop-free labor used to manufacture the Mulcair line, Bennett is philosophically committed to designing high fashion clothing that is consistently ethical from concept to completion. Mulcair pieces, slated for distribution through high-end boutiques later this year (with international high-end department stores to follow), are currently available direct from the label itself. Bennett, who is keen to build a rapport with her clients, welcomes private fittings in her showroom. While Bennett seeks to inject some humanism back into the fashion industry through her want of active contact with her clients, her goodwill intention might be short lived. Mulcair’s pieces are so aesthetically dramatic that she will be in demand sooner than she expects. Her naiveté, in this regards, is endearing but her talent is as definite as it is unique and Mulcair will succeed because of this.

Ben Pobjoy
March 2007
Toronto