Whenever someone says that fashion is such a shallow industry and it has little relevance or importance in “real life” I laugh for two reasons; 1) the person making this statement usually is not very fashion/style savvy  and 2) It is a ludicrous comment because  I know how much fashion influences art, music, film and even interior design. As we approach World Mastercard Fashion Week here in Toronto, I recall when Caesarstone Quartz Surfaces teamed up with the Canadian designers behind the cult leather line Mackage to create custom accessories made of quartz for the brand’s SS/13 runway show. During this runway presentation, model’s were adorned with hair pieces, bracelets and rings in geometric and asymmetrical shapes made of the man-made stone.

With the success and positive feedback from this collaboration, Caesarstone, who is the global leading supplier of fine quartz surfaces, has made the intelligent decision to use the fashion industry as an inspiration and to incorporate runway trends into their upcoming product lines. For the company’s latest collection for 2014 titled, Classico, the company really paid close attention to the colour trends they saw on the runways during the fashion week circuit in NYC, London and Milan – and implemented the warm, earthy tones into the line’s six new offerings; Clamshell, Summer Rye, Vanilla Noir, Coastal Grey, Biano Drift and Alpine Mist.

After being exposed to the tile industry my entire life with my Father’s career in the stone business and interior design, I’ve seen a significant increase in the sales of quartz (which now constitutes roughly 50% of stone sales in Canada) and a decrease in granite and marble, which ruled during the 80’s and 90’s. Why the change? Although its price point is higher than natural stone, quartz has many phenomenal benefits that makes it more suitable in homes and condos, especially those with children. It’s non-porous, stain resistant and extremely difficult to scratch, meaning its virtually maintenance free. This clearly makes it the ideal choice for kitchen/bathroom countertops and and backsplashes. The Classico collection is cutting edge and these new options actually now replicate the visual and flow of granite’s aesthetic, which used to only be found in natural stone. With it’s increase in popularity and the tie-in with fashion, it will be interesting to see what Caesarstone does next – however, I am secretly hoping that we get to see more fashion collaborations on the runway.