Those in the Toronto creative industries know that it’s not easy to make a mark. So it is all the more important to acknowledge the work of up-and-coming creators, especially when they’re based close to home. CanCulture has gathered three of our favourite Canadian creatives that are making a mark this year, ranging from the fields of fashion to design to illustration.

1. Sean Brown

Experimenting with furniture design, clothing and creative direction, Sean Brown is a multidisciplinary creative from Toronto who does not hold back from testing his creative limits. While Brown, 35, has been in the fashion realm since his clothing line release NEEDS&WANTS in 2013, his new ventures into homeware and creative direction have propelled him into an endless stream of popularity within the creative industries.

Curves, the name for Brown’s homeware collection, can be classified as “a contemporary take on everyday objects” featuring a mirror in the shape of a puddle, casted hands incense holders and most famously, CD-shaped rugs with notable hip-hop albums.

When speaking about his work in an interview with the New York Times, Brown stressed the importance of including Black culture in everything he did. With a growing passion for designing homeware, Brown notes that his new design ventures will include creating full-blown furniture pieces such as tables, couches and bed frames.

When he is not growing his furniture line, Brown takes his love for creating in another direction as the mastermind behind all of Daniel Caesar’s visual media. His most notable project entails his artwork behind Caesar’s Freudian — an album that was nominated for Artwork of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards.

2. Lisa Gozlan

Lisa Gozlan’s jewelry has most likely popped up on your Instagram feed at some point — especially her stackable rings and gold happy face bracelet. The young jewelry designer has always been in the creative scene as her exposure to design began from interning for Joseph Mimran, the founder of Joe Fresh. After numerous years working in the fashion industry, Gozlan leveraged her husband’s expertise and experience in the jewelry industry to finally start her own line.

As her jewelry is prepared for everyday use and all walks of life, Gozlan adds her unique touch to timeless designs of rings, bracelets and earrings. Another element that contributes to the popularity of her pieces is affordability, with items starting from $40. While pieces can be more affordable, one thing Gozlan always keeps in mind is to never compromise style or quality—a guiding principle that continues to shape her newer designs.

In the summer of 2021, Gozlan responded to her increasing demand and popularity by opening her very own showroom in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Located at 87 Cumberland St., the shop offers a curated display of pieces for shoppers to have a unique and hands-on experience with her work.

3. Amanda Rach Lee 

Toronto-based creative Amanda Rach Lee is an artist and digital content creator that has taken the YouTube world by storm. At just 21 years old, Lee’s content focuses on DIY arts and crafts and bullet journaling — a form of journaling that merges drawing, planning and writing. In 2016, Lee started seeing success after posting her first bullet journaling video, a phenomenon that not many YouTubers had tapped into at the time.

After witnessing a steady increase in success, it did not take long for Lee to drop out of X University’s media program and commit to YouTube full-time. Her work also exceeded the realms of YouTube as companies such as Microsoft, Crayola and Samsung saw her design potential and offered to collaborate on various sponsorships. In November of 2019, Lee took matters into her own hands and created her own planner that sold out at a Toronto pop-up shop in less than a day.

In her most recent collaboration, Lee embraced her Canadian roots and partnered up with Tim Hortons to design limited edition, customized “Valen-Tims” cards. With the addition of Tim Hortons to her resume, there are no limits to what Lee can accomplish in 2022.