Once upon a time there was a young girl, growing up in Norfolk County. She loved the “duck park”, the Norfolk County Fair, Panorama and above all else- fashion.
She owned a boutique in Simcoe where many of the women of Norfolk loved to shop, she took risks, she worked hard and now, Jordan Stewart has her own haute couture label: RVNG.
Pronounced “revenge”, Jordan tells us why she chose that word to represent her creations.
While she now has showrooms in Beverly Hills and Paris, her designs on runways across the world, and dresses celebrities, Jordan keeps her roots close to her heart, and credits the “fierce” ladies of Norfolk County with helping her to achieve her dream.
The fashion forward females she references above are not the only part of Norfolk County that she gives credit to when it comes to her success.
That “county girl work ethic” has served her well on her journey to becoming a well-known name in the billion-dollar fashion industry, and it all started at home when she was a very young girl.
Her mom learned from her grandma in Glasgow Scotland, where the matriarch worked for the sewing company Singer, and it was passed down to Stewart that “if you can sew, you’re going to be okay, you can take care of yourself”.
And speaking of her mom, who joined us in studio for our interview – she may be her cheerleader now, but when her young daughter expressed an interest in a career in fashion her mom did not see it as a viable career path, so Jordan studied Psychology in Windsor before throwing caution to the wind and going for her dreams.
Those dreams did not come true overnight. She joined the Fashion Week umbrella, where she put in many long days and nights working towards her goals
And then… she made it! She was given the chance to show at New York Fashon Week, a dream come true for this Norfolk native…
But then… the pandemic hit.
With Covid everyone had to find a way to pivot, and the fashion world was no different. But while most designers decided not to show that year, Jordan Stewart decided to once again throw caution to the wind and inspired by the landscapes surrounding her here in Norfolk County, she reinvented the wheel and became one of the very first of three brands to show New York Fashion Week, virtually.
With that, Jordan Stewart and RVNG were catapulted into the limelight of the fashion world, and they were officially on the runway to success.
But through it all, she has remained true to her roots, and the support of the community is just as valuable to her as the friendships she has built with celebrities and other famous people.
And that is one of the reasons why she chooses to keep living here in Norfolk County and why it is important to her that her kids grow up here.
With her work spread out across continents, she has had to find a balance between being present for her family and being present for her job, but according to Jordan she would not have it any other way.
One thing that helped her go global was her early education, when she attended École Élémentaire Catholique St. Marie in Simcoe.
With two teenage daughters and young twin boys you would imagine that as a fashion icon she would try to influence how her kids dress but it is, in fact, the opposite.
When it comes to what Jordan considers to be her greatest achievement, it isn’t the fact that she is on a nickname-basis with Wy (Winona Judd), sings Nelly Furtado songs to the singer, or that she has showrooms in two countries, or even that she has dressed some of Hollywood’s finest in her finery.
However, when it comes to professional highlights, she counts among them the fact she has been chosen so many times that she is now the first choice.
Now instead of “bring in the choices”, it’s “just call Jordan”.
She has been interviewed and featured in many publications and pieces, and one of the most recent times was in the October 9th issue of HELLO! Canada.
While the main focus of the article was about her professional life as one of Canada’s biggest names in fashion, the team at HELLO! were also very interested in her behind the scenes life.
When it comes to what’s next, Jordan has some big things in the works and she shared with us the ones she can, without violating any Non Disclosure Agreements about some of her high profile projects that are still under wraps.
To hear the full interview with Jordan Stewart, including her favourite clients, the time she dressed a celebs dog, how she feels about crocs and fancy dresses, anecdotes and stories about working with the stars, her meteoric rise to the top, memories of growing up in Norfolk, and more:
Written by Robynn Beazley