Joann Schelstraete

Joann Schelstraete has had an extensive career in the Canadian fashion industry. After completing her degree in apparel design from Ryerson University, she sold her collection of knitwear under her Zool label in the late 90s, while also designing for custom clientele. She then went on to design and develop product for many of Canada’s largest retailers including Danier Leather, Roots, Fairweather, Sears, and Eaton’s. During her 16 year tenure at Danier Leather, Joann travelled extensively throughout the US, Europe and Asia, attending trade shows, sourcing fabric and gathering inspiration. She created and presented the trend direction for the company each season and was instrumental in developing standards and processes for the design and technical teams. Joann is currently the Managing Director & Head of Product at Mini Mioche, a prominent Toronto based children’s wear retailer that locally knits, dyes and produces infant and kid’s apparel specializing in organic fabrics. She presently manages the ecommerce, retail, warehouse, production, product development and merchandising teams. In 2017, Joann began teaching at GBC while continuing to work full-time in the industry.