2025 Founder’s Lecture

When: Tuesday, November 11, 2025 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (Doors Open at 6:30 pm)
Where: Bata Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor St. W.
Cost: $50/person

Curating Couture: Thierry-Maxime Loriot in Conversation with Jeanne Beker

Celebrating 30 years since Founder, Mrs. Sonja Bata, first opened the world-renowned Bata Shoe Museum, we are delighted to present a special edition of the annual Founder’s Lecture, which honours Mrs. Bata’s birthday. Join us for an intimate conversation between two Canadian fashion icons, Thierry-Maxime Loriot and Jeanne Beker, as they discuss the transformation of fashion from concept to runway spectacle to museum artifact, exploring how iconic designs evolve from commercial creation to cultural preservation and what it means to curate a legacy that bridges art, performance, and haute couture.

Evening Agenda
6:30 pm – Doors open
7:00 pm – Presentation and discussion
8:00 pm – Wine & Hors d’oeuvres reception with the Speaker
9:00 pm – Doors close
Tickets includes wine & hors d’oeuvres during the reception.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

After working more than ten years in the fashion industry between New York, Milan, London, and Paris, Thierry-Maxime curated the The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, an iconic retrospective that travelled to twelve major cities across the globe and drew more than 2.1 million visitors, breaking records for any fashion exhibition still to this day. A total of six publications on Jean Paul Gaultier were written by Loriot over the course of the five-year tour, being awarded, among other prizes, the Grand Prix du Livre de Mode in Paris.

Soon after, he curated Love is Love: Wedding Bliss for All à la Jean Paul Gaultier, which was presented at the MMFA in 2016, at the Centro Cultural Kirchner in Buenos Aires, and at the Contemporary Museum of Belgrade in 2020-21. He also curated and wrote the books of the travelling exhibitions Peter Lindbergh: A Different Vision on Fashion Photography, presented in Italy, The Netherlands, and Germany, and two editions of Viktor & Rolf: Fashion Artists, first presented at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, followed by its presentation in the summer of 2018 at the Kunsthal Rotterdam.

Loriot also curated Thierry Mugler Couturissime which premiere at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2019, then traveling to Kunsthal Rotterdam, Kunsthalle Munich, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and finally the Brooklyn Museum from 2022-2023.

Loriot has been awarded many accolades for his books and exhibitions; in 2019, he received the Vanguard Award from CAFA (Canadian Arts and Fashion Award) for his important contributions to the Arts and Fashion industries.

In 2022, he created a new exhibition for the France Pavilion at the Universal Exhibition in Dubai titled Jean Paul Gaultier From A to Z. He also worked on the creative direction of tours, tour books, and album covers for many pop stars. In the spring of 2024, he launched a 30-year retrospective on Viktor&Rolf, Fashion Statements, which premiered in Munich, Germany, and will be touring to the USA and France. He also launched the exhibition Portraits & Fashion Beyond Borders at the McCord Museum, which featured 17 Canadian photographers working abroad. His exhibitions have been visited by almost 7 million visitors.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR:

Born in Toronto to Holocaust survivors who instilled fearlessness, hard work, and tenacity in her from a young age, Jeanne began her professional show biz career at 16. After studying acting in New York and mime in Paris, she moved to Newfoundland where she made her journalistic debut as an arts reporter for CBC Radio. A few years later, Beker returned to Toronto, landing a job at CHUM Radio and in 1979, she co-hosted the ground-breaking series The NewMusic. A founding member of MuchMusic, Beker launched the legendary Fashion Television in 1985 which was presented in over 130 countries for 27 years. A seasoned newspaper columnist for several publications, Beker was editor-in-chief of FQ and SIR magazines (2003 – 2008) and has authored six books. Jeanne is a frequent keynote speaker and guest on a myriad of lifestyle shows and has been at the creative helm of numerous fashion lines under her own eponymous label. Since 2015, Jeanne has acted as Style Editor for The Shopping Channel where she currently hosts the series Style Matters with Jeanne Beker. Upcoming projects include her role as resident judge of Project Runway Canada, which debuts on CRAVE and CTV this fall, and co-curating a major exhibit at Calgary’s Glenbow Museum—a retrospective of her career—which is due to open in 2026.

Beker has received honorary doctorates from St. Mary’s University and OCAD University. Active with several charitable organizations, she has been named to the Order of Canada (2014), inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Legends (2015), recognized with the Banff World Media Festival’s Canadian Award of Distinction (2012), honoured with a Canadian Screen Achievement Award (2013), and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame (2016).

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