Designer builds fortune on satin and lace; Her simple shapes have look of luxury

Monahan, Iona . The Gazette ; Montreal, Que. [Montreal, Que]. 01 Oct 1985: D6.

Not many fashion fortunes are built on satins and laces, but they have been part of designer Edie Johne’s climb towards the multi-millions.

This Toronto designer, who has had her own company, EDJ Designs Inc., since 1983, puts the current value of her business at $6 million.

It got to that total because of the popularity of her designs, which are sold in the regular size range of 5 to 15 and in petite versions from Sizes 2 to 14.

In the ’60s, Johne, who had come to Canada from Germany in the mid-’50s, worked as a model before getting a job as assistant to Morris Watkin, one of the best-known names in Canadian fashion history; she was responsible for the designs marketed under the Miss Sun Valley label.

Her next venture was a firm called the Mushroom Company, in the mid-’70s.

Like many of her peers, Johne did everything, handling every aspect of the business from designing to selling to shipping.

These days, she has a staff to do these things and spends most of her time on the creative side of the business, adapting current fashion trends to her price ranges.

For fall and winter, she likes the look of luxurious fabrics (like satin and lace) in simple shapes. Approximate prices for Edie Johne designs: camisole $60, skirt $100, dress $195, shirt $125.

The Edie Johne collection is available at these Montreal-area stores: Addition-Elle, Dalmys, Elizabeth Hager, Eaton, Ogilvy, Holt Renfrew, La Maglia, Modissa.

(Copyright The Gazette)