The Future of Handmade at 100% Silk Shop
A treasure trove of sparkles, sequins, polka-dots and pearls—and all things crafted by hand
Raspberry-pink satin skirt sets, corsets with hand-dyed chiffon trim, dresses made of ribbon bows… but above all, silk. At 100% Silk Shop, a boutique and textile gallery on West Dupont Street, bright colours and striking fabrics are everywhere. With a collection of entirely hand-made textiles, garments and artworks (including an eponymous clothing brand), the shop—named for the level of quality it aspires to reach—shows a clear commitment to bespoke design.
100% Silk Shop is located at 1558 Dupont Street, Toronto.
Originally intended to be a six-month pop-up on Queen Street for the launch of owner and creative director Lee Dekel’s inaugural collection back in 2018 (made entirely of silk velvet), 100% Silk Shop has been a staple of Toronto’s textile community for almost a decade. And with new roots on Dupont West, the store continues to attract a strong community interested in handwork.
Decor and clothing present seamlessly together.
For Dekel, keeping community is hugely important. Her background—spanning vintage dealing to a summer internship at Eileen Fisher to an apprenticeship at local brand Osei-Duro in Ghana—is incredibly varied. But finding people to work with always came very naturally. For the store’s hand-painted signage, Dekel worked with local artist Colin Campbell after spotting his work on the walls of restaurant Caribbean Queen.
“There was such beautiful lettering. And I knew that I wanted a hand painted sign. So, I asked the owner who she worked with, and she mentioned it was Colin. And he is such a force. He has painted half of the signs on Eglinton West.”
Inspired by the insect that so commonly devours these garments, the Moth Quilt features 30 quilt patches made by local artisans.
One of 100% Silk Shop’s core mandates is to support and promote emerging brands—and the store often plays host to talks and other events to educate on slow-design practices. This April, Dekel organized a Community Quilt Contest which saw 30 local artists create their own unique swatches on the theme “moth”. The Moth Quilt, both a beautifully crafted blanket and a work of art, is a testament to the community that Dekel has cultivated.
100 % Silk Shop interiors.
Handmade mirror ornamented with personal keepsakes.
“I’m just very interested in folk textiles and how they develop in their environments to people’s specific needs. And I think the fact that they’ve survived as long as they have, just really means that they speak to something in the human spirit.”
100% Silk Shop’s interior was a labour of love. Upcycling material from the old location—including clothing racks and stucco shelves—and sourcing more second-hand, the design was done entirely in-house. The team even installed the wood beams that line the ceiling and cobbled together the change room frames themselves.
“The first thing that I did was get these beautiful shelves from a salvage place, and then once I saw those, I was like, we’re going to be okay. We have these shelves. They’re incredible. And then it just I built on it piece by piece.”
Change rooms that make a statement.
A standout addition: the pair of striking purple vintage Italian salon curtains in the change rooms. Plus, a dynamic geometric trim pulled from a salvage joint in St. Jacobs to frame the walls. “I want to live in every part of the store. And then the moment that I’m not so sure, I’m like, let’s change it. I don’t ever want it to feel stagnant. And I think doing it all ourselves makes it feel easy to switch it up.”
A patchwork fabric curtain emblazoned with the shop’s mantra.
And the design is incredibly personal. A central chunky mirror made in collaboration with studio-mate Spaboy Denim Co. features tokens from Dekel’s own life—treasures collected from beaches across the world, including a piece of a loom from Ghana. “My life story is in the shop. And the feed sack patchwork fabric in the back of the store is the motto: the future handmade. It’s something that we constantly ask ourselves, when we’re doing our buying or anything: is this the future of handmade? And it kind of keeps us in check.”
“The thing with a place like Toronto where it’s so expensive to live and where people with wealth tend to hold on to it, it can be very scary to enter the retail world. But I think the biggest mistake you can make is water your vision down.”
So, what is the future of handmade? Specific and immersive design, for one. Sustainable textile practices, for another. What may seem like bad business sense has been the foundation of 100% Silk Shop for years: moving slowly with care.
“I just think that there’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. Our timelines feel so short, but they’re actually so long.”
