Founded by Mona Koochek and Tania Martins, Toronto-based womenswear label Markoo offers versatile minimalism with unexpected avant-twists. Founded in 2012, the design duo’s project has quickly found an audience since their first showing at New York’s young designer incubator Capsule, earning accolades for skillfully produced, carefully-cut monochromatic pieces. The imaginatively modified ready-to-wear staples from their collections interact with one another through contrasted matte and shiny gloss finishes, otherwise imaginative juxtapositions of materials and textures, and dramatic and simplified tailoring that accents the wearer’s form. A minimal detailing ethos serves to showcase that which is added, as tactile flourishes like piping and twist knots or oversized patch pockets draw the eye. Blending what the designers term ‘classic cool’ and ‘classic sexy’, Markoo successfully navigates the line between formality and spontaneity, crafting cosmopolitan apparel that lives easily in a variety of wearing contexts.