Gene Machines
Can Toronto twin titans hack it in the big leagues? By Claire Cooper
There’s no doubt that being a twin has its advantages-—constant companionship, twice the wardrobe, pulling the old switcheroo at test time—but is an acute business sense also part of the package? So seems to be the case in Toronto, where twin success stories are popping up faster than you can say “Mary-Kate and Ashley.” Those American mini-moguls turned twinliness into a billion-dollar industry. Will any of these duos do the same?
BROTHERS DRESSLER
Back story: U of T engineering grads turned funky furniture impresarios, Jason and Lars Dressler have seduced the city with their stylish and eco-friendly Onedge chairs.
Big break: The darlings of
the local design scene crafted a room at this year’s Come Up to My Room design event at the Gladstone Hotel.
TYCOON-O-METER: 4
BALMSHELL LIP BALM
Back story: Hawked at Holt’s, Sephora and Kitson, former Branksome girls Jennifer and Fiona Lees’ pucker-perfect gloss keeps the lips of many a starlet shiny but not gluey—no small feat.
Big break: The multi-functional tubes (which transform into key chains) got the ultimate product placement in the 2007 Oscar and Grammy swag bags.
TYCOON-O-METER: 6.5
CHIP & PEPPER
Back story: Laying low after
their ‘80s heyday, Burlington-bred business moguls Chip and Pepper Foster re-emerged on
the fashion scene in 2003 with
a celebrity-beloved denim line.
Big break: Ill-mannered supermodel Naomi Campbell famously flew into an assistant-attacking rage when she couldn’t find her
fave pair of C&Ps.
TYCOON-O-METER: 8
DSQUARED
Back story: Willowdale natives Dan and Dean Caten—rarely seen without their signature high-
collared shirts and blazers—have snipped and sewed their way into the closets of Hollywood’s elite.
Big break: It doesn’t get much more glam than outfitting the original Material Girl. Madonna picked the pair to create costumes for her Drowned World Tour.
TYCOON-O-METER: 9
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