I had a chance to meet Betsey Johnson last weekend in NY at the Fashion Group International’s awards dinner before her guest Q&A with Marylou Luther. Her energy and enthusiasm had not waned, even though the company had just begun liquidating its assets. Following is a list of Betsey quotes from the discussion.

“I can’t stop.”

“My favorite girl is the one who buys a dress w/one week’s salary.”

“I love mass production.”

“Retail’s a bitch.”

“My changing point was freelancing for a company in Hong Kong. I took a job that earned me $60k that I invested in my company.”

“Cheap competition is my biggest challenge.”

“The web is mucho importante…even though I don’t understand it, I know it’s real communication with my customers.”

“I never studied fashion.”

“Look at me. I’m 70!”

“Lulu is Real Housewives … she’s working uptown. I’m working downtown.”

Toronto Fashion Incubator celebrates 25 years and the culmination of the New Labels competition — the runway show. Fashion designers in Canada are lacking the access to financial means seen in other cultural arenas (music, film).

TFI is a legacy from a provincial government who saw the need to prop up the industry at a time when the Canadian fashion scene was hopping — FashionCares was born the same year, FashionTelevision was already in production two years.

TFI’s goal is to give budding designers the cost-effective means and resources to build their business. Today, without the support from the private sector (a $25,000 cash donation from philanthropist Suzanne Rogers) there wouldn’t be much to give the winning designer beyond bragging rights (a.k.a. a fashion spread in Flare magazine).

For more on the New Labels competition, click here. And stay tuned to the F-list for the recap on Thursday’s celebration.

My new website launched today! I’m excited and humbled at the same time, for I — someone who has worked in the digital space for over 16 years — have never had my own professional website. Silly, really. This means I can now use my Tumblr to share what it’s meant to share…small discoveries and tidbits of information I find compelling.