Marilyn Brooks

Career & Life

A Reference

At a Glance

  • Born: November 13, 1932 — Binghamton, New York
  • Died: July 04, 2026 — Toronto, Ontario
  • Education: Wayne University,Michigan – Business & Public Speaking 1953-1954; Ontario College of Art, Toronto – 1970-1974
  • Arrived in Toronto, Canada: April 23, 1961
  • Canadian citizenship: August 31, 1994
Marilyn Brooks, C.M., O.Ont.

Career Timeline

  • 1959–1961 — Display Director, Franklin-Simon, Detroit stores
  • April 23, 1961 — Arrived in Toronto, Canada
  • 1961–1963 — Display Director, John Northway & Sons
  • 1963–1970 — Owner, The Unicorn
  • March 4, 1970 — Coliseum Fashion Show: the largest fashion show in North America at the time, with over 5,000 in attendance
  • 1970 — Founded Marilyn Brooks Fashions Limited
  • 1970 — Television series Making It with Marilyn debuts on Citytv (runs 1971–1972), directed by Ivan Reitman
  • 1970–1982 — President & CEO, Marilyn Brooks Inc.
  • 1974–1991 — Active with the Miss Canada Pageant
  • 1980s — Taught “How to Look, Think and Feel Like a Designer” at the Haliburton School of Art & Design
  • 1982–2003 — President & CEO, Marilyn Brooks Boutiques Inc.

Business Milestones

The Unicorn
(1963–1970)

  • Canada’s first retail store to combine fashion with a complete lifestyle aesthetic
  • Earned international press, including Time Magazine, for bold, space-age designs — among them metal miniskirts, chainmail bras, and a Velcro bikini
  • Hosted large-scale theatrical fashion shows drawing thousands of spectators (see the Coliseum Fashion Show, 1970)

Marilyn Brooks Inc.
(1970–1982)

  • Pioneered a fully vertically integrated fashion business model in Canada — acting personally as designer, manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer
  • Known for clothing designed for “people who love comfort and have a sense of humour”

Marilyn Brooks Boutiques Inc.
(1982–2003)

Incorporated following The Unicorn’s run, expanding her retail presence into Toronto’s trendiest shopping strips, with additional locations in the United States.

Canada

      • 41 Gerrard Street West, Toronto
      • Cumberland Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto
      • 171 Carlton Street, Toronto
      • Fashion Loft, 263 Adelaide Street West (3rd Floor), Toronto
      • 308 Queen Street West, Toronto
      • 50 Bloor Street West, The Holt Renfrew Centre (Upper Level), Toronto*
      • 383 Queen Street West, Toronto*
      • 2465 Yonge Street (near Erskine), Toronto*
      • 2258 Bloor Street West (near Beresford), Toronto*
      • 405 Pelissier Street, Windsor*

United States

      • 3376 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California (opened 1978)*
      • Sugar Tree Square, West Bloomfield, Michigan*

      (*) Locations marked with an asterisk were open and active at the same time.

Wholesale Division

      • Toronto, ON — 263 Adelaide Street West, 3rd Floor
      • Montreal, QC — 7 Arvida, Place Bonaventure
      • Vancouver, BC — 3002–910 Mainland Street

Honours & Recognition

  • February 4, 1988 — “Marilyn Brooks Day,” declared by the City of Toronto and awarded by Mayor Art Eggleton, marking 25 years as a major contributor to the Canadian fashion industry
  • 1990 — Outstanding Dedication and Service Award, International Academy of Merchandise & Design
  • April 8, 1994 — Honoured at the Canadian Hair Stylists CUT-A-THON for Parkinson’s, recognizing her role as National Honorary Chair of the Canadian Hair Stylists
  • 1990s — Honoured by the City of Toronto, presented by Mayor Barbara Hall, for her contributions to improving the city (see Open Item 7)
  • March 2, 1997 — Salute to the City Honouree, Eaton Centre
  • 1999 — Matinee Fashion Foundation grant recipient
  • December 12, 2000 — Order of Ontario, recognizing more than 37 years as one of Canada’s leading fashion designers, her industry support and innovation, her mentoring of young talent, and her fundraising support of organizations, causes, and charities
  • 2012 — Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, in recognition of her contributions to the Canadian fashion industry
  • November 17, 2022 — Order of Canada, in recognition of her leadership as one of Canada’s most iconic fashion designers and retailers, and for her generous mentorship and volunteerism

Awards

1966 — Judy Award for Merchandising Excellence (The Unicorn)
1969 — Judy Award, Honourable Mention (The Unicorn)
1986 — Judy Award for Merchandising Excellence (Marilyn Brooks Boutiques Ltd.)
1987 — Woolmark Award of Recognition for Design Excellence
1989 — Festival of Fashion, Metropolitan Booth Award for Excellence of Design
1993 — Award for Excellence in Fashion Design, City of Toronto
1994 — Canadian Designer Award, “Night of Stars,” Fashion Group International
1995 — Toronto Ready-to-Wear Canadian Designer Collections Award, in recognition of service and dedication to the Canadian fashion design industry
1999 — Best Fashion Designer, NOW Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards
Marilyn Brooks, C.M., O.Ont.

Professional Associations & Leadership

  • 1976 — Founding President, Toronto Ontario Designers (TOD)
  • 1984 — Regional Director, Fashion Group International
  • 1988– — Chairholder, Color Marketing Group (CMG), in recognition of her contributions to the advancement of colour in international commerce
  • 1993–1997 — Board Member, The Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Association
  • 1999 — President, Designers Ontario (DO)
  • 2000 — First President, Fashion Designers Council of Canada (FDCC); Member, Advisory Board

Advisory Boards

  • Seneca College — Member, Advisory Board, 1970–1977
  • Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) School of Fashion (formerly Ryerson Polytechnic University) — Member, Advisory Board, beginning 1999.

Public Speaking

  • Featured guest on television and radio
  • Frequent interviews with newspapers, magazines, and television
  • Frequent speaker at business organizations, universities, colleges, and high schools

Notable Design Commissions

“Don’t be limited by perception. Design is design, so whether it’s a chain bra or a City Hall guide uniform, I can still make a design statement.”

Uniform Designs

  • Bank of Montreal, Hamilton
  • Canada Customs
  • Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce — Chargex Girls
  • Canpar
  • Canterbury Foods Ltd.
  • CBC Hostesses
  • Chelsea Inn
  • CN Tower — Higher Roller uniforms
  • Consumer Gas — Home Service representatives
  • Edmonton Plaza, Edmonton
  • Expo 86 — Ontario’s Pavilion
  • Financial Post Hostesses
  • Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant
  • Four Seasons, Calgary
  • Four Seasons, Canada
  • Hard Rock Cafe
  • Holiday Inns
  • Hotel Triumph
  • Hyatt House Hotel, Toronto & Vancouver
    Inn on the Park — Le Club
  • King Edward Hotel
  • La Cantinetta restaurant
  • Le Connaisseur restaurant
  • Macdonald Tobacco Inc. — Export Cigarettes P.R. Girls
  • McDonald’s
  • Medical Inns of Canada
  • O’Keefe Centre
  • Old Mill restaurant
  • Ontario Place hostesses, 1972
  • Ontario World Air
  • Park Plaza Hotel, Toronto
  • Place Bonaventure, Montreal
  • Prince Hotels, Toronto
  • Purolator Courier
  • Ramada Inns
  • Royal Bank Plaza
  • Sheraton Centre
  • Skyline Hotel, Toronto & Ottawa
  • Stratford Festival Theatre — usherettes & box office personnel
  • The Jockey Club
  • Toronto Argonaut — Sunshine Girls cheerleaders
  • Toronto Children’s Chorus
  • Toronto City Hall — guide uniforms (Unicorn)
  • Toronto Hilton — Harbour Castle
  • Toronto International Airport — Air Canada First Class Lounge
  • Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) — transit guides
  • Wardair
  • Wilkinson Swords
  • Wintario Girls

Entertainers' Designs

  • The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada.

  • Alberta Watson, Actress

  • Andrea Martin, Actress and Comedian

  • Anne Murray, Singer

  • Barbara Hamilton, Actress

  • Cleo Laine, Actress

  • Don Harron, Actor

  • Dakota Staton, Jazz vocalist

  • Doug Henning — Spellbound, 1973

  • Cathy Shirrif, Model

  • Eartha Kitt, Singer

  • Efrem (Efrain H. Logreira), Singer, Musician

  • ​Evelyn Hart, Ballerina

  • Gordon Sinclair, Journalist, Writer

  • Jalopy, Band

  • Jennifer O’Neill, Author, Model, Actress

  • José Feliciano, Singer

  • Kreso
  • Mandala, Band

  • Mitzi Gaynor, Actress, Singer, Dancer

  • Nicole Morin, Actress
  • Patricia Dalquest, Singer, Actress

  • Patricia Vanstone, Actress

  • Pierre Burton, Writer, Journalist, Broadcaster

  • Rita Tushingham, Actress

  • Samantha Jones, Model

  • Stampeders, Band
  • Stan Kenton Band

  • The Amazing Kreskin, Mentalist

  • The Supremes, Vocal group

  • Yul Brynner, Actor

  • Vidal Sassoon, Hairstylist

Promotional Designs

  • Benson & Hedges — “Alpine”
  • Bevedere commercial — “Jean Look”
  • Cadbury Bar Six — Harem commercial, “Award Winner”
  • D’Aldo Romano — one-hour TV special
  • Dominion Textile — Spring/Summer 1973
  • Facelle Royale commercial — original garments made from Viva paper towels
  • General Motors commercial — original gowns to complement new car launch
  • Gillette Blue Blades commercial — Mel Profit
  • Miss Canada Pageant
  • Miss Teen Canada Pageant
  • Punch commercial — Sheila MacRae
  • Shake Rock’n Roll
  • Singer Sewing Machine — Samanta Jones
  • Sports Cars Unlimited — Auto Boutique, Speed Sport Show
Toronto Argonauts Sunshine Girls cheerleaders
Andrea Martin, Actress and Comedian
Toronto Argonauts Sunshine Girls cheerleaders

Collections Held

Select pieces from both the Unicorn and Marilyn Brooks Boutiques Inc. collections — spanning four decades, from 1963 to 2003 — can be found in the permanent collections of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the Seneca Fashion Resource Centre (SFRC), and the Fashion History Museum (FHM).

The Royal Ontario Museum

ROM

Community Involvement & Philanthropy

  • Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada — Honorary Big Brother; fundraising contributions
  • Cabbagetown Youth Centre, Inc. — supporter and fundraiser
  • Children’s Aid Foundation — supporter and fundraiser
  • City of Toronto Economic Development Committee — Toronto/Chicago “twinning” project for fashion export, 1991 (year pending — see Open Item 5)
  • decadesign — supporter and fundraiser; helped raise funds for the Toronto Fashion Incubator and to launch a forum supporting Toronto’s non-profit arts organizations
  • Fashion Cares — participated in all 12 annual events supporting the fight against AIDS
  • Holy Trinity School (co-educational) — supporter and fundraiser for academic, arts, and athletic programs
  • Hospital for Sick Children — supporter and fundraiser for the “Dress a Bear” campaign (see Open Item 6)
  • Operation Herbie — supporter and fundraiser, helping children worldwide with health and well-being
  • Parkinson Society Canada — Honorary Chairperson, “Cut-A-Thon,” 1990–1996
  • Reach for the Rainbow (Rewards of Education & Awareness of Children’s Handicaps) — supporter and fundraiser
  • Royal Winnipeg Ballet School — supporter and fundraiser, Professional Division Scholarship Fund
  • The St. George’s Society of Toronto — supporter and fundraiser for Alzheimer Research and the St. George’s Society/University of Toronto Scholarship Fund
  • Trans Canada Trail — supporter and fundraiser
  • UNICEF — product development
  • Variety Club Women — supporter and fundraiser
  • Waladi Child Education Fund — supporter and fundraiser
  • Windfall Clothing Service — supporter and fundraiser
  • Women’s College Hospital — supporter
Marilyn Brooks 1970s

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