Montreal Designers Need To Kick It Up A Notch
Posted by Dahlia on February 12, 2008 · 4 Comments
There seems to be a huge cyclone brewing in the fashion world, with a bad economy, it would look like fashion seems to be rearing its ugly head for what it has truly become. Fashion designers who love their craft are fighting to stay afloat, but how can they beat the likes of H&M when they have little to no financial backing and lack the resources to truly sell their brand?
Which puts into question as to where Montreal fashion is going business wise. Montreal Fashion Week is coming next month, I really wonder who the buyers are and where they come from. Last fall I attended Fashion Week on behalf of GLOSS, and was surprised that that there were only about a dozen notable designers showing for a total of a mere 3 days. Even our most coveted designer, Andy The-Anh, showcased his collection in Toronto’s L’Oreal Fashion Week in hopes to catch a larger audience. It would appear that the Montreal market hasn’t attracted enough buyers (international and local) to come to our fashion week despite a recent multimillion dollar investment from the Quebec Government.
Ralph Lauren Fall 2008. Simple and could definitely sell.
Muse by Christian Chenail Fall 2007. Could also sell, but are they selling?
I made a round yesterday to Ogilvy’s and only saw Marie Saint Pierre’s name as the only local designer on the store’s 2nd floor. Holt Renfrew did have Rad Hourani’s collection, but where are the M Siamo’s, Philippe Dubuc’s and Andy The-Anh’s in these stores? More over, there are so many specialized boutiques that it’s hard to pinpoint which stores carry which lines, making shopping even harder especially for smaller brands. Not to mention that local designers have to compete with many European imports like Mango, Zara, H&M, and Mexx to big brand designer names like Chanel, Dior and Gucci in the high end sector. Let’s not forget that even our own proud canadian sports label Roots has been shoved aside to make way to American Eagle Outfitters downtown.
Having a good business model is essential to survive in the industry, so far it’s hard to think of one Canadian label in particular which has successfully incorporated themselves into international waters on a grand scale. But unlike Europeans and Americans, Montreal fashion designers currently aren’t attractive enough for financial honchos to invest into their brands. Though $82 million is a generous amount from the Quebec Government, it’s peanuts when the likes of other designers get the same amount for a SINGLE brand in a SINGLE year. It’s not enough to be a designer, it’s now essential to have a working business model. If Canada, even more so Montreal, wants to compete with the big guns they will have to find a way to boost their visibility on a grand scale and be aggressive. We’re being much too docile to newcomers, praising and coddling them through magazines isn’t enough, they need to be able to sell their clothes to buyers and establish some loyalty amongst their shoppers.
Image credits: Style.com, Muse Christian Chenail
I agree with you.
Yes, the article does make a valid point. Had not been to this show but cannot help commenting about the jewelry show in Canada last year. The design element is somehow lacking in very broad sense. Some of the mass produced jewelry tried to produce very complicated designs that are infact more suitable for individual pieces of custom jewelry. The dress styles in the image on this blog gave a similar impression. They look quite ordinary, not something that one would try to exclusively launch on a fashion runway.
Designs are lacking here as well, and the ones with the most talent like to stay hidden from the brouhaha of the media. It’s a little strange since I find Montrealers to be very fashionable individuals, but the designers themselves don’t think to design for the masses but for those who would share similar tastes with them. I mean if Holt Renfrew and Ogilvy’s don’t even buy their clothes, what does that say about the industry?