“Le Showroom” I saw a CBC reporter on the scene here.

Thieves

Thieves

M0851. Sandwiched between photographers.

The cocktail lounge. The goodie bags are under the table, missed out on that.

Samuel Dong. Feral look.

The crowd within the runway room.

Shoe mishap at Bodybag by Jude.

Zen B.

I am exhausted. I was stuck at the same venue for nearly 11hours. I came home with two goodie bags, one containing a pair of crocs (no, not the ugly crocs thankfully), Eye Candy The Volumes magazine, chips and pamphlets. I missed out on getting an M0851 goodie bag which had small leather items like keychains and a wallet.

I made a couple of new friends, 2 buyers from Massachussetts and another girl from a local independent publication called “La Belle Epoque”. Talking to them certainly helped passed the time, although I wish I had met them earlier during the 3 hour break inbetween the first show and the cocktail hour. I read my book for a solid 2hrs perched on a stool downstairs at the snack bar. Paid $12.50 for a ham sandwich, pasta salad and small chocolate cake.

Befriending these new people was fascinating and exciting. I got to ask questions I’ve always wanted to ask to buyers and the journalist knew all the dirt on the inner workings of what the Chabanel industry is like. Chabanel is the garment district in northern Montreal where buyers can buy directly from the showrooms and don’t have to assist all the fashion show shenanigans in the Old Port. I’ll talk about that tomorrow.

Enough of my social antics. I can’t reveal much about the shows, but I’d have to say for today, Muse by Christian Chenail was the best show. This shocks even myself since I really didn’t care for his last 2 collections at all, but this season he really pushed the envelope and I was amazed that he could produce such a great collection.

The worst show was Envers by Yves Jean Lacasse.

Ok.

What is up with this guy? People are clamoring to see his shows, but his collections are terrible!! He’s like a bad Jean-Paul Gaultier wannabe, at least Gaultier still knows how to make clothes. I think the only notable talent Mr. Lacasse has is creating these nice tailored jackets in embroidered fabric for men. But he does that for EVERY collection. Ugh. Enough. I’m never going to his shows again. I’m not the only one to think so, the expression on people’s faces were priceless. One guy was just squinting his eyes, his jaw dropped open as the male models passed by, trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

Marie Saint Pierre? At first I was impressed with her, but not anymore. It’s always the same thing, you can see it on people’s faces, they start yawning, they get bored. And does she even try to venture out onto different fabrics? I don’t think so.

More juicy gossip.

This morning’s press conference was one hot pressure cooker. I was relieved to know that some local journalists are still journalists at heart. One lady who freelanced for Le Devoir asked that although the industry is full of talented designers, what was the government going to do to help them position them on an international level? Mr. Bachand, minister of Economics of Quebec, mumbled his way through his answer, only reiterating what he had stated earlier in his speech, and flat out didn’t answer the woman’s question. I have never seen a more plastified smile on a person’s face like Mr. Bachand’s before. This isn’t a good sign. It seems to indicate that the govt has absolutely no idea how to spread our designers on an international level business wise. All they believe is that promoting creativity will be enough to propel some 600 yearly new designers on a global scale….right.

Another woman asked that the manufacturing industry is downsizing in Quebec and moving elsewhere to Asia like China and Vietnam, so what would the govt do to bring back those lost jobs? Sensation Mode’s co-president answered that although it was unfortunate that manufacturing jobs are moving elsewhere (because of cheaper labor), they hope that the creativity and design of our fashion designers will make up for the difference. Er….ok. I’m guessing that these manufacturing jobs will be lost for good then. What’s the point of boasting our Canadian manufacturing industry (being third behind NY and LA in North America) when nobody is trying to save it?

Ok what’s wrong with this picture? Is the govt trying to save the fashion industry or not? And I hate how they try to paint Montreal as THE Canadian fashion capital. Wrong. It’s Toronto. Even I know that. People aren’t exactly clamoring to come here are they? It’s even more insulting trying to lump us together with NY, Paris, Milan and London Fashion Week, when we are a bazillion light years behind them on an international scale. We may be fashion forward, but our business models suck globally. Don’t sugar coat the facts!

I’m really starting to become disappointed about the state of our fashion industry. It’s in terrible shape. At least Mr. Bachand had a redeeming phrase towards the end of his speech: “We are still working within a frame of a strategy. A strategy is not written in stone.” So they’re working on it. Let’s hope they get it right before I die!

If it weren’t for my friends on Facebook, I wouldn’t have known that vegan bag designers Matt&Nat was having a sample sale from Nov.15th to the 17th, nor would I have known that luxury good retailer m0851 were having their own sample sale this weekend.

For many 20-something to 30-something web users, Facebook has become the ubiquitous place to “hang out” online. With an active online membership of over 42 million users (thanks Wiki!), it is an undeniable market for fashion designers to spread their wings.

Fashion designers are taking advantage of the Facebook platform, initiating groups for their brands and creating events in ways that traditional push emails, flyers, and print ads can’t fulfill. The Montreal Fashion group boasts a growing membership of around 50 members per day to their 7300 members. Within these groups, users can post images, videos, links, and events, interact with one another on the group’s discussion boards and initiate contacts. Facebook’s main appeal is that everyone uses their real names, producing a sense of familiarity between the consumer and the brand’s owner or representative. Discounts can be given to group members during private special events, creating exclusivity, and you know how shoppers love feeling special.

This truly a cost effective practice for fashion designers. Facebook is free to join, or they can buy and create a sponsored page like Victoria’s Secret Pink group, their outreach is as wide as the network they’re in, friends can refer other friends to the group, and so on. Consumers can access the brand’s information on their own time and it doesn’t cost the designers or the consumers a dime. Now how brilliant is that? Facebook’s got it goin’ on.