The M.A.D. (Mode, Arts, Entertainment) takes place from August 24 to 27, in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles. Completely free, this event brings together a hundred artists, fashion shows, musical performances and “pop-up” shops that showcase local designers.
The great novelty of this first M.A.D. festival, formerly the Fashion and Design festival, is the launch of the transactional platform M.A.D. Shoppe, which brings together a hundred fashion and accessories designers.
“We’ve been thinking about it for a long time, to bring together in one place a market where we welcome Quebec creators. This new platform will be launched during a big fashion show on August 24, in which 30 models and 10 dancers participate. The parade will also be broadcast live on M.A.D. Shop, and we can directly buy our favorites that we will see appear on stage! It’s very innovative,” said Chantal Durivage, co-founder and creative vice-president of M.A.D. collective. She specifies that throughout the year, we will be able to discover local brands and designers on the platform and make purchases.
For the first time, a country will be honored at the festival, and it is Argentina that has been chosen. “Argentinian designers all have such an interesting story to tell. There is a great know-how, whether in leather goods, weaving, accessories and shoes, and there is this mix between modernity and craftsmanship. »
On the site of activities, at the Place des Festivals, there will be around sixty ephemeral “pop-up” shops of designers and brands from here, such as Jen’s finds, Noble, Prysm, Soja
A tribute to the artist Zïlon will be paid on August 24, at 5 p.m. A former collaborator of the festival, he had notably produced live paintings. Geneviève Borne will read her poem Mon punk à moi, and there will be a retrospective in images of the career of the urban artist, who died last month.
The conference section which made us discover, in previous editions, creators, photographers, journalists has almost entirely disappeared. We remember having had a good time with guests such as Patricia Field, stylist for the Sex and the City series, Vincent Leret, head of collections for Parfums Christian Dior, Caroline Issa, from Tank Magazine, photographers Max Abadian and Jean-Paul Goude, or the hatter Stephen Jones. Chantal Durivage wants to maintain the conferences, but there are heartbreaking choices to be made.
“Our proposal remains rewarding. We have a conference component on sustainable development on August 23, we will discuss vegan fashion with Rachel Lamarche (PhD student at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) and the sustainability of local textile communities with Marie-Ève Faust, professor at the ‘ESG UQAM, during the De l’étoffe du pays conference at the Bal de la laine, “explains the co-founder of the festival.
For Chantal Durivage, the big challenge, beyond the labor shortage, is to support local businesses and creators. “Fast fashion brands are giants in the industry, they have huge budgets, they release new styles every day, at ridiculous prices, and it’s a real challenge for our designers. The spirit of M.A.D. Shoppe is to bring them together, to offer a quality product of which we know the story behind its creation. We are able to raise consumer awareness and convey to them the importance of encouraging local creation. We have a population in Quebec that is open, interested, and I believe that we must support our businesses here,” concludes Chantal Durivage.
A big parade takes place at Place des Festivals to launch the M.A.D. Shoppe, transactional platform that brings together a hundred local brands. You can also follow the parade online at www.madshoppe.com.
Argentina is the country of honor, and a collective of Argentinian designers will come to present the best of the country’s fashion.
The LaSalle College Walk-In Parade takes place on Friday, August 25 at 8 p.m. Models, dancers and artists will parade in a festive atmosphere and will introduce us to the 250 original creations of LaSalle College fashion design graduates.
Self-taught designer Guillaum Chaigne presents his latest high-end streetwear creations. His clothes are of a very minimalist style, but the designer likes theatrical stagings.
