Fashion POP

Six emerging designers. Six diverse collections. Six industry judges. Only one winner. The event was the Puces POP Fashion Show and Emerging Designers Award, part of a series of events organized by POP Montreal. The date was Sept. 30 and the venue, Espace Reunion. Judges had the task of selecting the designer with the best Fall/Winter ‘09 collection. The prize was $1,000, along with a $500 gift certificate to Le Château (the event sponsor) and a feature article in Worn Fashion Journal.  Read on to get the scoop on the clothes, and the people behind them.

 

Collection: Betina Lou

Designer: Marie-Eve Emond

 

High waisted pencil skirts, silk blouses with bows and curve hugging mini-dresses in black, white and grey, made up Marie-Eve Emond’s ultra feminine and sophisticated Fall/Winter ‘09 collection. Wearing a black sweater over a crisp white button-down shirt and black trousers, which she’s accessorized with pearls, and a slightly uneven bob, the 30 year-old Chicoutimi born designer and graduate of L’École Supérieure de Mode de Montréal, epitomizes her line. When she cites Coco Chanel as her favourite designer, it’s hardly a surprise – the woman is practically a carbon copy of the French couturier.
Emond says her client is “a woman that likes quality, and who wants classic pieces she can have for a long time and that won’t go out of style.” At the moment, Betina Lou is only sold at Montreal boutique, Headquarters, but Emond says she’s hoping in a few years her designs will be available in all major Canadian cities. After all, she only recently quit her job as an assistant designer for internationally renowned Montreal based coat company, Mackage. “At Mackage I learned the fit, and quality of fabric is the most important thing, and that’s what I’m working on doing for my line,” said Emond.

 

 

Collection: Contradict by RJC Clothing

Designer: Rachel J Chan

If fashion forward hippies travelled to space, my guess is they’d be sporting the Contradict line by RJC Clothing. Flowing white dresses with abnormally large bridge shoulders were set off by pale blue tie-dye detailing along the bottom, and either a frayed neckline or hemline. Equally futuristic was a pair of glittery white leggings with one side ankle length, and the other side cut off to reveal a whole lotta leg. Chan says the collection wasn’t created with a season in mind, but that sometimes she likes to design runway specific pieces. The Toronto designer holds a fashion degree in women’s design from LaSalle College, but has since returned to study menswear. According to Chan, there’s no better place to be a fashion designer than Montreal. “I spent the summer working in Paris, I’ve been to New York and I lived in Toronto, but the people in Montreal are a lot more open to creativity and they’re more accepting of you,” said Chan. She says there’s a lot of competition in Montreal, but it’s not necessarily a negative thing. Her five-year plan is to present her collection during Montreal or Toronto Fashion Week, and eventually to open an RJC Clothing store. Although she won’t be selling the collection she showed, her designs are sold at Fly boutique on Ste. Catherine St.
 

 

Collection: LA FETE

Designer: Emilie Brunet

“It’s rude like this city,” is how Emilie Brunet describes LA FETE. Crediting Montreal as her main inspiration, the 25 year-old designer says her line is arrogant with a hint of tomboy. The colour palette was black, white and silver and the looks a cross between James Bond and Madonna circa 1985. For example: low-slung black trouser-cut ankle pants with a black and silver zip-up sport jacket, unzipped so far you didn’t have to use your imagination; a one shoulder dress with a black and white checkered bustier peeking through, and frayed black Bermudas matched with a sheer black tank and satin white blazer. Need I say more? Oh, yeah, there were lacy gloves too. Unlike the other participants, Brunet doesn’t have a fashion design background, but is studying political science and communications. Who’s to say fashion and politics don’t go together?
 

 

Collection:  girlfriend material

Designer: Charlotte Eedson

Fall is in full swing, and winter’s not too far behind, but designer Charlotte Eedson seems not to notice, because girlfriend material screams summer. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wear floral mini dresses, or belly tops in the winter, although I’ll admit, I may start now. Two particularly original looks were an ankle length denim jumpsuit with a zipper down the front, three quarter length sleeves, and a shirt collar, followed by a skin-tight black strapless mini-dress with a square of gold studs going down one side. Youth rock culture is said to have influenced Eedson for this collection, but the designer could not be reached for comment.
 

 

Collection: Lechat Clothing

Designer: Flavie Lechat

Flavie Lachat says her favourite trend this season is “studs! I love the whole biker/leather chic trend,” said the designer. “I think it’s perfect for this city since it’s so brutally cold.” I’m not sure how warm it will keep you, but Lechat showed an original, and sexy studded leather fringe scarf as part of her collection last week. Worn over a slinky dress, it was definitely the piece de resistance. Full skirts, plaid shirts and high waisted sweats also made the cut. Lechat says she loves colourful clothes, but for Fall/Winter ‘09 her collection was mostly grey, black, and navy with splashes of red. All the clothes are handmade in Montreal by Lechat who said she’s always had fabric and sewing machines around when she was growing up, and becoming a fashion designer was the only career she wanted to have. “I really liked playing dress-up when I was little, and I just took it to the next level.”

 

And the winner is…

Norwegian Wood designer Angie Johnson. “I’m very very happy because I can buy an industrial sewing machine now,” said a grinning Johnson right after her big win. Originally from rural Manitoba, but currently a Montreal resident, Johnson’s Fall/Winter ‘09 collection was far and away the edgiest of the evening. Elastic harnesses, multi-coloured fringe necklaces, black lace detailing, and pops of lime green, are signature Norwegian Wood accents that added an unexpected touch to the otherwise grey and black skirts and dresses. Sharp shoulders, which dominated the Spring/Summer ‘10 collections at New York Fashion Week were also present, as were floral prints and textured leggings. “Fabrics are my inspiration,” said Wood. “I try to find the most interesting ones I can.” What’s next for the award-winning designer? Wood says she’s putting the finishing touches on a capsule collection called Edit for the London based retail chain, Topshop. The collection will debut in October and will feature the works of 25 up-and-coming international designers (Wood is the only Canadian). Having launched Norwegian Wood in 2008 after working as an assistant designer for a local denim company, Wood can’t believe how quickly business is taking off; the line is already sold at small boutiques in the U.S., Canada and Europe. “All this has happened in the last six months, so it’s been very crazy,” she said.