Nightlife and creativity collide at two fashion events

Holt Renfrew Ogilvy celebrates AFTER DARK, March 23, Montreal

The cabaret lounge Vol de Nuit in Montreal’s Plateau neighbourhood was the locale for a recent late night party hosted by Holt Renfrew Ogilvy. The gathering was a celebration of the city’s nightlife and cultural community and served simultaneously as the backdrop for Holt Renfrew’s spring campaign. A gaggle of models bedecked in the latest spring wares were photographed throughout the night in situ, with the resulting images set to be released later this month. Hosted in collaboration with New York-based independent culture and fashion publication Document Journal, the gathering brimmed with more than 200 of the city’s bright, young creatives. In the space, which was transformed for the evening by lighting designers Nitemind, dancing lasted into the following morning thanks to a series of performances by DJ Martyn Bootyspoon, Blue Hawaii and Esther Côté. Holt Renfrew Ogilvy dressed a number of guests for the evening too, including singer and model Caroline Vreeland and her husband, Nico Munn Rico, a co-founder of the urban art festival Mural; fashion stylist and scene regular Cary Tauben; and actor Michael Seater. There too was Julie-Anne Ho, founder of fashion label Essaim; Document Journal editor and founder Nick Vogelson; designer and stylist Kyron Warrick; singer Zach Zoya; Caribbean-Canadian rapper Skiifall and Holt Renfrew president and CEO Sebastian Picardo.

Raïssa Meta and Amrit Basi.Hippolyte Petit/The Globe and Mail

Tinashe Musara and Joseph Tang.Hippolyte Petit/The Globe and Mail

J.D. Ostrow and Sebastian Picardo.Hippolyte Petit/The Globe and Mail

Nick Desilus, Noire Mouliom and Marlond Samedy.Hippolyte Petit/The Globe and Mail

Nick Vogelson and Michael Seater.Hippolyte Petit/The Globe and Mail

Caroline Vreeland and Nico Munn Rico.Hippolyte Petit/The Globe and Mail

Cary Tauben.Hippolyte Petit/The Globe and Mail

MODECANADAROCKS, March 23, Toronto

On the same evening in Toronto, the inaugural MODECANADAROCKS was under way. The festival and celebration of creativity was founded as a way to draw attention to Canada’s diverse music and fashion talents. The gathering, held at Rebel nightclub and attended by a few hundred, was split into three acts, each featuring the work of fashion designers paired with music performances. Of Art and Indigeneity featured Ojibwe/Irish hip-hop/electronic artist Cody Coyote and wares from Indigenous creators including Yolonda Skelton and Himikalas Pam Baker. Later, singer Tyler Shaw performed during The Order of Canadian Style which featured work by Marie Saint Pierre and Mani Jassal. Closing the evening was Black to the Future, where designers Caffery Vanhorne and Kyle Gervacy and the label L’Uomo Strano showed work while musician Savannah Ré and members of the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance performed. Proceeds from the event, which was conceived by entrepreneur and former model Len D. Henry, will support organizations working to eradicate youth homelessness, including Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth. Also out: adaptive clothing pioneer Izzy Camilleri; model Ashley Callingbull; race-car driver Gianmarco Raimondo; photographer Michael Chambers; and Susan Langdon, CEO of the Toronto Fashion Incubator.