The Sensation Mode Group, behind the Mode + Design Festival, changed its name on Wednesday to MAD Collectif. The acronym MAD, which stands for “fashion, arts and entertainment”, will now bring together all the other activities of the group, including a pop-up store in Place Ville Marie which will open its doors on Thursday, as well as a virtual platform for the sale of Quebec creations. , which will be launched in the spring of 2023.
“A lot of people are willing to buy local products, but often they don’t know where to go, they feel it’s expensive, or they don’t know how to pair them with other styles. This is how we want to help consumers, in our specialized fashion niche,” explained Jean-François Daviau, co-founder and president of MAD Collectif.
With the support of the Government of Quebec, the company will therefore launch a kind of “blue basket” for the local fashion community, which will offer the possibility of shopping online and having access to advice on layout. some products.
“Everything we’re going to see at the festival, we’ll also be able to see it online, and buy it online. It represents an offer of more than a hundred creators, with content all year round. We want to inspire consumers, give them ideas, guide them on all the local brands we present,” says Chantal Durivage, co-founder and vice-president of creative development.
The festival is also changing its name to “Festival MAD”. This new name better reflects the international ambitions of the event, according to Mr. Daviau: “We wanted to maintain our DNA, but also increase our appeal internationally, and to corporations. He says the festival attracts over 240,000 visitors every year.
“This new chapter for the MAD Festival will further showcase the ingenuity, know-how and excellence of the Quebec fashion industry and local talent,” said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec Minister of Economy, by press release.
A shop for the revival of the city center
On Thursday, MAD Collectif opened the doors of its very first pop-up store in Place Ville Marie, MAD Shoppe, which will remain open until January 2023. “The idea is really to bring local products downtown to diversify the offer that is there at the moment,” said Mr. Daviau.
The project is part of the collective’s desire to participate more in the revival of downtown Montreal. MAD Collectif is already piloting the XP_MTL brand, which manages various projects that aim to revitalize downtown Montreal, including ephemeral urban planning facilities. Among her achievements, she counts the “Crescent gourmet terraces”, or the “Sentier des Jasettes”, a relaxation area that had been installed on rue Sainte-Catherine this summer.
The store launched on Thursday will also host a series of cultural activities. “The store will feature meet-and-greets with creators and influencers, as well as musical performances unplugged [acoustiques]presented with Tourisme Québec, to revitalize the city center and ensure the presence of Québec artists in the area,” explains Mr. Daviau.
“We call it shopping cultural ! exclaimed M.me From the shore.