This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Beyond the encounters it allows between the public and the dozens of local fashion designers who are taking part this year, the 22e M-Festivalode + Design has made it its mission to bring fashion to life as a sociological and multidisciplinary phenomenon. Interview with the co-founders of the event, Chantal Durivage and Jean-François Daviau, for whom, more than ever, “fashion is everywhere”.
The very first Festival Mode + Design (FDM), at the turn of the 2000s, took the industry by surprise. “The community found it special to present itself to the general public, recalls Jean-François Daviau. Back then, there was no social media and the shows were for media and shoppers only. The festival was therefore seen as a low-end event. »
Never mind, the duo, who also organized Montreal Fashion Weeks for several seasons, persisted and signed. “From our beginnings, we were inspired by Coco Chanel, who said that there is no fashion if it doesn’t take to the streets, points out Chantal Durivage. Our approach has always been sociological: we wanted to bring fashion to people and create a kind of conversation. We wanted to break this perception that fashion is inaccessible. »
Fashion, dance and music in the spotlight
Over the years, their concept has evolved to include other artistic manifestations. If the FDM always offers big parades on stage (think of those of the graduates of Cégep Marie-Victorin and LaSalle College, for example), sewing workshops and about fifty ephemeral shops are added to the musical performances and to experimental artistic performances.
Within the framework of the festival, fashion also becomes a pretext for discussion and reflection. Thus, the key event of the opening night, Futurs divergents, will introduce us to indigenous fashion designers through dystopian theatrical dance choreography. “We are decompartmentalizing fashion,” summarizes Jean-François Daviau. In fact, we are where we wanted to go 20 years ago! »
Practical information
Fashion + Design Festival
From August 25 to 28, 2022 at the Place des Festivals
festivalmodedesign.com