RSVP Magazine's Joel Vautour poses for The Volts' photographer Benoit Lamothe, photo by Julia C Vona
Much of the work we do at The Volts is of course about fashion. Finding the top labels, curating collections, styling for photo shoots – these are all part and parcel of being part of the fashion industry. But there’s another aspect to the job as well, and that’s about making connections and having meaningful interactions, particularly with other members of our industry – bloggers, media, our audience, and of course our partner brands and designers.
Fullum & Holt's Nicole De Cairos (left) with Company President Morgan Hirsh (right), photo by Julia C Vona
The Volts Co-Founder Nazem Wahab (right) with Graphic Designer Mark Kandalaft (left), photo by Julia C Vona
In light of that, we at The Volts wanted to do something that would show the world just how much we value the relationships we build, and maybe even give us a chance to make some new ones. In other words, we threw a party.
Our headquarters in Montreal has a sort of urban warehouse feel, with large windows, exposed pipes, and high ceilings, setting the perfect mood for an evening cocktail and fashion exhibit April 18.
Though The Volts of course carries a lot of international labels – Les Petites, Gar-De, Plomo, Makia, and Designers Remix – we also know first hand just how big a role Canada plays in the global fashion scene.
As such, we saw fit to invite some of the Country’s top labels and designers to attend as guest hosts, and to represent Canada in a special series of all-Canadian sales on our site. Among them, we were honoured to receive Canadian-born but New York-based Sid Neigum, Vancouver’s Morgan Mallet, of Design + Conquer, Montreal Designer Dimitri Chris, and Morgan Hirsh, President of historic Montreal label Fullum and Holt and the representant of the Montreal swimwear label Aqua Di Lara.
As the bloggers, the models, and the simply fashionable began to pour in, they got the celebrity treatment, as photographer Benoit Lamothesnapped shots of them, immortalizing every outfit to come through our doors. Incidentally, you can vote for the night’s best dressed guest on Facebook.
As they made their way into our warehouse, they could see two street artists from Chez Meka at work on our newly-minted mural.
Honoured guest, Design + Conquer Founder Morgan Mallett, in a vintage 1950s cocktail dress, photo by Benoit Lamothe
On the other side of the room, boys in horn-rimmed glasses and girls in leather jackets chatted, bobbed their heads to the house beats, sipped wine, or Tweeted, while perusing the gallery-style exhibit we’d set up to feature our guest designers’ work. And many of them did so while sporting the fun leather bow ties made by Fullum and Holt just for the event.
The Volts Co-FOunder Ghaith Yafi (right) chats with fashion blogger Caroline Savard from La mode avec style (left), photo by Julia C Vona
Meanwhile, about halfway through (perhaps after a little liquid courage) our normally humble founders stood up to the microphone for announcement that we’re all enormously proud of. After the better part of a year as a private, invite-only site, The Volts is finally going public, meaning we’re growing, and we’re opening our doors to even more new friends.
I’m not saying that anyone completely lost control or anything, but I’ll leave it at saying that everyone had a good time, if you know what I mean.
By the time we closed the place down, laughs had been laughed, business cards had been swapped, champagne had been drunk and Canadian fashion had been showcased in all its splendour.
We wish you could have been there, because, after all, the more the merrier. But lushes and social butterflies that we are, something tells us that this party won’t have been our last – not by a long shot!
Sheer excitement for fashion bloggers Camille DG (left ) and Aurélie Letizia from Lili Brunette (right), photo by Julia C Vona
- Emily
Pictures by Julia C Vona and Benoit Lamothe
