Montreal Friday : FMD Special [Photos]

By Maxime Frechette
 
Welcome to Montreal Friday. Every Friday this summer, I will show you what’s new in Montreal, because Montreal is a fun and wonderful city to discover. Here are my discoveries of the week. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for previews and as well, lets engage on Twitter with hashtag: #FRIDAYMTL.

This week, Montreal is hosting the Festival Mode & Design (FMD) fashion festival. Located in the heart of Quartier des Spectacles, the event is separated in 3 parts: a conference, runway fashion shows, and pop up boutiques as well as fashion trucks. 

This year, FMD welcomes prestigious fashion designers including Hervé Leger, Max Abadian, Antoine Roset (of Ligne Roset) and several others.

I had the opportunity to assist at the Antoine Roset presentation. Antoine is the great-great-grandson of Ligne Roset, who founded his namesake company in 1860. For over 150 years, Ligne Roset has been one of the world’s leading contemporary furniture manufacturers. Antoine Roset is now the Senior Vice President of Roset USA, which continues to manufacture all of its products in France. Though the method of work is the same as for luxury brands such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton, the Roset family’s goal is to keep its products accessible.

The other part of FMD is the fashion pop up store, and fashion truck. I’ll show you my favourites, though many others on the site definitely deserve a visit. My top 5 favourite pop-up shops/fashion trucks include the following: 

1. CreatiVal Bijoux

Since 2014, CreatiVal Bijou‘s Valerie Forgues has designed and manufactured magnificent jewelry, all with the goal of offering unique and original products to its clients. Designs are inspired by nature, stone, leather and metal. Her creations are available in more than 30 points of sale in Canada and in the United States. Entirely made in Quebec in the Laurentides, everything is made by hand and there is something to suit everyone’s tastes. Instagram: @creativalbijoux, Web: creativalbijoux.com.

2. Maison 630

This relatively young design house is already well known. As mentioned recently in GQ UK, Maison 630 innovates with articles made with a combination of Horween Leather and exotic wood. It was founded in 2013 with a line of minimalist wallets, and has since expanded to include bracelets and cellphone cases, all crafted to perfection. You can find them in two points of sale: Boutique Duo and Swellfellow. Instagram: @maison630 and Web: maison630.com.

3. Stylunic/Fashion Truck

The Stylunic brand is only three months old, and is present both in a fashion truck as well as in its online store. Being mobile, they can come to your home or office, no matter where you are in Quebec. With seven Quebec-based designers and more to come, the brand is also gaining attention for being unisex as well as made entirely in Quebec. Instagram: @stylunic and Web: stylunic.com.

4. Neck Breakers

A passionate entrepreneur leads this young start-up women’s fashion company. Currently, Neck Breakers is concentrating on importing Californian and Australian fashion brands, but the company is also currently developing its own brand, made in Montreal. Keep an eye on this contemporary brand as it continues to grow. Instagram: @neckbreakersshop and Web: neckbreakersshop.com.

5. Nomad Boutique/Fashion Truck

With limited distribution at public or private events (graduations, birthdays, etc.), Nomad Boutique stands out with its extraordinarily wide variety of designer clothing and accessories. The vast majority of products are made in Canada, and its fashion truck is worth discovering. Follow them on Instagram to know where to find them next. Instagram: @nomadboutiquemobile and Web: nomadboutiquemobile.com.

There are many more designers to discover, and I invite you to come and see them all. FMD continues until August 20. 

** This Article is Created in Collaboration with Montreal Weekly.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: August 19, 2016