Festive & Inclusive Fashion Pop-up | Montreal Fashion Week X McCord Stewart Museum

Designer presentation

Julien Arphi graduated in fashion design from Esmod Paris in 2002, where he was trained in women’s clothing, but then discovered his passion for menswear. Driven by the challenge and a desire for versatility, he took the bold decision to found IsiaaK in 2004, a unisex fashion label drawing on his expertise in fashion design and specializing in menswear. This was the starting point for a unique creative adventure, in which he harmonizes the codes of streetwear with the sophisticated elegance of high-end fashion.  

Brand description

AtelierDNHN, a creative space based in Montreal since 2019, is committed to designing and crafting unique eco-friendly products made from second-hand clothing, fabric scraps and deadstock fabric. Its innovative approach lies in repurposing these materials to create gender-neutral clothing, caps, hats and accessories, with meticulous attention to detail and creativity.  

The brand’s name, denhien, takes its inspiration from the denier, a textile unit of measurement. This idea of unity and common thread reflects the philosophy of its acronym, highlighting diversity, nuance, the human aspect and the authenticity of native craftsmanship.  

By choosing a piece from the DNHN atelier, you opt for sustainable and ethical fashion, but more importantly for a symbol of personal expression. Here, gender is not a limit, giving free rein to your creativity to assert a unique and daring style. DNHN embodies a modern vision of fashion, where sustainable design and savoir-faire combine to create timeless pieces of remarkable elegance. Embrace fashion that lasts with DNHN.  

Designer presentation

Becca Love is an inclusive, ethical and handmade brand, entirely imagined and directed by Becca Love themself. Becca, a queer, non-binary, sober Jewish person, originally from Toronto, now lives in Montreal. They are a video artist, teach empowering movement courses at Sensual Beast and run Studio 513, an event dedicated to emerging queer and trans designers. Becca is behind the entire creative, manufacturing and art direction process for their eponymous brand. Through the brand, they hope to empower the people in the LGBTQIA2S+ community and create more options for ethically conscious consumers. 

Brand description

Becca Love is an inclusive, queer, ethical and genderless brand. 

Each garment is made by Becca Love themselves and is designed to be adaptable to the wearer’s body type, with personalized elements. 

The materials are designed to last as long as possible, are 100% vegan and sourced from ethical suppliers in Canada. All materials come from other designer’s leftover deadstocks.  

Becca Love aims to be as inclusive a brand as possible, for queer people, emphasising the T in LGBTQIA2S+; for everyone, whatever their size, by working to make every item available from size XS to size 5XL; and by being inclusive in terms of representation, working with models who do not correspond to the norms usually promoted by unisex fashion brands. For Becca Love, everyone has the right to be represented, and everyone should feel represented. 

Brand description

Ciao Ciao designs and crafts gender-neutral accessories using a circular production model. The project was born of the desire to reuse residual materials – leather scraps – to create unique objects. This responsible use of resources is at the heart of the design, maximizing the potential of these materials by creating playful appliqués on bags and accessories in an explosive universe that combines artistic expression with eco-responsible, sustainable products. Halfway between design and illustration, Ciao Ciao invites you to plunge into the colorful, playful and comforting world of founder Bianca. 

Designer presentation

With a background in Arts and Design, Bianca worked in the Montreal fashion industry before starting her own business. A jack-of-all-trades by nature, she has completed diverse projects in recent years including illustrations, graphic design and the creation of a leather products manufacturing company (Écolo Fabrique). Her concern for environmental issues led her to launch her most recent venture, Ciao Ciao, where she works with accessories, a medium that allowed her to share her creative vision. Thanks to her endless stream of ideas, she has as much fun in designing playful and functional products.

Designer presentation

Eyewear designer and vintage style connoisseur Christopher Désir is a native Montrealer of Haitian heritage. He believes that wearing the right eyewear creates opportunities, conversation and confidence. His journey began 8 years ago, influenced by the unique craftsmanship and versatility of vintage eyewear, especially from the ‘80s and ‘90s, as he fell in love with the way faces and shapes clash. From that day on, he has been guiding eyewear enthusiasts through a personalized eyewear selection experience. 

Brand description

Les Belles Bobettes upcycles fabric scraps destined for disposal by transforming them into eco-friendly and durable underwear. Its locally produced, made-to-order approach minimizes waste associated with unsold items. Prioritizing inclusivity, the brand aims to offer a wider range of sizes whenever materials permit, currently providing 50 sizes of bralettes and 6 sizes of panties.  

Additionally, you’ll find a selection available for immediate purchase at its kiosks, featuring varying options based on the fabrics the team recovers. 

Designer presentation

Isabelle Charlebois holds a degree in visual arts and has studied fashion design. Often appalled by the production methods of the clothing industry and the waste it generates, she decided to found Les Belles Bobettes in 2016 to enable the recovery of all these materials still suitable for clothing creation. 

Brand description

With a focus on traditional, ethical, and sustainable plant essences and natural extracts, LVNEA explores what resides at the crossroads of the natural and immaterial worlds; the liminal, the luminous, the lush. Each scent begins as a distinct story, conjuring the ethereal and alchemizing it into a fragrant philter to transport us to where—or embody what—we long to be.  

Designer presentation

April Lea (she/her) is a natural perfumer and the founder of LVNEA Perfume. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, she relocated to Tio’Tia:Ke/Montreal in 2007, where she operates her studio and brick & mortar shop. She juxtaposes classical perfumery techniques with ancient and artisanal traditions fueled by a passion for the olfactory and all the ways it intersects with the world and what moves it, be it feelings or folktales.

Brand description

For the past year, Mikuniss Collection has been creating garments and accessories, specializing in ready-to-wear and repurposed fur. Their values are based on respect for the environment by integrating local and sustainable development into their operations, with priority given to natural, upcycled or recycled raw materials. The creator of Mikuniss Collection wishes to share her traditional and cultural artistic inspiration by collaborating with local workers and partnering with companies that hold the same values and commitments. The company offers one-of-a-kind pieces, inspired by the heritage of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh and other First Nations cultures and adapted to today’s reality, entirely designed and created in their workshop in Mashteuiatsh, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. Combining the ingenuity of traditional craft practices with today’s innovation, Mikuniss Collection offers high-quality, authentic and creative pieces for consumers here and abroad, as well as a personalized online shopping experience.  

Designer presentation

Valery Larouche, who is Innu from Mashteuiatsh, has been the founder, creative director and designer of Mikuniss Collection for a year now! With a DEC in accounting and management, an ASP in business start-up and eight years’ experience in accounting and management, she also has training in fashion design with a fur specialization. During her studies, she completed internships and jobs in the region’s fashion and fur industry (Mode Choc, Robertson accessoire et tradition and Bilodeau Canada). As a multidisciplinary artist, she has organized and participated in many major events. Promoting Indigenous women’s entrepreneurship in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region is at the heart of Mikuniss Collection’s values.