65 Years of style: LaSalle College’s anniversary fashion show

Canada’s largest fashion school, LaSalle College is celebrating its 65^th anniversary – and what better way to do so than with a fashion show highlighting the work of 65 graduates?

The designs on the catwalk at the M.A.D. Festival at Place des Festivals Friday night – being modeled by 65 public figures.

“We’re celebrating what’s local, the best of local today in terms of fashion, but also in terms of literature, movies, actresses, singers, wrestlers, Olympians, all of these people are coming together to celebrate on the stage right behind us,” said Andrew McNally, Dean of Fashion of LaSalle College.

The free show is part of the multiple activities being offered by the school to mark its milestone year.

The internationally renowned fashion designer Mathieu Caron graduated from LaSalle College in 2002. He has collaborated with various ice skating athletes, including U.S. Olympian Madison Chock, who walked the runway on Friday night.

“Tonight you’re going to see a piece, it’s a dress that I made for Madison Chock. Madison, she’s a world champion figure skating, ice dance. I did a dress for her, for her season of competition. The dress is based on a Freddie Mercury’s iconic yellow vest,” described Caron.

Montrealers are invited to a free upcycling workshop where they can transform discarded materials into personalized clothing pieces, collaborating with students to create a unique, custom garment.

“We have a shop where we sell garments that the students upcycled, so these are garments that were donated to us by Reitmans Canada and so the students have the task of upcycling them, transforming them, making them a new style once again to be sold and so we have students taking care of this and on my left we have a printing workshop where people can draw an illustration and then we transfer them to the garment of their choice,” said Raphael Vien, Project Coordinator for LaSalle College.