A Summer of Planning for Paris Fashion Week, My Arc De Triomphe Awaits.
Taken after the successful fashion show
Written on September 17 prior to Paris Fashion Week SS24
When you want something with your entire soul, it seems like even matter and energy conspire to give you what you want. Or perhaps it's being in the right place at the right time, guided by the right algorithm. No matter what invisible hand is at play here to move you along toward your dreams, you also have to reach out and shake its hand.
That is indeed how I felt back at the end of June 2023 when I got an unexpected, yet somehow expected, DM on Instagram. I got scouted because of my unconventional fashion posts, where I design, style, and model outfits using unique materials and ideas. I sort of had a part to play in that too. I was employing digital marketing strategies I’ve learned over the years as a marketer in my day job. I was using digital marketing tactics to target my posts to European fashion capitals like London, Paris, Milan, Berlin and so forth. I never knew what it would catch, until one day it caught a pretty big fish: Paris freakin’ Fashion Week.
June: how to say yes to opportunities
Vivien Sophie is an original. She is a German business woman who loves original and one-of-a-kind ideas. We met on Instagram and she asked me if I’d want to model her first ever Paris Fashion Week show. I remember hearing her voice memo like yesterday. I thought it was a hoax. Why would this random business woman want some nobody from Canada, of all places? But I wasn’t a nobody. Like her, I am an original. She told me she also wanted me to be the stylist of the show. She loved my artistry and dedication I showed in my fashion on Instagram. Although this gig wouldn’t have the most resources at my disposal, it was one I couldn’t say no to. I finally had my first official gig in styling, and it was at Paris Fashion Week SS24 no less.
You see, I actually think we get offered a lot during our lives. But sometimes we feel like either people are out to get us, or that we are not enough. I feel like a lot of people get in their own way and refuse the answer to the call when it happens. Why? I’ve known so many brilliant artists and fashion lovers who get the chance they’re looking for, only to turn it down. Why?
Well, I came close to turning Vivien down, almost telling her I couldn't make it. But I am glad I took the leap of faith and met with her via Zoom late June 2023. My entire life has been devoted to the art of fashion. I’ve dreamt my entire life being in the room where it happens in cities like London, Berlin, Milan, and Paris. To quote another song from this famous musical of an underdog who beat the odds: I was not going to throw away my shot.
If you’re reading this, I want you to make a promise to me to never let your self-doubt get in the way of your success. Say yes. After I said yes, what happened after would lead to the most challenging but enriching summer of my life.
July: the importance and risk of obsession
I didn’t dilly-dally. I didn’t want to squander a golden opportunity to showcase my talents as a stylist, model, and fashion lover on such a global stage. Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Vogue journalists could be attending. What was I going to wear? How was I going to walk? Most importantly: what were the other models going to wear? You see Vivien Sophie is an original, and so is her company. They are not boots, they are boot couture sleeves. They are customizable and form-fitted shafts of boots that can be fit to any leg and most shoes.
Boot sleeves, what a concept. But that’s what made her a shoe-in (or boot-in) for Paris Fashion Week. We all want to wear what’s original next spring. And I wouldn’t be flying myself across the world if I didn’t truly believe in her originality. Nevertheless, the models cannot just wear the Vivis (the names of Vivien Sophie’s products). They have to wear outfits, and not just any outfits. They have to be Paris Fashion Week level ready, cohesive with the brand, and also show off the legs.
So, while everyone was getting their summer vacations on, I was cracking out my IPad and drawing. Researching silhouettes and style guides for what we could do. Maybe researching is too soft of a word. I was obsessing. I warned Vivien in the beginning that when I care about a project and want it to be truly great, I become obsessed. For professions in the arts like fashion - obsession is vital. The devil’s in the details. You can do whatever you want in Paris, they want to see the extra-ordinary, but details and execution have to be obsessed over.
Word of warning, even the brilliant and over-achieving are fallible. I did not want to think I was burning myself out, but the candle was starting to run out of wax, and Icarus was flying too close to the sun. My health was starting to falter. I became paranoid of people around me. If I kept that up I would’ve sabotaged myself and my dreams. But then I remembered a key mantra I always tell other people: successful people do not compete, successful people collaborate.
August: Building collaboration
With my style guide worked over with Vivien I felt positive we were on the right track with the show. It would both showcase the Vivis but also be unconventional. Through connections in fashion I’ve made over the years I found a designer who was perfect for this show. If I didn’t spend years going to fashion events in Canada and London U.K. I don’t think I would have met Emma. Emma Gilles of Crafty Belfast, like Vivien Sophie and me, is a true original. I knew she would be a great fit and I was ecstatic she whole-heartedly agreed. It’s Paris Fashion Week after all, the stage is wide enough for multiple originals, and young brands should not compete - they should collaborate.
It’s never easy at times working remotely with artists and brands who have their own vision; you sometimes wish you could transport yourself to their studio and point with your own hands what you’re trying to tell them. You sometimes wish you could make everyone happy, get everyone to agree and not compete but collaborate. We are all stars here, but stars can shine together in a constellation. As time was ticking on I began to worry there would be a miscommunication that could lead all of the work that was being put into the show to topple down.
You see fashion is not just about the art of design and clothing, it’s about the art of communication. You need to communicate your ideas and intentions to multiple stakeholders you’re dealing with. Here’s just an example of communication skills I’ve had to employ this summer:
I had to work internationally with different creatives who have their own communication styles and cultural backgrounds. I had to look at cross-cultural communication methods to build bridges, not barriers.
I had to communicate suggestions and styling of designs while honouring the designer’s vision, but elevating it.
I had to communicate fashion design language and learn quick.
I had to be clear about the intention behind every stakeholder involved. What the models needed to bring, what we needed from the event hosts, and what can make my job as a stylist possible.
Luckily, I have been working with talented people whose main intention is to create a great show for everyone involved. Yes, we all want a piece of the Paris Fashion Week quiche. But that quiche can only be cooked and baked to haute cuisine levels if we’re all working together. At last, I felt like we were building a shared vision.
september: the home stretch
I write this on a Saturday night with two weeks left until the show of my life starts. All my friends are out dancing and having fun. On a Saturday night, I once would be the first one at the club and the last to leave. But instead, I am working on this show, my own outfits for PFW, and how I am going to tell this story of one summer to change a life. I do not feel like I am missing out, I feel at peace. I know my friends want to see me succeed. I know I have a world of parties ahead of me, and a world of fashion too. This summer has definitely been a reminder of the challenges associated with fashion, but through its challenges I’ve grown more resolute with my love for it.
I love creative people and collaborating with them from around the world. I love the mental blocks I get when I am trying to solve how to style an outfit correctly. Then bam, eureka. It hits me. I love sharing the eureka moments with Vivien and Emma and having them be ecstatic. I even love when we disagree and debate over things like the way the hats should sit on the model’s head. How dapper. How camp. How amazing. If I could spend the rest of my life debating over the ways hats can sit on a model’s head, I would gladly do so. Because we’re not just debating hats, we’re debating images that will live on forever. Images that could find their way in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle very soon.
The show is not here yet, and there’s still much work to do, but I am so proud. I am so proud of everyone involved for their hard work and dedication this summer. We are a group of misfits from around the world who simply love fashion and want to create a great show. That’s it. So no matter what, I am proud of this show. I am also very proud of myself for taking that leap of faith and saying yes to this offer back in June.
Sometimes all it takes is one yes to help you get to the City of Lights.
