Montréal: Capitale Canadienne de la mode?

[monctezuma]

I am tired of seeing stuff made in India, Bangladesh, China and other places. I know its due to cost.

 

Juste à titre informatif, il y a une petite boutique de vêtements qui a récemment ouvert ses portes sur Maisonneuve, en face de La Baie et qui est 100% québécoise, de la conception à la vente.

[internationalx]

Well, Montreal in the past could absolutely call itself the fashion capital of Canada largely because the garment industry was heavily concentrated in Montreal. In fact, very little of the rag trade was in Toronto, if any. As we all know, the garment industry in Montreal, like other cities in N-A has been disappearing to China and other nations since the 1980's. That said, Montreal is the no. 3 city in North America after NY and LA for the schmatte business - still.

 

On another level, Montreal was known as the fashion capital of Canada and still could be simply because of the fact that Montrealers spend more per capita on clothing and accessories than any other city in the country. Almost double, I believe. I don't have the stats to cite but I have read them in times past. It didn't help when Canada's one national luxury retailer moved its HQ and flagship to Toronto in 1980. (ie: Holt Renfrew)

 

Finally, Montreal's reputation for style was tied to its glorious past as the metropolis from nightlife to business...we all know the story.

 

Toronto seems to have claimed fashion capital title largely as entitlement; it comes with being the metropolis of Canada.

 

Montreal screwed up when they couldn't get their act together in the late 1990's and create a formidable fashion industry event. There is a lot of navel-gazing that goes on in this city and province.

[Ornello Mastrocola]

The main difference between Montreal and Toronto is that Torontonians are go getters, they see and conquer! Whereas Montrealers love to live in the past, pat each other on the back and say how great we are and just become aloof in practically all subject matters. You wait, we'll probably loose "Just for laughs" perhaps not all but the Anglo shows to Toronto and I hear Toronto is building a race track to hold either a Champ Car/Nascar and / or a F1 race event...and I'll bet my bottom dollar that Cirque de Soleil will most likely set up shop in Toronto. Montrealers had better start removing their hands in their pockets and become more aggressive in their business skills or we'll loose everything.

[internationalx]

The politics of Quebec and Canada is also to blame; that there is a Quebec-centric consensus among the establishment in Montreal is hardly a news-flash. If we wanted to be the fashion capital for all of Canada, we certainly never expressed it, or showed it, or did anything to make sure we claimed it. Taking it for granted, like you said, absolutely.

[greynotgrey]

I think perhaps the most telling thing is that when working in the Montreal garment industry, it's taken as a given that what sells in the Quebec market does not represent the tastes of the rest of North America. We have plenty of style here, but we're definitely not the trend-setters.

 

Of course I only speak from my own experience working in the garment industry... but even the colours that work here are very different than what will sell in the US.

[Habfanman]

Well, Montreal in the past could absolutely call itself the fashion capital of Canada largely because the garment industry was heavily concentrated in Montreal. In fact, very little of the rag trade was in Toronto, if any. As we all know, the garment industry in Montreal, like other cities in N-A has been disappearing to China and other nations since the 1980's. That said, Montreal is the no. 3 city in North America after NY and LA for the schmatte business - still.

 

On another level, Montreal was known as the fashion capital of Canada and still could be simply because of the fact that Montrealers spend more per capita on clothing and accessories than any other city in the country. Almost double, I believe. I don't have the stats to cite but I have read them in times past. It didn't help when Canada's one national luxury retailer moved its HQ and flagship to Toronto in 1980. (ie: Holt Renfrew)

 

Finally, Montreal's reputation for style was tied to its glorious past as the metropolis from nightlife to business...we all know the story.

 

Toronto seems to have claimed fashion capital title largely as entitlement; it comes with being the metropolis of Canada.

 

Montreal screwed up when they couldn't get their act together in the late 1990's and create a formidable fashion industry event. There is a lot of navel-gazing that goes on in this city and province.

 

Montréal has a reputation for style because it is the most stylish city in Canada. Just about everyone who visits here remarks upon the style of Montréalais. I'm not talking about 'haute couture' worn by a few millionaires but of the style of the average person. Every female friend who has visited me here makes a beeline to Simon, Les Ailes and the various shops on St-Denis and St-Laurent because they can find things that they "can't find anywhere else." and every friend - male of female - remarks on the overall attractiveness of people, particularly when we go out at night.

 

Why does everyone here think that every advance made by Toronto must result in a loss to Montréal? Toronto is the capital of english Canada and as such, it will respond to the needs of english Canada. More often than not that means tagging along with whatever is already happening in the U.S. Montréal responds to the needs of french Canada. If that means being 'different' than the rest of the continent then so be it. In the long run we'll get far more respect and recognition by staying true to ourselves than by selling out and trying to mimic New York, Chicago etc., like Toronto does. Besides, being the 'Fashion Capital of Canada' is a little like being the 'Fashion Capital of Scotland': nobody in any of the real fashion capitals gives a shit.

 

Québec designers going to Toronto to make sales is as natural as going to any other city, and we have 2 formidable fashion events: Mode et Design and SMM. We also have 60% of the Canadian textile industry which is on an upswing after years of continent-wide decline.

 

On another level, Montreal was known as the fashion capital of Canada and still could be simply because of the fact that Montrealers spend more per capita on clothing and accessories than any other city in the country.

 

This is a cliché, like so many others, which has been repeated so often that people now believe it. Always because "they heard it somewhere".

 

Here's a link to a consumer marketing website 'What Québec Wants' where the author puts this silly notion to rest:

 

http://www.whatquebecwants.com/whatquebecwants/consumer_insights/page/2/

OCTOBER 04, 2008

Kitchen renovations and fur coats

 

I used to work with a creative director who thought he had figured out Quebec women: “Give a $10,000 to a woman in English Canada and she’ll renovate her kitchen. Give the same to a woman in Quebec and she’ll buy a fur coat.”

 

I always thought it was more a cliché than reality but I never had data to support or challenge this claim – until now.

 

Ipsos-Reid conducted what it calls the Laundry Study on behalf of National PR and GE in August 2008. It asked 1,012 Canadian homeowners this question:

 

If you had $10,000 to spend on one of the following options below, which would it be?

 

New home appliances

A new wardrobe

Valuable artwork or paintings

Backyard or landscaping improvements

 

The only significant difference between provinces is in Alberta where homeowners are more likely to say they would spend the $10,000 on a new wardrobe.

 

Posted by Eric Blais at 08:12 AM in Consumer Insights | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) ShareThis

[Habfanman]

The main difference between Montreal and Toronto is that Torontonians are go getters, they see and conquer!

 

Oh really? I guess that's why Toronto went and got the third rate Pan Am games that nobody cares about.

 

You wait, we'll probably loose "Just for laughs"

 

Why, after 25 years and after becoming the world's largest comedy festival, would it move to Toronto? The street portion of the festival would suck in Toronto. They won't close a street for more than 2 days and even then only on a weekend, and they definately won't allow alcohol to be sold on the street. It would be as lame as any other festival in Toronto. Moving JPR to Toronto would kill it.

 

and I hear Toronto is building a race track to hold either a Champ Car/Nascar and / or a F1 race event

 

Really? Where did you hear that? Care to provide a link? They've had 30 years to 'steal' it from us but they haven't, and they could barely attract 40,000 people to the Toronto Indy last year compared to the 340,000 that we get year after year. If they ever did decide to build a track, it would be out in the middle of nowhere and the usual Toronto lameness would prevent anything like the party here from ever occurring.

 

...

and I'll bet my bottom dollar that Cirque de Soleil will most likely set up shop in Toronto.

 

Again, why? Cirque was created here and has a massive headquarters in St-Michel. There's also École Nationale de Cirque, La Tohu, Cirque Eloise, Les sept doigts de la main and the new festival de Cirque starting this year. There's none of that in Toronto. And do you really think that Guy Laliberté, a nationalist, would want anything to do with Toronto? I suppose you think Francofolies will be moving to Toronto too?

 

Get real.

[elketeigen]

Geez Habsfanman, insecure much?

 

You make some good arguments but slathering them in this weird misplaced anger kinda makes them moot.

[elketeigen]

Trends are sort of overrated and really for the under 25 crowd (and maybe younger). Style is more important.

 

Skinny jeans for example weren't exactly some out of nowhere trend picked up by the masses. They were a carefully marketed trend. Clothing companies like Levis went into young neighborhoods and started offering the style and paying up and coming bands to wear their stuff and it was picked up and exploded. It's fake "from the street" trend spotting.

 

This whole marketing of the alternative culture thing started with the "discovery" of grunge -pre internet and now with the internet and media saturation just makes it easier.

 

 

The truth is, there's really very little you can do with clothing trends to make them seem new anymore so recycling is really what goes on. The only real people that "pop" anymore are those that gender mix or just look so hideous and ridiculous that you can't help but notice (and even that isn't all that original).

 

Designers will go where the media and money is to show their collections. But it has very little to do with where they work or get their inspiration from. Look at Dean and Dan Caten, successful Canadian designers that show in Milan -but with a style that is unmistakeably Canadian. They wouldn't be half as famous if they showed in Toronto or Montreal or even Los Angeles (and I seriously doubt New York too).

Modifié 20 avril 2010 par elketeigen

[Ornello Mastrocola]

 

Oh really? I guess that's why Toronto went and got the third rate Pan Am games that nobody cares about.

 

I guess will call it even with the 2005 World Aquatics Championship held in Montreal in which nobody wanted but our fair city. Last I remembered, we did not come out in the black.

 

 

Why, after 25 years and after becoming the world's largest comedy festival, would it move to Toronto? The street portion of the festival would suck in Toronto. They won't close a street for more than 2 days and even then only on a weekend, and they definately won't allow alcohol to be sold on the street. It would be as lame as any other festival in Toronto. Moving JPR to Toronto would kill it.

 

Newsflash...In July 2007, Just For Laughs celebrated its 25th anniversary with a month-long festival in Toronto. A flagship festival in Chicago has garnered rave reviews and continues to prosper under the banner "Just for Laughs" If you remember Second City Television began in Chicago. Just for laughs is not only held in Montreal Habfanman but has and/or will expand Globally. If it hasn't already

 

 

Really? Where did you hear that? Care to provide a link? They've had 30 years to 'steal' it from us but they haven't, and they could barely attract 40,000 people to the Toronto Indy last year compared to the 340,000 that we get year after year. If they ever did decide to build a track, it would be out in the middle of nowhere and the usual Toronto lameness would prevent anything like the party here from ever occurring.

 

Toronto doesn't need to steal. Montrealers will simply become aloof and loose it from right under their noses. Where was the GP last year? Montrealers and I do mean the politicians are not pro-active but always reactive. When we lost the the GP last year, only than did they react. As for the Toronto event, I heard it on Race line Radio on the team 990! I will look for the link. You can not jam 340,000 people in a city street racing environment. It's impossible. Torontonians do know how to party. TIFF is second to Cannes. They know how to party!!

 

Again, why? Cirque was created here and has a massive headquarters in St-Michel. There's also École Nationale de Cirque, La Tohu, Cirque Eloise, Les sept doigts de la main and the new festival de Cirque starting this year. There's none of that in Toronto. And do you really think that Guy Laliberté, a nationalist, would want anything to do with Toronto? I suppose you think Francofolies will be moving to Toronto too?

 

Guy Laliberte if he is such a Nationalist, why doesn't he set up a Cirque de Soleil resident show in Montreal like he's been doing Globally, the last one being Dubai at the new Atlantis Resort. Like everyone, they go where the money takes them. He's not stupid.

 

Get real.

 

Your wound up a little too tight Habfanman, I love Montreal, this is my city and I do toot Montreal's horn as loud and as far as I can but at least when there is a city or cities that do promote their city better I give them credit.