MONTREAL, Sep 25, 2010 / FW/ — With Montreal’s long dalliance with high fashion that began during the 1800s that coincides with the rise of Charles Worth in Paris as a couturier, it was only a matter of time before the city try to take its rightful place in the fashion world.
In 2007, aware of the tremendous creative potential and know-how found locally, the Government of Québec, through its Ministère du développement économique, Innovation et Exportation, deployed the PRO MODE strategy, devoting $82 million over three years to the Québec fashion and clothing industry.
Its short term goal: to help local companies reposition themselves for a new business environment. The long-term goal is to use the money injected through this project to create and preserve jobs in this sector with its large workforce.
With the mandate of promoting Montreal as a fashion city, the Fashion Bureau was formed under the leadership of Robert Paré (Marketing Division Manager) and Diane Duhamel (Economic Development Commissioner for the Fashion Bureau).
Together with Sophie Rozon (Interactive Media Manager), Katrine Cournoyer (Promotions Agent), Emanuela Lolli (Consultant, International Media Relations), Hélène Bellemare (Consultant, Copywriter), Mr. Robert Paré and Ms. Diane Duhamel work with the main industry players to put together value-added initiatives that will help create a distinctive identity for Montréal.
The Montréal Fashion Bureau looked for a way to spark the public’s interest and encourage it to discover what Montréal has to offer in fashion.
Hoping to fill the information gap about local fashion, the Montreal Fashion Bureau launched ModeMontreal.TV, a website that consolidates Montréal’s status as a fashion city.
Producing and distributing its own original content, ModeMontreal.TV has a number of complementary objectives, offering a creative angle both for contributors and the general public.
The site seeks to boost the visibility of the main players in the fashion industry. ModeMontreal.tv also encourages local creativity and Montréal talent, and showcases the identity of all players, be they creators, manufacturers or retailers.
The site also attempts to inform while offering an integrated, original image of the industry in a user-friendly web environment that’s easy to navigate. It seeks to appeal to the general public to raise awareness about everything Montréal has to offer in fashion, generating greater pride in local fashion.
To increase interaction and dialogue with consumers, the Fashion Bureau also disseminates information to the community and enables information sharing with contacts and through social media.
