Avant-Garde: Now and Then fashion show in Museum of Vancouver (Includes interview and first-hand account)

The fashion show was the last part of Fashion Symposium organized and curated by Katrina Sark, who is a founder of Canadian Fashion Scholars network. The Avant-Garde: Now And Then was a showcase of both vintage and modern samples of clothes presented by a group of local designers from Vancouver whom Katrina met through her research on Vancouver fashion culture.
Katrina Sark said: I selected pieces from the designers’ collections and curated the show in collaboration with Ivan Sayers, who matched the contemporary pieces of cutting-edge local design with pieces from his historical collection to create a dialogue between the new and the old.

Ellen Legro and her collection of fashion art inspired by Navajo art, fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Connally McDougall’s sample collection exhibited at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

The purpose of the network, as we read from Sark’s website, is to gather fashion scholars, curators, and fashion professionals from across the country to present, showcase, and discuss various research areas and projects in different fields of fashion (fashion history, material culture, gender and fashion, fashion and technology, eco fashion, and urban fashion cultures) conducted across Canada. The network is designed for those who work on fashion-related topics in universities, fashion schools, museums, fashion organizations, and the creative industries in Canada. It aims to bring together fashion scholars and professionals, and to facilitate discussions and collaborations on fashion-related projects.

Ivan Sayers vintage collection inspired by Japanese art, fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Amy Herndon’s collection sample shown at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

The Avant-Garde Fashion show at the end of the day was a culmination point of Saturday’s one-day symposium filled with networking, lectures, and workshops run by the fashion industry members who presented their research areas and interests as well as outlined symposium goals. They represented top Canadian education centres like Ryerson University, McGill University, University of Alberta or Emily Carr University and the Visual College of Art & Design.

Sofia’s (Sofia Méndez Schenone) collection shown at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Parker McIntosh showing Victorian, 19th century tailored menswear at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

The evening fashion show was presented by Ivan Sayers who has been a fashion collector and historian from Simon Fraser University. During live and very entertaining interactions with the audience, Ivan introduced local designers of modern fashion art with samples of their design as trendy as eco fashion, wearable technology, indigenous influenced fashion, wearable art, and haute couture.

Example of modern fashion from Aniimiism by Cassie Dee exhibited at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Nathaly Barberi’s collection sample inspired by futuristic wear with geo-mapping, architecture and minerals shown at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Ivan Sayer sample of vintage collection he found and purchased in Value Village, shown at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Selected designers and their creations are shown on the images illustrated in this article. This very modern show of fashion was alternated with Ivan Sayer’s own stories from long time of fashion collecting along with practical tips of what to do to remove stains or mildew from old fabric . He was also showing his own samples of old time pieces of fashion that he acquired from local thrift stores like Value Village and others available in Greater Vancouver area.
The series of photography represents the sequence of artists and their models showing up at the stage.

Eco-fashion hand dyed collection of Katherine Soucie, shown before in places like London’s Chelsie, exhibited at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

“Electric Heart”, Suzie Webster’s intermix of fashion and technology shown at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Superposition of two images of the same model wearing Ivan Sayers vintage collection from the British Isles from the 19th century exhibited at fashion show Avant-Garde: Now And Then at Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Joseph Boltrukiewicz