Canadian Fashion and Music Ignite the Runway for a Cause in Toronto

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Move over, fashion circuit. There’s a new runway event in town.

PHOTO: George Pimentel

CES Presents: an inaugural trend-setting fashion event

Toronto’s Conceptual Event Society launched an inaugural fashion event on October 18th, 2018, called CES Presents at the Omni King Edward Hotel. The event brought together some of the most buzz-worthy Canadian designers and musicians for an unforgettable evening of collaboration in support of Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre.

PHOTO: George Pimentel

Guests like stylist Joe Zee, influencer Sergio El-Azzi and designer Mikhael Kale were spotted enjoying drinks and hors d’oeuvres, while Joan Kelley Walker hosted the black carpet.

Sergio El-Azzi and Joe Zee. PHOTO: George Pimentel

Adding to the star power, Melissa Grelo and Jess Allen of CTV’s The Social emceed the black-and-white-stripped runway, which featured designs by UNTTLD, Lesley Hampton and Mikael D in collaboration with Anavi Designs’ custom handbags.

Hosts Melissa Grelo and Jess Allen from The Social. PHOTO: George Pimentel

Live performances by Tyler Shaw, Ammoye and Ana Golja took place throughout, creating a super fun and engaging atmosphere. It was a trend-setting runway showcase that bucked traditional fashion norms. Both plus-sized and handicapped models offered a better representation of Canada’s diverse fashion scene.

PHOTO: George Pimentel

Designer pop-up shop

Unlike many fashion events, Canadian designers actually got a chance to sell their pieces through an exclusive pop-up shop. The event’s invitation-only guests had a rare opportunity to meet, chat and purchase pieces directly from the designers. The shop featured pieces from Wuxly, Lesley Hampton, Rita Tesolin, Anavi Designs, UNTTLD, and Mikael D. All proceeds went to Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre. To round out the evening, George Pimental hosted his renowned Redken portrait studio after the runway show.

CES Presents at the Omni King Edward Hotel

PHOTO: George Pimentel

Canadian fashion and music make a new statement

CES Presents has made the fashion runway more accessible. They’ve waived the typical runway fees, allowing Canadian designers to make profits, expand their client base, and participate in a fun evening for a good cause. Plans for the next event in 2019 are already underway, so stay tuned!

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Nicola Brown

Digital editor at Travel Life

Nicola is an international award-winning writer, editor and communication consultant based in Toronto. She has travelled to 32 countries so far and is always poised to head out the door again. Nicola loves both the visceral and intellectual dimensions of travel, and will passionately argue for its psychological paybacks, especially after a few glasses of wine. In addition to being the digital editor at Travel Life, she has written for the Toronto Star, WestJet magazine, Air Canada's enRoute magazine, Time Out magazine and many more. She lives for opportunities to illuminate the life-changing power of travel for as many people as possible.