Exit 29. A Carefully Curated Designer Consignment Experience. (Or: What I've Been Living and Breathing for the Last Few Months)

I haven't been to one fashion show, this year, and I'm beyond okay with that. I do miss it from time to time but my pieces on those aren't what seem to interest to you and that's probably because, after attending more than twenty shows last year, I lost interest in it, too. A few have stood out and I will be returning to those this year but, aside from the shows that are part of a philanthropic endeavor, most of the memories they have created now blend into one big, redundant recollection. We're always at least two seasons behind and, keeping abreast on what's happening outside of the Montreal bubble tends to leave me hungry for more, here. The 2014 shows that now stand out in my my mind are Astri Prugger, Melissa Nepton, Ogilvy's fundraiser show for l'Hopital Sainte-Justine, the Montreal SPCA's benefit show and, of course, Le Défilé Logis Rose-Virginie which, in addition to having been executed perfectly, made my heart swell and my eyes tear up and triggered within me an idea on how I could give back.

In the fall of 2013, I decided that Canada needed an online designer consignment shop that accepts sellers from the around the world. Many brick-and-mortar shops have their own sites and a few local e-stores have popped up over the last few years but I felt it was time someone upped the ante, in Canada. Around this time, FASHION Magazine wrote an article about how you could turn your closet into cash and, in that piece, informed readers about a series of online designer consignment stores... None of whom accept Canadian sellers. I wrote to them and my letter was published but they helped fuel the fire.

My first steps were shaky ones and I ended up putting the project on the back burner ( from where it kept nagging at me) for several months. Life was happening, as it tends to. I moved out of my sub-standard apartment into one with a basement and a studio; I went to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, NYC and Cape Cod; and then, last October, the catalyst I had evidently required kicked me in the ass. After pushing to go from being a temporary employee to a full-time one so that I could enjoy the same benefits as my colleagues, the position was opened to the outside and my company hired somebody else. I was angry and hurt but it wasn't long before those morphed into motivation and I decided that I would never waste another year of my life minutes sitting behind a desk, in a glass tower downtown, working for a company who couldn't care less about me. Everybody has bills to pay but that's not a life. The fire was back.

I reached out to a darling friend of mine, Annie Stephens, who is an amazing photographer and knows her way around web graphics and we started talking about how we could approach the project. At point, remembering that I work better under pressure, I pulled dates out of my sleeve. "Annie, what would you say to us going live in March and launching in June?" We both, quite nervously, decided to plunge.

So, it's the end of March and we've been online since the 1st. We launch in a month. And here we are. 

The last few months have been a whirlwind but we're on schedule and very excited about our launch!

Behind the scenes, at our first editorial shoot, in Old Montreal, this month. Ava is modelling and that is Annie Stephens, behind the lens. Styling was done by me.

It's at the aforementioned Défilé Logis Rose Virginie that I decided that I could use my business to raise money and give back. We've now reached out to more than 25 charities and several have decided to partner up with us. You can see them here and you can donate to them simply by listing with us and letting us know how much you'd like to give and to whom. 

We've thrown in a bunch of really great bonuses for the first people who list with us and you can see it all on the site and on our social media pages: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This endeavor has obviously been very time-consuming, but I am writing a little bit each day. Sometimes I journal, sometimes I work on short stories. I am feeling the pull to return to blogging but I need to figure out how I want to go about it. My opinion pieces and style guides have been the most enjoyable to write and have been the most well-received by you so maybe that's what I'll move forward with. In the meantime, I just had to share this with you!

Posted in: annie stephens,bcspca,designer consignment,designer shoes,exit 29,logis rose-virginie,montreal fashion,philanthropy,rosemary hosson,the children's health fund,toronto humane society