3D pieces, flowing ribbons and bright colours graced the runway at Haut(e) art fashion show on Oct. 13. Hosted by Gallery 101 and Moving Art Gallery, Haut(e) featured the work of emerging Black and queer Ottawa designers Comfort Survival and Kelvin Stidwell.
In a vibrant celebration of artistic camaraderie, Haut(e) beautifully encapsulated an essence of creativity, community and self-expression.
Survival’s line, “Play,” featured six items. Tulle was featured on most pieces, including an audience-favourite blue top. 3D experimentation was also a spotlight of “Play.”
“This is where I’m allowed to be expressive. As you can see, the models were really colourful. We played with colours and 3D designs, which is something that really stands out,” Survival said.
Stidwell’s line, “Endlessly Back To School,” showcased five of the set’s eight pieces on the runway. Large shoulder pads, thick jersey knits and corsets defined the line.
“Each character is modeled after a school archetype—whether that’s your cynical English teacher or an evil principal,” Stidwell said. “It explores the idea of uniform and what a uniform means to me, and how we can create a sense of belonging and a sense of community.”
Many audience members dressed in alignment with the fashion show’s stylistic focus.
“The designs in the runway are a very ‘life of the party’ type of vibe. And that’s definitely how I dress when I go out at night,” Sarah-Divine Kalunga, an attendee, said. “I think it’s very good energy. I really like how they’re playing with the volumes.”
Both designers highlighted how their backgrounds impact their lines and shape their relationship with fashion.
Stidwell said his queer identity and connections to his immigrant mother were reflected in his designs. As a child whose creativity wasn’t encouraged, Stidwell said he’s overcoming ongoing challenges when it comes to pursuing fashion.
“I would say the collection stands for, and serves as, a promise and a reminder to myself that I’m on the right path, no matter how lost, even if I may feel a little bit out of place,” he said. “I’m teaching myself about who I am, what kind of art I want to create. I can build that sense of community back and that sense of belonging through this collection. It’s a tribute to that story.”
Survival, an immigrant from Nigeria, said she creates designs honouring her heritage.
“I take a lot of inspiration from Nigerian culture,” Survival said. “It’s a lot of colours and bridal inspiration.”
Sandra Dusabe opened the Moving Art Gallery in 2020 as a place for Ottawa artists to network and connect with like-minded individuals. As curator, Dusabe said she aims to highlight young, local artists and chose to bring Survival and Stidwell to the spotlight for Haut(e).
“When I was reaching out to designers, I felt like some of them were just orbiting each other, like, so close, but not close enough,” Dusabe said. “It’s nice having that artistic camaraderie to showcase together.”
For the designers, Haut(e) symbolised hope for the Ottawa fashion community’s future.
Survival said meeting other designers is important when creating a fashion community.
“Creating more spaces where creatives can interact, meet each other and build relationships organically is important,” Survival said. “When I met [Dusabe], I was literally just breezing in and breezing out of an event. I didn’t know that the two-minute interaction I had with her would lead to this fashion show.”
Stidwell said while meeting others in the fashion industry is important, it can be hard when deep in the designing process.
“Whenever I’m creating, I am definitely in my own little world, and then I forget that I need to go out and talk to people as well,” Stidwell said. “I come out to things like this and you see people clearly have a lot of passion for this industry. It makes you wonder, who else is out there?”
Featured image by Owen Spillios-Hunter/The Charlatan.
