If you like shopping local and upping your personal style, you won’t want to miss this year’s Fashion Splash event.
The fashion and designer showcase is making its first reappearance since 2020, with more pizzazz than ever.
Joseph Gonyeau, creator of Fashion Splash, said it wasn’t necessarily fashion that first inspired him to organize his first show in 2015, but rather the talent of people in Greater Victoria.
“It was all about getting exposure for artists and designers,” he said. “I would see people making bathing suits and tops at local markets and I asked myself, ‘how many designers are there in Victoria?’”
The show offers local designers the chance to showcase their work in a runway-style event, alongside live music and a cash bar. This year there will also be a silent auction with funds supporting the Victoria Women’s Transition House Society.
The inaugural event took place at Ship Point, and has since taken place at the Atrium in downtown Victoria, Ogden Point, and even been part of a longer Fashion Week.
This year, the event will take place at a new and contemporary location: Kwench, at 2031 Store St.—an industrial-style loft featuring brick walls, skylights and exposed beams and pipes, all with a view of the Upper Harbour.
While in the past a more traditional walkway was the main feature of the show, this year the walkway will snake through the entire venue.
“Hopefully people will walk away thinking ‘Oh my God, we have talent in this city!’, and know where to find designers and how to get a hold of them,” Gonyeau said.
So far, the show features the talents of Theresa Smith, Ola Dubois, Trista Smith, Sandra Froher and creations from Victoria’s own Migration Boutique and Ecologyst—with more talent sure to participate.
Fashion Splash 2023 will take place on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets range in price from $40 to $90 and can be purchased online at fashionsplash.ticketspice.com/fashion-splash.