Défilé BLEU 2010
Saint-Laurent

If you’ve never attended an ethical and eco-friendly fashion show, you would have been dazzled by the Défilé BLEU 2010 organized by students at Saint-Laurent high school and presented eight times last April. With the primary goal of raising awareness among young people of water related issues, the spectacular event offered the some 2,750 spectators who attended one of the eight presentations a series of 12 tableaux showing just how fragile this resource is.

“The Défilé BLEU 2010 is much more than just an ethical fashion show on the theme of water. The project has become concrete proof of our students’ taste for commitment and perseverance,” points out the school’s counsellor in spiritual life and community involvement Dominic Vézina.

The project was the logical follow-up to the Défilé VERT 2009, which was set up last year by the same group of students and sought to raise greater public awareness of the environment. Proud of the success achieved within the school and even the community, the students wanted to repeat the experience, the only difference this time was that they would be creating an event that would benefit a specific cause. The Défilé BLEU 2010 was part of a huge campaign at Saint-Laurent high school aimed at raising the $10,000 needed to carry out a project to provide access to drinking water in Nigeria. Out of all the fund-raising activities put forward, the Défilé BLEU 2010, which took six months to prepare and involved 300 students, turned out to be the most significant event of the entire campaign.

To create, organize and produce everything featured in the fashion show required a great deal of effort and commitment on the part of the students. For example, of the 12 tableaux they designed, two focused on the presentation of 31 eco-creative fashions, all made by students using recycled or recuperated materials. Just imagine how surprising it would be to see a model wearing a dress made of recycled plastic and bottle corks, or one made from juice boxes or even a dress created almost entirely out of reels of video tape entitled Marée noire. There were also tableaux dedicated to the reuse of clothing. The students were thus able to prove that it is indeed possible to create a whole new look with a budget of as little as $10 and a visit to a second-hand clothes store. They even came up with a totally restyled look for a prom dress that cost less than $45.

“Naturally, we took the opportunity throughout the show to convey different messages and raise public awareness. But more importantly, the highly rallying event proved to be a truly rewarding experience for each and every one of the many participants,” Dominic Vézina asserts.

Secondary 3 student Wafaa Naour is quick to second this assertion. Wafaa, who was the co-designer of one of the dresses and also a member of the team who produced a souvenir, behind-the-scenes DVD of the Défilé BLEU and the event itself, affirms that it was the best project she has ever participated in. “I learned a great deal about recycling and environmental issues but also how to work as a team and I got to meet new people. The project brought together all students at our school and that’s what’s so great.”

The experience was also enriching at various levels for Kunze Li, a Secondary 5 student participating for the second time in the event – he was part of the Défilé VERT 2009 – and whose main contribution was as a model in a number of tableaux. “This year, we were much better organized and there were a lot more people to help out. But for me, the biggest source of motivation was the fact that we were doing it for a good cause.”

Moreover, the students were delighted when they found out that the $10,000 target for the Nigeria project had been reached and even exceeded. To date, thanks to the Défilé BLEU 2010 and the other activities organized throughout the year, the students at Saint-Laurent high school have succeeded in raising $13,000 and will thus not only be able to provide aid to Nigeria, the surplus will be donated to Haiti.

Défilé BLEU 2010
Saint-Laurent