Montreal designer Gabriel Drolet-Maguire‘s uncanny signature style is about shining a light on aspects of life that normally remain in shadow. A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de mode de Montréal, since obtaining his bachelor’s degree in fashion design, Drolet-Maguire’s previous collections, SØRRY MØM and HONEYCUM, made for subversive runway shows at the Festival de Mode et Design de Montréal, unapologetically revealed the often silenced themes of addiction, recovery, and sexuality.
The latest collection from the Montreal designer largely follows suit. Named Dear Vicky, the new collection of gender–fluid, sex-positive clothing reveals the designer‘s personal journey of contracting HIV and coming to terms with his positive status. The 27–year–old artist, widely recognizable from a VICE Video feature, reveals a trans-generational, inclusive, and cathartic collection.
The performative and embodied collection alludes to 1980s ostentation in a deliberate reference to the early days of the AIDS crisis. As a series of scenes from nightlife in turbulent times, Dear Vicky uses colour accents, bold silhouettes, and conceptual motifs to build a narrative crescendo of time–spanning fashion elements.
“This collection is about my HIV-positive journey from fear, to shame and feeling like an outcast. I lived through many waves of emotion, – because yes, HIV is still being stigmatized. These clothes are imbued with my own raw feelings. I hope to encourage conversation on this issue.
DEAR VICKY is a pandemic love affair of truth-or-dare inspired by the anthropomorphic aesthetics of horror movies. VICKY is a storyboard lifted from an intimate diary about risks taken: our heroine’s wildly beating heart is broken, bloodied, then brought back to life. HER story is the choose-your-own-adventure aftermath of a love hangover, told in garments made of satin, organza, taffeta, and sportswear fabrics. Check out the editorial, below.
photographer & editor (editorial) : Samantha Blake
assistant photographer (editorial) : Aiden McMahon
photographers (lookbook) : Robert Khoury & Jeremy Heidkruger
director, editor & music (fashion film) : Jeremy Heidkruger
producer & director of photography (fashion film) : Robert Khoury assistant designer : Dina Lifshitz
recycled leather accessories : Magalie Heroux
glove embroidery : Guillaume Plourde
design interns : Michelle Saghbini & Itzel Barrientos Cazares beauty director : Carole Méthot
makeup artists : Anna Voitchovsky, Alexandra Plourde-Gauthier & Axel Kamali
hair director : Roxanne Selleck
hair assistant : Arlo Rivard
stylist : Laurence Morisset
assistant stylist : Patrice Blais casting director : Magalie Heroux
cast (in order of appearance) : Karyke, Koko, Florence Martel (from FACES Mgmt), Kristin Kohlmeier (from MAVEN Models), Ferial Moussaoui (from FACES Mgmt), Dilano
Walfall-Whyte, Laurie-Anne Adjoualé (from FACES Mgmt), Mankaasha Umba, Michaela Snoyer, Yénita Aman (from MAVEN Models), Olivier Moisan, Sandrine Bergeron (from Dulceldo Management) & Samantha Blake special thanks to FACES Mgmt & MAVEN Models
Cody is the Editor in Chief and senior contributor at liminul.
He is a photography aficionado, fashion enthusiast, avid Lana Del Rey fan, and lover of all things aesthetically pleasing.
Follow him on 
and 