To mark the opening of the Audi Downtown Toronto dealership—a 96,000-square-foot facility on Bayview Avenue that will be available for select events—the German automobile manufacturer collaborated with Bustle Clothing to create a runway collection inspired by the brand. The sportswear label staged a fashion show amid the 18 service bays in the Audi garage during a cocktail party attended by 700 guests Thursday (on a set designed by 64 Steps).
"In lieu of simply hosting a typical cocktail reception to open up our new flagship store, we leaned on our event marketing partners InField Marketing Group to create a unique program to leverage our launch," said Shawn Morris, general manager of the dealership. "They brainstormed several ideas, but the one that I liked the most proposed launching a line of clothing based around the psychographic profiles of the people that would be in attendance at the event—our owners. As they began to identify partners, I felt solid chemistry with Project Runway Canada judge and Canadian fashion designer Shawn Hewson. I feel very good about our choice of partnering with Shawn."
Hewson and Ruth Promislow—the designers behind the Bustle line—created five mini collections inspired by the couple's five favourite Audi vehicles. "We're doing a five-look capsule for each one that reflects not only the vehicles themselves but the people who drive them," Hewson said of the R8, TS, Q7, A4, and S5 models. "We're hoping that people out there who drive these cars can identify with what they see on the runway."
Hewson said the collaboration was a good fit because Audi is a fashionable brand. "It has a racing pedigree, which is something we've done in the past with our collections. They have a connection with golf, which is also something that we've touched on in our own collections, and so in that sense it's easy to pull from our common interests and have that reflect in the clothing. And we're the type of people who would drive an Audi, so it's not that big of a stretch to encapsulate the Audi lifestyle in clothing because it's very similar to what Bustle is all about," he said.
The evening began with a cocktail reception held on the main floor of the dealership. Bartenders from the Martini Club created and served specialty cocktails. Victor Restaurant & Bar set up food stations offering oysters, tuna, bison, and duck tartar, and a selection of cheeses and charcuterie. And DJ Chris La Roque spun tunes for guests.
Following the fashion show, attendees had the opportunity to bid on several items from Bustle's Audi collection at a silent auction held during a dessert reception on the lower level. Proceeds from the auction benefited the Hospital for Sick Children, where Sylvester Chuang, chairman of the dealer group, is a radiologist. "Wherever possible, we try to support his vision of helping to build healthy futures for those that can’t yet help themselves," said Morris, who reported that the space, designed by the German architecture firm of Allmann Sattler Wappner—and adapted for the Toronto location by Canadian architecture firm Plaston—will be available for events.
"It benefits Audi Downtown Toronto to use this space for awareness and a connection with potential and current clients. We’re specifically looking for our space to be used for unique and innovative design, fashion, or technology focused events that overlap with the profile of our customers," he said.
Event sponsors included Peroni Italy, Hennessy Cognac, Moët, Belvedere Vodka, Glenmorangie Scotch Whisky, Aveda, Civello, and Bang & Olufsen.
