Last Tuesday, Stages Nightclub was transformed into your coolest friend’s Pinterest homepage.
On Jan. 20, Artist Impact Movement (AIM) Kingston took over Stages for their second annual Impact Show, presenting an array of local designers and vendors to Kingston’s creative community. As the DJ spun upbeat tracks and models of all ages flaunted creative designs on the runway, AIM was definitely the hottest place to be on a cold January night.
This year’s show was a whirlwind. Originally scheduled for Nov. 25, AIM had to push the event due to a double-booking error on Stages’ behalf. After being notified of the conflict just a week before the show, the executive team struggled to choose a new date before pushing the Impact Show to January.
“I think it was better than it would have been,” Creative Director Abigail Rossman, ArtSci ’26, said in an interview with The Journal. With more time, the executive team was able to incorporate more designers and vendors into the show. “We’re so grateful to everyone who had been a part of [the show] originally who was able to be a part of it still,” she said, noting some team members weren’t able to make the January show due to studying abroad or other conflicts.
Leading the show for its second year in Kingston, Rossman and Director Allie Taylor, ArtSci ’26, approached AIM with confidence. “Of course, there were stressful situations, but we were better at adapting, better at communicating with people, and [had] more of a grasp on the whole event,” Taylor said in an interview with The Journal.
The night kicked off around 9:40 p.m. with speeches from AIM’s executive team, recognizing the Canadian Cholangiocarcinoma Collaborative and The Benji Impact as this year’s charities. Executives also recognized AIM Montreal, from which the Kingston chapter extends, for establishing the first Impact Fashion Shows.
Taylor and Rossman turned things over to designer Irimé for the first collection, where models strutted out in a variety of outfits to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Highlights from this scene included chainmail armour made from soda can tabs, and the designer’s grandmother modeling a wedding dress and veil. Designer Taylor Pontet-DaSilva, ConEd ’26, took the runway with her collection immediately after, featuring a dreamy arrangement of comfy crochet patterns.
Designer Charlotte Schecter, ArtSci ’29, struck a bold chord next with plenty of denim, patchwork, dark colours, and chunky shows. The fourth collection from designer Zayah Kraftcheck, ArtSci ’26, was a playful follow-up full of off-the-shoulder halter tops sewn from pastel fabrics, and ruffled skirts.
The enthusiastic audience seemed to grow louder each set, calling out the names of housemates-turned-models and classmates-turned-designers. The room felt comfortable, packed with the very best of Kingston’s indie scene gathered to inspire, and be inspired by, one another.
Last year, Taylor and Rossman recalled having to “haggle” their friends to attend the Impact Show, still in its infancy in Kingston. This year, things were different. “We didn’t have to haggle anyone to come, you know? The people were just there,” Rossman said.
“This year, what I thought was so beautiful was that I only recognized a fifth of the people in that room,” Taylor said. “And that’s exactly what we want AIM to be: inviting more people into these spaces, creating a networking environment among creatives.”
The show wound down with four final collections from designers Simrit Dhillon, ArtSci ’26, Sage Cooper, ArtSci ’26, Saroya Manoharan, ArtSci ’26, and Ninglee Weng, respectively.
Dhillon’s collection featured trendy polka-dot patterns among other fun fabrics. Watching Cooper’s designs strut the runway felt like being backstage at a Sabrina Carpenter concert: all baby doll dresses, bright colours, and flowy silhouettes. As each model trotted out a new item, I was astonished by the creativity and clear dedication of the young designers. These are the type of pieces you blow an entire month’s rent on Depop for.
Manoharan filled the runway full of city-girl streetwear designs and elegant, satin-y slips. When Weng’s collection closed the show, a summery array of embroidered cotton and crochet halter tops teased a warm summer to come, even if that felt years away for the snowed-in Kingston audience.
Unique designs and artistic freedom set AIM apart from other charity fashion shows on campus. Rossman said AIM deliberately foregoes a theme each year to let designers’ “creative visions come to life exactly how they want [them] to.” Designers are allowed to choose the music and name for their scene, having total creative control over how their designs are presented.
Next year, AIM hopes to add even more designers, and possibly open a chapter in Toronto. For a student organization still in its early days, AIM’s accomplishments so far are a strong indicator of what’s to come for this creative powerhouse.
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Aim, Artist Impact Movement, Artist Impact Movement Kingston, charity fashion show, Fashion, fashion show, Stages Nightclub
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