An Emotional Evening Filled with Colour

On December 15th Zympala celebrated its beginning in the spotlight by kicking off its inaugural Heritage Collection and organizing its first public event and fashion show.

Nearly 130 guests from all over the world gathered at the prestigious Gault Hotel in Old Montreal. The hotel lobby was transformed into the setting for a glamorous evening. Indeed, the century-old architecture of the building was the perfect showcase for the unveiling of the Zympala collection: dresses, jackets, pants, skirts and shirts, each presented in a variety of colours and designs by the head designer, Mireille MPERE.

All those who attended the evening (guests, company founders, collaborators, and models) agreed: the event was a great success. The collection’s bright, colourful pieces were paraded across the red carpet by the models to the rhythm of the music earning the admiring reactions and applause from the spectators who were visibly impressed.  

Each Zympala garment is full of history. Before each look, the cultural, historical, social and geographical sources that inspired the garment were explained in detail. The Zoé dress, for example, which draws its design from the Inga dams in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was particularly appreciated by the spectators. Not surprising, since it is the emblematic dress of the collection! The Eden jacket and the Kikoy skirt also amazed more than a few!

The show also reserved a significant place for men's clothing. The elegantly-cut shirts and the tailored jackets in original designs seemed to please the many men present.

The highlight of the show was the impressive yellow and gold Haute-couture gown worn by a superb model. Cut from a fabric called maxi or that evokes the riches of the African soil, the dress fit for a queen inspired a long round of applause.

As a display of the brand’s unique approach, the models circulated among the crowd during a long period, answering questions and allowing guests to see the garments’ cuts up close and feel for themselves the high-quality texture of the fabric.

As another distinctive feature of the event, several distinguished guests took the floor, including Michel Fillion, Recruitment and Marketing Director for the McGill-HEC Montréal Executive MBA and Marie-ève Faust, Professor and Director of the UQAM School of Fashion. As the event’s patrons, the two gave personal tributes to Zympala’s founders, Mireille MPERE and Jean-Claude TSHIPAMA.

Clearly moved, the two entrepreneurs took the stage to express their gratitude to the crowd, thanking all those who have been part of the adventure since its inception. The guests then left, delighted with a gift from Zympala in hand and their heads filled with images of the iconic clothing.