The words of a volunteer

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a fashion volunteer? Stacey Hill shares her FLAUNT experience.

I stumbled across the advertisement for volunteers for FLAUNT purely by chance, but as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to be involved.

FLAUNT, a fashion event last held in 2009 on the roof of the NAC, was back bigger and better than before! After firing off a quick email to say I was interested I waited eagerly, hoping someone would get in touch. It wasn’t long before I heard back from Sophie Rust, one of the organisers of the event, who called me into the Kania boutique for an interview. Kania is a clothing line designed and owned by Stacey Bafi-Yeboa, also the creator and brains behind Flaunt. Stacey created Flaunt as a way for people to come together, shop Canadian designers, have fun and most importantly raise money for a charity! This year Flaunt was raising money for Ovarian Cancer Canada.

I arrived at the new Convention Centre at 10am on Friday, November 18and made my way up to the Trillium Ballroom on the fourth floor.

The sight from the ballroom was outstanding; you got a first-class view of the Chateau Laurier and the Parliament buildings through the floor to ceiling windows. I started the day by assisting the other volunteers in filling the swag bags. We attached Flaunt flyers to each bag with ribbon and filled them with magazines, make-up and perfume samples and lots of other goodies! It was great to talk to the other volunteers, mostly all girls ranging in ages from 16 to 25, to see what made them want to get involved. For most it was their love of fashion!

The ladies of Miz Dragonfly

I was also given the job of polishing the amazing four foot high mirrored FLAUNT sign that greeted the attendees as they arrived at the event. The time moved quickly and before I knew it, it was nearing 2pm. After a short stop for a bite of pizza, the setting up continued and the place really started to come together. Low black futons and mirrored tables were placed by the window for a relaxed chill out space, the clothing was filling up on the racks and more and more people were arriving to help with the preparations. I left at around 3.30pm to go home, change clothes and take a quick break before the night’s events.

Arriving back at 6pm, the ballroom looked like a different place! The sky outside had darkened and you could see the glittering lights of the Ottawa skyline in the distance. One of the evening’s two DJ’s was setting up at the booth, which stood just in front of the dance floor. The rest of the floor space was filled with various clothing racks and tables, each selling wares from a specific designer. I was assigned to help out at the Kania stall, selling Stacey’s own pieces. Other designer products for sale at the event included Rachel Sin’s beautiful dresses; Love by Headmistress’ amazing fur and feathered head accessories and Desperately Different’s natural and organic knitted pieces.

As 7pm came around the Ottawa faces of fashion arrived, dressed to the nines. They were served the drink of the night, the Flauntini, and mingled as they perused the clothes and accessories on display. The ballroom filled up quickly and I was kept busy with queries about the clothes and providing directions.

Later in the evening, models dressed in Kania creations paired with magnificent feather headdresses walked the floor, auctioning the outfits off for charity. As they shimmied to the beat of the music, the look was very reminiscent of a Rio de Janeiro carnival! The vibe was fun and energetic and everyone I spoke to was having a fantastic night. As the drinks flowed and the music beat louder, people began to move away from the clothes towards the dancefloor. I took that as my queue to leave, happy to have been part of such a wonderful evening and to have met so many like-minded and interesting people.

If FLAUNT is looking for volunteers again next year, sign me up!

Photo: Stacey and one of the organisers, Sophie Rust.