Groupe Sensation Mode

Groupe Sensation Mode (GSM) is a company specialized in the organization of events devoted primarily to fashion. Its mission is to make the industry more accessible to the public by showing off its entertaining, innovative side.

GSM sees fashion as a whole that brings together clothing designers, artists, retailers, influencers and consumers.

The experiences organized by the Group often include other cultural elements like design, music, visual arts and film.

GSM was founded in 1999 by Chantal Durivage and Jean-François Daviau. The former has a degree in art history and theory from the University of Ottawa while the latter graduated from Université de Montréal in communications. Both began their careers working in large creative organizations: Chantal Durivage for production company Max Films, among others, and Jean-François Daviau for Cirque du Soleil.

The duo’s first project was a fashion event presented during the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. GSM is known primarily for the Fashion & Design Festival, launched in 2001, and Montreal Fashion Week, which it organized from 2005 to 2013. At the same time, GSM has applied its expertise outside Quebec on events like Fashion Theatre, Mode & Peinture and Fashion & Opera, which have been presented in cities like Toronto, New York, London, Tokyo and Berlin.