Earlier this Spring, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) held several in-store fashion shows across Canada to showcase their new prom dress and tux collections.

In locations ranging from Vancouver to Southern Ontario, students were invited to pick out some gowns and strut their stuff for their friends, family and even fellow customers to admire.

I know what you’re probably thinking… HBC sells prom dresses?

As a matter of fact, they do—and not just the kind that your conservative relatives would approve of. The Hudson’s Bay Company sells some high-end brands such as BCBG MaxMara, Betsey Johnson, and Calvin Klein.

For the ‘traditional’ prom dresses with the big jewels and cut-outs, HBC provides brands such as Adrianna Papell or Betsey & Adam.

And the ladies that don’t have a taste for all things glitter and prefer the “less is more” look, HBC has got you covered with brands like Free People and TopShop.

The Shows:

Before the event, Student Life Network gathered applications and mini-portfolios from student photographers and aspiring models. We asked passionate students who saw the value in photographing for the Hudson’s Bay Company to attend the shows on March 4th, 2017.

Our Goal?

To not only have amazing students showcasing HBC prom attire but to have them get involved in their communities, using these fashion shows to drive their artistic and creative skills.

Shoutouts:

On behalf of SLN, I’d like to thank the students that attended the HBC shows, personally. Your work and dedication have not gone unnoticed.

Attending the HBC show held at Toronto’s Eaton Centre, we had Abigail Lynch. Abigail is a 17-year-old student from Oakville, Ontario. She reached out to SLN for the opportunity to shoot for HBC because she wanted to diversify her photography experience and build on her portfolio.

When Abigail is not taking pictures of prom attire, she is gallivanting through the GTA, taking pictures of the beautiful sights that mother nature has to offer.

To see more of her work, visit her Instagram page

From Peterborough, Ontario, 17-year-old Megan Koevoet captured shots at the Oshawa Town Centre’s HBC fashion show. Megan reached out to SLN for the opportunity because she wanted to explore her skill set in a professional setting. She told SLN, “I have a fair amount of experience in the field but nothing of this caliber, and I think this would be an incredible opportunity to work with new people, in a new environment.”

Megan likes dinosaurs; plesiosaur’s specifically. In her free time, she likes to experiment with different colors and compositions, taking pictures of people, animals and all things nature.

For more of her work, check out her Instagram or her website

From Aurora Ontario, Gavin Keller attended the HBC fashion show at Square One, Mississauga. Gavin was looking for an opportunity to express his creativity and practice his photography skills, using the HBC fashion shows as an outlet to do so.

Gavin is a hard-working commerce student at McMaster University. He likes good music and has a taste for high-end clothing. His days usually consist of studying for finance and exploring the local restaurants that Hamilton, Ontario has to offer.

For some of his work, visit his Instagram page

Again, SLN and I thank you for your participation in these shows and we hope that you enjoyed the experience.

Moving Forward:

From now until June, SLN is looking for students to drop in at their local HBC and take pictures in their favourite prom outfits. We ask that the students capture a few shots in the attire and submit them to SLN to be released every Friday.

Thus far, Lovepreet Sidhu has done a fantastic job modelling the dresses.

If this is something that you’d like to participate in, email me at sam@squarecrop.com