This Canadian Fashion Chain Is Celebrating Clothes that Truly Spark Joy
If you live in Canada, you’ve probably heard of La Maison Simons. Not only is the department store the country’s oldest family-owned business, boasting 185 years of history, but with 19 locations across various provinces, the brand has effectively built strong affinity with shoppers from coast to coast since its inception.
Of course, history and size have never negated the need for strong marketing efforts. And, it just so happens that with the launch of a new location last month inside Toronto’s Eaton Centre, an all-out campaign was on the cards to not only publicise the opening, but reinforce the power of Simons’ fashion offerings. Fully conceptualised by the team at production company Scouts Honour, directed by Mark Zibert, and edited by Nimiopere, this endeavour, titled ‘Dress Yourself’, was intended to not only connect with a broad audience, but spark viewers’ joy in the process. Designed to explore the power of finding clothes that actually make the wearer feel good, the result was a celebration of outfits which empower individuals to express their true and authentic selves.
Specifically, this would come in the form of a film centred around floating clothes, and the eventual reactions of the people who wear them. Featuring almost dance-like movement, each character brings a tangible sense of individuality as they demonstrate that just like fashion, the way one expresses themselves is something worth celebrating and wholly owning.
To learn more about how this came to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Scouts Honour’s executive producers, Simon Dragland and Rita Popielak, as well as Nimiopere founder and editor Graham Chisholm for a chat.
LBB> From the top, what was the brief for this project, and why was this something you were keen to be involved in?
Simon> The brief was extremely open-ended. We had a few conversations with Harry Tsantarolakis (vice president, brand image at La Maison Simons), and tossed around a few ideas. The main takeaway from those conversations was to create something positive, filled with human connection, that would spark joy for the viewer.
It’s both exciting and daunting to have that much freedom, but we got to work, exploring a few different areas, and eventually director Mark Zibert rediscovered and elaborated on an idea he’d had for quite awhile.
Graham> From the very first conversations I had with Mark, it was clear we weren’t making a traditional fashion film. It wasn’t about models posing in clothes; we wanted to capture the spirit of self-expression, using movement as identity and fashion as an extension of who you are, in order to take something as routine as getting dressed and make that a moment you want to pay attention to. It was about honesty, energy, and individuality. From an edit perspective, I knew it would be a project that lived in rhythm and feeling, not just in visuals.
LBB> Creatively, how did you ideate with the aim of connecting with a broad audience, while simultaneously sparking a sense of joy? What made floating clothing and dance the right way to achieve this?
Rita> Dancing is an inherently joyful experience that most people can relate to (I hope). We cast a very big group of diverse and interesting people, who all found their own personal rhythm in connection to the clothes. Not everyone was a dancer, but everyone had a unique way of moving, so Mark captured each of them experiencing their personal interpretation of what ‘Dressing Yourself’ means.
The floating clothes provide the mystery that needs solving in the film. Why are the clothes floating? What’s the connection between the clothes and the people? Clothing can offer all kinds of associations and meanings to the people that choose them. They become part of your identity and how you project yourself outwardly. The intention was never too serious or overly complicated though; it’s really about freedom of expression when you feel good about yourself.
LBB> From here, what were the storyboarding and pre-production processes like? How did you ensure everything was ready to truly demonstrate the power of clothes that make you feel good?
Simon> By the time we came around to the ‘Dress Yourself’ concept, time was fairly tight for pre-production, but we had amazing partners connected to the project from the outset who helped build out and test the visual concept. Graham is a constant collaborator of Mark’s, as is Dominik Bochenski of Tantrum Studio. Both of them (and their teams) put in a lot of early work so we knew that the concept was going to hold up. We Are Walker, the music house, also pulled hundreds of reference tracks, and we always have an exceptional production service team and crew with Moonlighting Commercials in Cape Town. And of course, we had exceptional support from the Simons team, who were well organised and set us up for success with choosing and shipping the outfits, as well as providing a few basic brand guidelines.
Graham> Mark and I spent a lot of time doing pre-vis and exploring the mood and tone of the film. The goal was to make it feel effortless. It was about finding those small, perfect details – the way fabric catches air, or how a movement resolves – and giving them space to breathe.
Even though the final spot evolved in structure, our exploration grounded everything. It gave us a tonal anchor – something to build toward rather than chase after.
LBB> You talked about the dancers earlier, but what was the casting process like? How’d you find the right people to bring this to life?
Rita> Casting for this project was about as fun as it gets. Lea-Anne Hendrickse knocked it out of the park. We don’t usually rely on self-tapes, but we needed the cast to start rehearsing before we arrived. Some had obvious stunt abilities that we needed, while others just had a great look or an interesting way of moving. One person in particular got the role because he’d smartly done his own reverse-printing video, which was inevitably one of the tricks we used during the filming.
Aside from the talent, we shoot in Cape Town quite a bit and love the crew, so we already knew most of the people we needed for this project. Beyond the always amazing production, art and technical crew, we required a great stunt coordinator (Leander Lacey), SFX team (Gravitron), and movement choreographer (Luke de Kock) to prepare as many in-camera ways to connect the actors with their outfits.
LBB> What equipment did you use to film, and what inspired your decisions?
Simon> There’s a lot of slow-motion, so Mark and his co-cinematographer, Eric Kaskens, chose to film with a Phantom Flex and an Alexa Mini, as well as a Firefly Ember (mainly for VFX) and an Inspire drone. We also had long carbon poles to puppeteer most of the clothing, huge fans and leaf blowers to blow the clothing around, and trampolines to elevate some of the talent, creating the impression of weightlessness.
LBB> Overall, how did the shoot go? How long did it take, and do you have any anecdotes from on set?
Rita> After a number of days experimenting and rehearsing with the cast, we felt pretty dialled in for the five shoot days. It was winter time in Cape Town, so the days were a bit shorter, but the light was perfect for filming throughout. It also helped that winter is a quieter season there, so everyone was happy to be working and we had a bit more flexibility than usual.
The shoot itself had a really fun vibe with music playing while creative people were doing incredible things in front of the camera(s). Of course, it was hard work as well, since we packed our days and covered a lot of scenes. What was unique to ‘Dress Yourself’, however, was the mandate was to make something fun, so it was hard not to enjoy ourselves making it.
As for anecdotes? There’s probably a lot of things I’m forgetting, but as we bounced around from scene to scene with no story order, there were some challenges keeping everyone on the same page about what we were filming and what the end result would be. We might’ve (meaning we absolutely did) overshot a bunch of semi-nude people walking and running in a field, which raised a few questions. As a producer, I was happy to eventually move onto terra firma with some safer scenes, haha.
LBB> The floating clothes are incredibly striking. How did you achieve this throughout so many sequences, while instilling everything with a sense of rhythmic grace?
Simon> Thanks! It was critical to Mark that most of the clothes existed practically within the scene, so that our characters could interact with them. The combination of the long puppeteering poles, the fans and the high frame rates gave the clothing life with both expected and unexpected results that created some magic. At the same time, Dominik operated the third camera and filmed a lot of his own clothing plates, so he could place selected clothes in certain scenes.
LBB> Let’s talk about post! Where’d you get started, and what was the process like?
Graham> Mark is incredibly collaborative and always gives me the freedom to explore ideas, which allows for a truly open and supportive creative environment. So, once I had my longer edit, we worked together to refine it, shaping the rhythm until it felt right. Our discussions went beyond structure, focusing on crafting something emotionally kinetic, paying attention to energy, feeling, and emotion, and not just the placement of a shot. With Mark, the best idea always wins, no matter who it comes from.
LBB> Building on this, did you edit with the soundtrack in mind? And how did you find it?
Graham> Completely. This was one of my favourite parts of how the piece came together. Because the edit was driven by movement, the music needed to carry the same pulse. We explored dozens of directions, cutting to different tracks. We hadn’t totally committed to the track until after a couple days of editing. Once we did, we were all in. It unlocked the film we were searching for. The track already contained the words you hear at the beginning, which felt almost serendipitous because they tied perfectly to the theme.
Rita> The Fred Again.. & SOAK ‘just stand there’ track really came out of left field. Initially, Mark was moving through a bunch of different genres and struggling to find the right emotional connection. But, when ‘just stand there’ finally came along and got dropped into the edit, it fit perfectly. It has such a great build and relentless energy, and the underlying message about the feeling you get when you’re in love works on every level.
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?
Simon> It’s not a new idea, but when you gather a bunch of smart and creative people together and let them ply the trade that they’re experts in, the results of the collaboration can sometimes exceed the hopes and expectations for the original concept. The lesson for Scouts Honour with ‘Dress Yourself’ is about fostering mature relationships and trusting each other.
LBB> Finally, are there any elements of the project you’re particularly proud of? And why?
Graham> I’m proud of how alive and effortless the film feels, especially knowing how much of ourselves went into it. It captures an authenticity that’s rarely staged or contrived; it’s grounded in reality, yet it still resonates with emotion.
Rita> We talked a lot about tone throughout. It’s pretty easy for a fashion spot to take itself too seriously, verging on esoteric and elitist. It can also go the other way and be so broad that it doesn’t say anything. I think Mark threaded the needle expertly with ‘Dress Yourself’. It doesn’t tell you how cool to be. Instead, it’s an open invitation to wear what feels good to you and express yourself in it. We think it’s contagiously fun to watch, and it was a pleasure to make. That’s a lucky thing.
