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Last month, Club Sexu was very excited to launch its collaboration with 1106 Zine, founded by the incredible artist, Fred Caron. Beyond being stylish and gorgeous, the new merch is filled with information on sexual consent.
Today, our collaborator Cloé talks with the artist behind this wearable work of art: Fred Caron.
CLOÉ LACHAPELLE : Fred, a little birdie told me that you have a career that would make many artists swoon… Can you tell us a bit about it?
FRED CARON : My background is pretty unusual. In the 90s, I took courses in theater costume design. One thing led to another (ba dum tsshh) and suddenly I was working on film shootings and making music videos. I finally worked all the way up to become a creative director!
I’d say that I mainly specialize in events, which allows me to work within many different domains. Among other things, I’ve been the artistic director of OSHEAGA for 10 years, I was behind the PY1 Night project in the Old Port, and I was able to work with many international artists including Kiss, Future, and Hugh Jackman.
CLOÉ : Oh my goodness! Wolverine is my all-time crush.
FRED : (laughs)
CLOÉ : Ok, I digress. We see that you’ve always gravitated towards the arts. How do you think it influenced you in your personal projects?
FRED : Having worked in the arts pretty much my entire life, I had the chance to be part of the cultural revival of the 2000s when the arts and music became more accessible. I quickly understood that to make artists shine and get people interested, you have to tell a story. It really gave me the desire to help emerging talents, but also ideas, get themselves known. It made me want to pay it forward.
CLOÉ : Speaking of paying it forward, one of your amazing personal projects is project 1106, through which you reinvent the fanzine by transposing it onto clothing, all the while supporting local organizations. How did you come up with this idea?
FRED : It’s not a very exciting story (laughs), but I thought about it while cleaning my house. I had found a box full of fanzines: little punk-rock style magazines that I collected when I was younger. I loved the very DIY aesthetic with photo collages. What I liked most was that each fanzine tackled a particular subject (e.g., vegetarianism, heavy metal, etc.) and told a story.
I wondered how I could reproduce this concept without it ending up in an old box at the back of a closet 10 years later. In that moment, the idea of transposing the fanzine directly onto a piece of clothing was born!
CLOÉ : Plus, by wearing it, you kind of become a walking PSA.
FRED : Exactly! Not only is it a style of clothing that is in tune with the times since it has a street vibe, but it also allows you to provide important information. It’s like a bee meandering with its pollen: the person wearing the shirt is walking around with information and ideas that they spread around them. These ideas and facts inevitably stick to people, like little flowers, who will read and, perhaps, educate themselves more about a cause.
CLOÉ : Yesss, causes! This is an important part of your project. Each of your fanzine editions is associated with a cause. Can you explain to me how it works?
FRED : Truthfully, I didn’t need to make any more money. My job allows me to live well and that satisfies me! So I wanted to give back to local organizations in need. This is also why I collaborate with local companies: the t-shirt is made locally, printed in Saint-Henri, and sold at the Lopez skateshop.
To answer your question more specifically, we donate the profits from the sales to an organization that is related to the topic addressed on the shirt. For example, for our edition denouncing racism, we donated the proceeds to an NPO that champions the cause of black people.
CLOÉ : With regards to your work with us at Club Sexu, the collaboration was slightly different though. Can you say more?
FRED : Yes! I usually search for the images, the text, and the info to put on the shirt myself. Collaborating with Club Sexu was the first time that an organization has given me a specific theme to focus on and briefed me on the content to include on the garment. I loved doing it this way! Especially since the people at Club Sexu are expertly informed on the importance of sexual consent.
CLOÉ : What was it like working on consent as an imposed topic?
FRED : Actually, it’s something I’ve been aware of since I was young because my mother works with women who have experienced domestic violence. I had also previously worked on a project concerning the status of women in the United States. On the other hand, it was the first time that I worked specifically on consent, and I learned a lot. The exchanges I had with Club Sexu were very interesting, and I’m sure that the fanzine-shirt created in collaboration with the Club will stimulate discussions (you know, like with your grandma who talks to you about it at dinnertime on Sunday, haha!) or simply educate people who happen to read it.
In the end, Cloé, with this project and all the others, my goal is to create spaces for sharing and to be a good example for future generations by inspiring them to do the same!
CLOÉ : Well now, I can’t top that last statement. Fred, thank you so much for your time and talent!
The collection – which sold out quickly (sorry!) – was available on Lopez MTL’s online store. But you can check them out to support other very important community causes through Fred’s work.
You can follow Fred on Instagram and visit his website to learn more about his projects.
Keep an eye out: with his accomplices, Fred will soon unveil his new agency aimed at creating links between culture and communities.
