Mr. Saturday Throws Host Its Sophomore Men’s Paris Fashion Week Runway Show

DJing, nightlife, and fashion have a unique relationship, among pop culture and foster intrinsic collaborations. As a DJ and founder of the Mr. Saturday clothing line, Joey Gollish knows it can be a monotonous job, but that nightlife is about dressing up and being the [freest] version of oneself. The historical significance of nightlife as a safe haven for marginalized communities has allowed many to express their passion for music and its role in driving creativity and culture.

The evolution of DJing and the mix of different music genres explains how Mr. Saturday channels the idea of feeling free and expressing oneself through fashion. A sartorial discussion of breaking societal rules and bending fashion norms, Mr. Saturday represents the opportunity to be true to themselves – especially on the weekend.

“I’ve been DJing since before I made clothes,” Gollish notes. “I think, for me, it was just a big learning moment of – if I want to work 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM four nights a week. I love playing when I get the opportunity,” as he did recently.”

Gollish recalls his recent experience during a premier in Cannes, “So The Idol premiered at Cannes, and Abel [The Weeknd] and the team invited me to DJ the official HBO after party. I got to play with Justice, which was super cool. [There were] DJ’s there from midnight to 5:00 AM. It was cool because people were open to hearing so much different [music].”

That moment has held sentiment with the Mr. Saturday creative director stating, “But nightlife for me at that point was always just about dressing and being a freer version of yourself and seeing everybody. Whether DJing, designing, or working on any project, it’s about the freedom that nightlife provides.”

He works through the lens of words from his friend, “James”, who advised, “don’t tell me how to feel, just make me feel it,” Gollish has flourished in DJing and has found his ethos with fashion. Aiming to create an emotional response rather than explicitly stating a message, Mr. Saturday creates emotive content in a saturated media landscape. Full looks from the line evoke specific feelings and experiences like its sheer short and shirt set, and similar set that features a magnified checkered pattern, or rather, the dance floor as seen in Mr. Staurday’s previous Paris runway show for Spring/Summer ‘23.

“Creating safe havens for people end up bringing those communities to mainstream culture,” Gollish expresses. “Sometimes it takes 50 years, but that is where it starts – an ongoing battle. But to me, I think nightlife is so important. It’s like always been our perspective,” he identifies.

His first dive into DJing started with House music and would converge on to Hip Hop and broader audiences. “2010s. That’s the cusp of a lot,” Gollish notes. “I was really into house music then. As nightclubs in Toronto transitioned to only playing hip hop, it was a bit more challenging because house music always felt a little bit more multi-format.”

Looking forward to its future, Gollish and the Mr. Saturday line envision the party that doesn’t stop in its latest runway show to hit Paris on June 24, 2023, for Fashion Week. “So we’re doing our second, in-person runway presentation, following up on last summer, which was a lot of fun. This season is still focused on nightlife as we always are, but taking it to an original format of nightlife, Louis XIV, the King of France, and the origination of what we know as the modern ballet. Which is what nightlife was at the time.”

“It’s interesting to look at – a lot of decadence and extravagance that I think have a lot of applications today. And fortunately, we’re working with the principal dancer of the Canadian National Ballet to help cast ballerinas and to help choreograph the show.”

Gollish dives into the details of the latest collection from Mr. Saturday, “a bit more tailoring driven, mixing with signature silhouettes that go from day to evening really well. Every season, as we grow, the brand still evolves. I feel really fortunate that as a designer still establishing their voice within the industry, people are interested in watching that evolution.”

Gollish’s orchestration of Mr. Saturday, has recently led him to a new residency as creative director for Canadian heritage brand Roots. Roots is a well-established brand with a history spanning almost 50 years, and this is the first time the brand has brought in an outside creative to contribute to its image. Between DJing and seeing the rollout of his collection, Gollish works for the moments of anticipation and celebration.

He concludes, “I only started doing this five years ago. And to be able to create a life where I do all these things that I love doing and love doing the work at the same time. I find in the moments while DJing or moments at a runway show can be harder to be present than in the moments leading up to and immediately following.”