Photo by Carrie MacPherson
The buzz last Friday on St-Laurent Boulevard was the red carpet welcoming (actually it was a black carpet lined with leather) at Buonanotte restaurant for UFC (Ultimate Fighter Champion) welterweight icon Georges St-Pierre–a.k.a. GSP, Quebec’s darling in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and one of the photogenic faces (and bodies) of Spike TV’s reality show The Ultimate Fighter, which starts filming for its 12th season next month in Vegas.
What on earth, you may ask, does all this sporty rhetoric have to do with fashion? Well, as it turned out, the handsome Saint-Isidore native (who turns 29 next week) made the rounds not only as martial arts master, but as a celebrity face for California-based Affliction Clothing. While some of the clothes could be described as Ed Hardy-esque, the biker chic tie-dyed dresses, studded booties and jackets have been spotted on the likes of Kristen Stewart, Kate Beckinsale and Montreal’s own Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Truth be told, the UFC phenomenon is way over my head, but St-Pierre is indeed a looker, and one who took in stride the entourage (me included) that surrounded, photographed and filmed him, even as he ate his dinner. With his biceps peeking out from his own Affliction t-shirt, St-Pierre posed for photos, engaged in mini-interviews and mingled with an eager yet respectful crowd. Along with GSP, R&B/hip hop artist Massari, American actor Stephen Dorff, Quebec rocker Jonas, and fellow UFC fighters Paul Daley, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Sam Stout and Frankie Edgar mixed with the male and female models who worked the scene in Affliction’s fall line.
Affliction’s fall line will be available at niche boutiques across Canada (afflictionclothing.com).
