Rebecca Blissett

Boys’Co celebrated its 25th anniversary in fitting style, with a warehouse-sized bash and fashion show, where models strutted the clothier’s big-designer fall looks, including club-cool Adidas tracksuits and gear (above).

When it comes to putting on a proper fashion show, the boys behind Boys’Co clearly have it down—and so they should. The Vancouver-based men’s clothing institution has been in the style biz for a quarter of a century. To mark this milestone, the Boys’Co team threw a 25th-anniversary bash on October 15 in a gutted 11,000-square-foot warehouse. But don’t let the bare-bones locale fool you; there was nothing budget about this gathering. If anything, the East Van industrial venue lent a chic, New York vibe to the proceedings. In other words, it felt like a real fashion show!

Before the main event, guests (a who’s who of the Vancouver fashion industry) were given ample time and space to schmooze, drink, eat, show off their fabulous outfits, and bid on the donated swag up for grabs as part of the silent auction. Guests could make offers on a Henrik Sedin hockey jersey, an IKKS puffy vest for tots, some bejewelled items from Dom Rebel Threads, and more, with all profits going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Despite being pulled in a hundred different directions, the man of the hour, Boys’Co president David Goldman, took time out to talk to the Straight about the family-run business, which started out with one store and now boasts four Lower Mainland locations, as well as a J.Lindeberg store in Metropolis at Metrotown. With the stores focusing on leading-edge designer clothing and high-end streetwear, clearly the Boys’Co client has some dough to play around with. But as Goldman points out, his customer is a bit more well-rounded and fashion-forward than the average old-school moneybags.

“He likes to go out a lot,” says Goldman, a second-generation Vancouver clothing retailer who now runs the business with his son, Sammy. “He likes to travel. He likes to read fashion publications and he knows what he wants, so he’s an educated customer. If he’s an entry-level-price-point customer, he’ll save up and come to Boys’Co, or if he’s a high-school student—which we have lots of—he’ll bring his mom or his older brother in to get him a present for his birthday or Christmas. But it’s ultimately a young or young-thinking guy.”

There were definitely a lot of young (not to mention well-sculpted) guys on the runway—or as the MC, Urban Rush’s Michael Eckford, put it, “serious beef”. Manorexic pretty boys, exotic hunks with chiselled cheekbones, and baby-faced skater types all sashayed down the catwalk wearing the best that Boys’Co has to offer this fall.

Outfits from the J.Lindeberg collection kicked off the show. Here we had a lot of bad-ass prep-school golf wear—imagine a cross between Blake Fielder-Civil and Gossip Girl ’s Chuck Bass and you’ll get the picture.

Another standout was the beautifully tailored Scotch & Soda line from Amsterdam. The top pick here had to be the woolly tartan bomber jacket—part Euroboy aristocrat, part Seattle lumberjack.

Also showcased were some stellar Adidas tracksuits and classic Hugo Boss staples—iconic menswear at its best.

Speaking of which, just when you thought it was all about the boys, a bikini-clad hoochie mama with a crowd-pleasing backside came strutting out. She and a male companion modelled two custom-made Dussault hoodies, auctioned off at the end of the fashion show. Not surprisingly, the girl’s hoodie set off a bidding war. In the end, one cool customer shelled out $2,000 for the plush designer sweat top.

It’s safe to say the night was a smashing success for both the JDRF and the Boys’Co clan. As for the next 25 years, Goldman and son have no intention of slowing down. “We don’t rest on our laurels,” he says. “We’ll do exactly what we’re doing now, but we’ll try to do it better.”