Working at influenceu

A week in the life.

Running one of Montreals biggest independent fashion boutiques and online retail store is no easy task. Its success lies, in part, in the hands of the growing team that work within its wall, be that sales assistants, models or make-up artists.

To capture this, we gave a bunch of the guys in the store some disposable cameras and asked them to completely fill them up within a week. Initially hoping to catch the spirit of the company, what we ended up with was... mixed. Though many of the guys took to the task with a well intentioned gusto, the archaic tech that was a none digital camera was confusing for many.

Once we got rid of the unpublishable and the under exposed we were left with the following set, which we have published here for your enjoyment. We also sat down with some of our budding new analogue photographers to talk about their experience working in the store and their hopes for the future.

Thom hard at work.

Thom, who has been working at the store around two years, is studying fashion and has a keen interest in design. Being around the latest fashion everyday is something he enjoys but he also was keen to talk about how much he enjoys being part of the team. "I've made so many good friends here, there's a good atmosphere and I still see people who have moved on regularly.

Thom, the handsome gentleman he is, has also done some modelling for us, most recently in our Chinese New Year editorial shoot.

I swear to god that sign has said "NOUVEAU BAGELS" since I got here, stop lying McDonalds, they are not new any more.
The twins looking out onto St Cathrine.
Anouk and Yushan in the Studio trying out some sort of new facial yoga.
Ben tried hard to convince me that this was a candid photo and he just stands like this all the time, hmmm.....

Ben has been at the store for coming on 2 years. He enjoys being around people with a similar interest in fashion to him on a daily basis, both other members of the team and customers. Serving some famous faces has been a memorable highlight for him, as has getting through his fair share of black Fridays and holiday periods. Like many others in the team his favourite part of working at influenceu has been the friends he's made here.

We tell people this is Madame U, founder of the store, the truth is we just think it looks cool.
Fatou and Thom taking a self on the CNY shoot like there isn't 1000s of dollars worth of cameras surrounding them SMH.
Jason, daydreaming about fashion, or bagels, who knows.

Jason has been working in the store since September. Initially starting in sneakers he quickly moved to the coats and jacket section, something he says he enjoys. "Communicating and understanding clients is definitely one of my favourite parts of the job, knowing I helped them choose the right thing for them is a nice feeling, especially with something as important as a winter coat in Montreal."

He also spoke about enjoying the environment at influenceu "I'm thankful for the relationships I've made here with colleagues, not just during work but the social side of it, I've had some really great nights out with the team here."

Jason is transitioning to a web team role currently, and while he is excited to use some of his more technical skills he will miss his more customer facing role.

Anouk and Dina, who is showing off her latest dance move "the hair back and finger sniff."
Emiliano proudly telling us how many sales he's made this month.
Getting ready for the CNY shoot.
Julie in the make up chair for our CNY shoot you can see here.
The boys (Pesh, Christian, Thom and Jason) keep telling me to try this thing called a "Juul", it's like smoking but for millennials, I have held out so far as I refuse to give in to peer pressure.
Pesh getting ready for some Netflix and chill.

Pesh has been working at the store for 7 months and studies fashion at Lasalle college. He hopes to transfer to a European university next year but for now he's enjoying his role at influenceu. "My favourite times are when I get the trust of a client and can pick an outfit for them, having that creative freedom and also making someone feel really good about themselves is great!"

Tony and the ever busy Yushan, no idea what's going on with that hand.
James, the hardest working member of the team, without whom none of this would be possible. He also has a really cool British accent. Top rate guy.