Recent years have been filled with dread, despair, and ugliness. Simons, a leading Canadian fashion brand and retailer, wanted to transform people’s perspectives. Remind people that beauty still exists all around us, even in the darkest moments, if only we are brave enough to see it. We created a 3-minute film that centred on a real woman with a terminal illness, whom after a lifetime of pain and suffering had chosen medical assistance to end her life. Yet, despite facing what is typically perceived as a “dark” moment, in her final days she chose to focus on the beauty that life offered.

Her voiceover was unscripted, captured from hours of interviews, and her words echo Simons’ own philosophy, which is to have gratitude for life and that focusing on the beauty of every moment, even the difficult ones, can lead to generosity, hope and human connection.

Simons has been a beloved fashion retailer in Quebec, Canada for over 180 years. This past holiday season, the brand wanted to forgo a traditional sales campaign and instead use their voice and the privilege they have to speak and create everyday to provide more meaningful commentary on the world. The result would be the first “art” instalment of a multi-year platform that would transform people’s perspective and facilitate societal change for good.

The objective in making "All is Beauty" was as unique, challenging, and straightforward as a project could be: to make the most memorable event possible for a single beautiful person who is suffering. It required a lot of trust and a generosity of spirit from everyone involved, particularly Jennyfer. Once a strong rapport had been established, we created themed tableaus with a precise but loose structure for her to follow like a simple maze. We then dialled back the usual artifice and let everything unfold in real time while we documented Jennyfer’s experience of music, nature, and beauty with her friends. Everyone involved was deeply moved in one way or another during the process by Jennyfer and her journey.

The world feels like it is facing insurmountable challenges. In fact, consumer research suggests that people believe that we are in our worst moment in recent human history—a global virus, war, environmental collapse, economic hardship, that are both ugly and destructive. And with highly polarised social factions, coming to an agreement between two groups or people becomes impossible with little empathy, acknowledgement, or understanding from either side. It’s more important than ever that we seek to change our perspective, or at least walk a minute in someone else’ shoes.

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) became a legal medical procedure in Canada in 2016. In 2021 the law was changed to allow those with non-terminal physical conditions to choose an assisted death.