The career of young Montreal designer Émile Racine has been propelled onto the international scene recently: American rapper Lil Nas X is a fan of his extravagant clothes and platform shoes.
“It’s incredible,” says Émile Racine when we met in his little workshop in Montreal, where he settled in September. “Before that, I made my shoes in my semi-basement in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce! ”
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Emile Racine
It was the stylist of Lil Nas X who found the Montrealer platform shoes on Instagram. “The rapper ordered me and he wore them when he was on the show Saturday Night Live, last May. The success was instantaneous. We have since received orders from other American artists, ”says the 26-year-old designer. Artists like Dorian Electra and DJ and host Kerwin Frost carry the Racine brand, which was created just six months ago with his friend Nathan A. Scuderi. In addition to shoes, the brand includes clothing and accessories.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACINE
Lil Nas X at Saturday Night Live, with Racine shoes
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACINE
Lil Nas X is dressed head to toe by Racine for the Kerwin Frost show.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACINE
Dorian Electra for the cover of his most recent album
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A graduate in industrial design from the University of Montreal, Émile Racine developed the concept of his shoes during his graduation project in Barcelona, Spain. “My inspiration comes from rave music,” he says. My platform shoes are modular, they are divided into several pieces. You can remove and replace the sole. I developed the manufacturing process with 3D printers. These are pieces of art that I make to measure. “
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Nathan A. Scuderi and Émile Racine in their Montreal studio.
Lil Nas X has become our brand ambassador. We work with his stylist to provide him with sets.
Nathan A. Scuderi, Director of Operations and Head of Marketing at Racine
“Everything is going very fast. As big brands pay artists like Lil Nas X to post on Instagram [il a 12 millions d’abonnés], he does it free of charge for us, because he believes in our talent, ”he emphasizes.
Racine X Parachute
Racine has also just revived the Parachute brand. As part of the exhibition Parachute – Subversive fashion of the 80s, presented at the McCord Museum, Racine has created three products which are sold in limited quantities in the museum’s boutique. Racine X Parachute includes a belt that can also be worn as a shoulder strap, a modular black pouch and a military style hat. “We have things in common with Parachute, the underground and innovative style, just like the international artists we dress. We are very proud to collaborate with Parachute through this exhibition and to combine the years 1980 to 2021 ”, explains Nathan A. Scuderi.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACINE
Military-style hat, $ 45, Racine X Parachute, on sale at the McCord Museum boutique
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACINE
Belt, $ 70, and pouch, $ 30, from the Racine X Parachute mini-collection, at the McCord Museum store
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Hoodies, platform shoes, t-shirts, pants and accessories can also be purchased on Racine’s website, which will be translated into French shortly, Nathan promises. “We are a very young company. For now, 90% of our clientele is American… but we are proud Montrealers. “
Émile Racine and Nathan A. Scuderi have their heads full of ideas and projects and want to grow their business. “We are an industrial design agency. We could create furniture in the next few years, why not, they say. We are open to everything! We are real creatives, everything is made in Montreal in our workshop, and we tell ourselves that anything is possible! ”