“I think we’ve always been up to date,” says Andrew McNally, artistic director and dean of fashion at LaSalle College. As the college celebrates its 65th anniversary this weekend at the MAD festival, he talks about the enthusiasm of the new generation of students for a more eco-friendly and environmentally responsible fashion industry. “We’re integrating all of that and putting it into practice in our classes, because there’s a real demand from students and teachers,” he says.
The latest example? An upcycling line designed by 2024 fashion design graduates, in partnership with Reitmans Canada Ltd. “They gave us thousands of garments, samples, returns or defective pieces that were destined for landfills and the students took them and developed their collection,” says McNally.
This eco-responsible collection, SGNTR, will be presented until August 25 on the MAD festival site. It is part of the celebrations of LaSalle College, as is the big fashion show on Friday, August 23. This will see personalities such as Sami Landri, Anachnid, Kim Thúy, Lolitta Dandoy, Zach Zoya and Valérie Plante highlight the talent of Quebec designers and graduates of the school — Matières fécales, LAMARQUE, Mikael D, Lakuachimoto, Charlie Paille, MRKNTN and Jessy Colucci, but also Marie Saint Pierre, who will bring back into fashion some of her archival pieces that have stood the test of time and eras.
“I could be their teacher,” jokes Marie Saint Pierre, who also studied fashion at LaSalle College and graduated in the mid-1980s. The designer, who is also a great lover of nature, knows what she is talking about, since she has always been keen to integrate the ecological aspect into her creations. “We are in a polluting industry, and there are about a dozen points that make me say that Maison Marie Saint Pierre is a sustainable brand (sustainable). And I’m not talking about recycled fabrics,” explains this avant-garde.
The art and the manner
According to the designer, the sustainability of clothing is a very complex concept. “I think it has to be interpreted and experienced as a whole,” says Marie Saint Pierre, who believes that flash fashion (fast fashion) will never be eco-responsible. “For me, the best way to be sustainableis to bring quality. There is no other thing. Anything that is ready to throw away cannot be sustainable ” she adds.
Situated somewhere between luxury, technicality, comfort, well-being and aesthetics casualher creations focus on tailoring and innovative technical materials so that they always adapt to the female body. “In a way, they are quite eco-friendly, because they require less maintenance: cold water and soap, and no iron or seams that burst,” she emphasizes. An energy-efficient approach, both for the owners of Maison Marie Saint Pierre pieces and for the planet, therefore.
If she can now boast of being a pioneer in Quebec fashion, which is also sustainable, Marie Saint Pierre knows that she owes it in part to her three-year training at LaSalle College. “I loved my time there because I find it essential to understand how a pattern is made, how it is made. I learned all the things that are important to know, like how the material behaves, shrinkage, the effects of heat, steam, etc.,” recalls the designer. Very general knowledge, but essential, in short. “When you work on a vehicle, you have to know all the parts of the car. Sewing is the same thing. You have to know the textile, the materials, the trends…” adds Andrew McNally.
For 35 years, Maison Marie Saint Pierre has been considered one of the jewels of Quebec fashion. “At the end of my studies, I arrived with a new recipe, a new way of doing things, and I built the infrastructure, which was nonexistent, around this desire to be ecological, sustainable, luxurious and technical,” says the designer. According to her, you can’t expect your collaborators to know how to do things well if you don’t know how to do them yourself. “I think that’s why I was able to do all that, because I was able to rely on my know-how, my knowledge, my technicality,” she maintains. On her determination, too.
“I was really happy to learn a lot about my field, but it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of money to succeed as an independent brand. And in Quebec, let’s not hide it, it’s even worse,” laments Marie Saint Pierre. And she continues: “Unfortunately, in Montreal, it’s a disaster among designers right now. In any case, I don’t feel like anyone is pushing me in the back.” According to her, since there is no shortage of skills, the battle for the next generations of fashion students at LaSalle College is to make Montreal brands shine elsewhere.
For his part, Andrew McNally applauds his students’ discourse on diversity, inclusion and sustainable development. “I would even call it universality in design,” he says. While LaSalle College has already seen thousands of students At 65, Andrew McNally says he still has “lots of plans in mind” for the thousands more to come.