Local fashion news

The latest local fashion news.

Valerie Simard
Press

Collateral: taking advantage of damage

Shocked by the impact of the fashion industry on the environment, Noémie Videaud Maillette launched Collaterals, a clothing manufacturing company based on transforming the existing. At Collaterals, cotton sheets or curtains become camisoles, school uniforms, hats and mittens, and elastics found in the street, scrunchies. Fabrics, buttons, zippers, everything comes from donations received or damaged or stained items, then sanitized, found in thrift stores.

“Instead of creating a new industry, we take what the industry creates to improve it from within,” explains the founder of Collatérale in her new studio apartment. We are compensating for the impacts of the current industry. If the industry was not what it is, it would be normal to transform our clothes when we are tanned, when our weight has changed. ”

Collaterals is one of those projects born out of the pandemic. A true story of “reinvention”. Dramaturgical advisor and theater director, Noémie Videaud Maillette, who is also a skilled seamstress, has long been interested in “upcycling”. “I wanted to produce designs to show that you can produce in a circular fashion and prove that a revalued item of clothing can be as beautiful as a new item of clothing,” she says. She wanted to demonstrate that revaluation and upcycling, a practice that she defines as the complete transformation of a garment until its origins are no longer visible, is not limited to quilting.

“I come up with a garment design that matches my idea of ​​what is sustainable: minimalist, versatile, comfortable. For her first collection presented last spring, she used used curtains and sheets received as donations. She also transformed shirts by removing faded armpits. Then the donations started pouring in. To the point that she must now refuse some. Her next collection, which will be unveiled this Friday on her online store, is made from rolls of end-of-batch fabric donated to her by a company. “My initial objective was not to sell shorts, it was to set up a research and development laboratory so that other companies say: with this type of scraps there, we can do that. And democratize the practice of upcycling. However, she quickly realized that she had to prove herself and find her clientele, or rather “her community”.

The new development of thrift stores makes him believe that people are not put off by the used. She specifies that she washes all the fabrics used and removes the stained parts. But are they prepared to pay the price? “At first, I told myself that I was going to sell my clothes for less because they are donations. But no. The work of maintaining these fabrics, washing them, undoing them, rebuilding them, comes at the same price as a new garment. With a designer, we get along, not in fast fashion. It is therefore a change of paradigm that it must tackle.

To accelerate the change, it has just set up a service for designers wishing to revalue their imperfect ones. “In addition to revaluing something that would have been devalued, we increase its value. Taking advantage of damage is the essence of Collaterals.

Visit the Collaterals workshop website

New: 4Kids, recycled polyester clothing for children

While recycled polyester is popular in the fashion industry, it is less so in the children’s fashion segment. Wishing to dress theirs in a more eco-responsible way, Montrealers Jessika Gousy and Benoit Lefebvre launched a few months ago 4Kids, a brand of gender-neutral clothing made from recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton. For a year, they took steps to find a supplier able to manufacture their clothes in accordance with their values. The pieces are designed in Montreal, but made in India, one of the major producers of recycled polyester. “We started by looking locally, but the materials were difficult to find and the prices very high,” explains Benoit Lefebvre. We should have sold our products a little more than double the price. This is not what we wanted to make it accessible to more people. ”

The factory they chose is powered by solar panels and uses non-toxic dyes certified OEKO-TEX Standard 100. Faced with delays related to COVID-19, 4Kids plans to launch its next capsule collection in a few months. weeks. She plans to unveil six per year. Quantities are limited in order to reduce unsold items. The company will donate 5% of its profits to The Ocean Cleanup. In addition, one or two collections per year will be associated with another environmental cause.

Very colorful, 4Kids products are gender neutral. “We have always been able to put any color on our son,” remarks Jessika Gousy, who previously worked at Aldo, L’aubainerie and Bench. I have always found it bizarre to talk about boy’s and girl’s fashion, especially for children. The cuts and colors of our clothes are suitable for both. The brand currently only sells its products online, but expects to hit stores soon.

Visit the 4kids website

Winter fashion: parkas for Desloups

After eight years of experience in designing high-end 100% wool coats, Desloups recently launched a line of parkas. Also made in Montreal, these coats are lined with Isosoft 200g / m synthetic insulation.², which makes them comfortable even at – 25 ° C. Designer-owner Isabelle Deslauriers has decided to opt for fairly classic styles, given the investment that the purchase of a coat represents. Parkas come in three styles, for women and men, and four colors. The designer, who left her career in fast fashion to found Desloups, also unveiled earlier this week the Vintage Desloups program which gives a second life to old coats bought and brought back to her store. A section of its online store is devoted to second-hand coats. As for those who bring back a coat, they will be able to benefit from a 15% discount on the purchase of a new product.

Visit the Desloups website

Event: Cosmopolitan Fashion Week returns

Cosmopolitan Fashion Week is back for a third edition this weekend in Montreal. Organized by AMA Design, the event highlights diversity through the creations of a dozen local and international designers such as Guadeloupe Daniel Garriga, Torontonian Rhowan James, Romanian Simona Span and Montrealer Helmer Joseph, who has collaborated with several big names in haute couture, including John Galliano, Thierry Mugler and Christian Lacroix. Two parades will be held on October 23 at Espace Wilder, the Panamericana Runway, dedicated to Latin American design, and the Fashion Show World. Tickets are on sale on the event website.

Visit the event website