Fifteen years ago, Nancy Sirois began to manufacture pieces of leather armor for women, more and more numerous on the battlefields of life-size role-playing games. She has since joined her expertise to that of makeup artist Jacinthe Hélary, with whom she has just launched Alter Persona Concept, which invites women to dive into fantastic worlds for a photo shoot.
Posted at 4:00 p.m.
Alter Persona Concept is a continuation of Les Sœurs d’Armes, a company founded by Nancy Sirois and which has built an enviable reputation in the world of life-size role-playing games – women from here and abroad fight with the armors made by hand by the craftswoman of Val-Bélair. But as this hobby has been on a forced break since the start of the pandemic, Nancy Sirois welcomed this stop by turning to photography in order to carry out her own photo shoots, in a studio set up at her friend Jacinthe Hélary’s, in Pont-Rouge.
“Sœurs d’Armes has a female clientele, we continue to offer something specific to women with Alter Persona Concept, explains Jacinthe Hélary. Make-up, women do it for them, it’s crazy what it can give confidence. It is an experience that allows them to feel beautiful and strong. »
They appropriate a lot the universe of their characters. They are sure of themselves, do not fear the judgment of others, they assume what they do. There is of course the “badass” side of the warriors, but there are also other themes that allow them to live out a fantasy.
Jacinthe Hélary, makeup artist and co-founder of Alter Persona Concept
PHOTO NANCY SIROIS, PROVIDED BY THE SISTERS IN ARMS
Nancy Sirois, Jacinthe Hélary and Jessica Durand had fun creating a female version of the popular Witcher. As with most photo shoots, the Alter Persona Concept team benefits from exchanging good practices with other craftsmen, such as the Quebec manufacturer Calimacil, of Sherbrooke, which provides foam weapons in return for the right to use the photos for its publicity.
One glance at their projects is enough to see how the two craftswomen leave nothing to chance. A few weeks ago, they had the idea of creating the female counterpart of the series The Witcher. “We got over 200,000 views on Facebook. We had never seen that, says Nancy Sirois. We love the TV series, we decided to do a Witcher girl, a “genderbend”, for fun.” The result is strikingly realistic, the kind that inspires clients of Alter Persona photo shoots Concept This is in fact only one example of the worlds proposed by the two entrepreneurs.
It is in this state of mind that Cindy Savard lent herself to the game a few days ago, posing in several different universes with the aim of making a collection that she intends to give as a gift to her new joint. “I am like a warrior, I discovered a strong side while preparing for my session, supports the young woman. I am someone who has always been super straight in life, I have always done everything to be the best person possible. I discovered a freer side that I contained in spite of myself. Before, I never wanted to be in the photos…”
Cindy Savard chose at the last minute to add a painting where she dons the armor of a Viking warrior, taking advantage of the fact that Nancy Sirois has a vast selection of Norse-inspired costumes prepared a few years ago at the occasion of the Montreal and Ottawa Comicons, among others. It was also on this occasion that Nancy Sirois teamed up with Jacinthe Hélary.
Far from stereotypes
If the universes created by Nancy Sirois and Jacinthe Hélary arouse so much fascination, it is because they are above all credible. Armors and costumes were designed to be functional so women could wear them for hours in battle. All the pieces imagined by Nancy are also tested by her daughter Jessica Durand, who, at 22, is not only an official model for the Sisters in Arms and Alter Persona Concept, but also a young veteran of the great battles of Bicolline, which bring together nearly 4,000 enthusiasts each year in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, in Mauricie.
The offer for men was already very large, but there was absolutely nothing for women. A girl knows how it works, she knows what it takes to be comfortable, but also, she wants to be beautiful.
Nancy Sirois, founder of Sœurs d’Armes and co-founder of Alter Persona Concept
“However, I am determined to move away from the stereotype conveyed by many video games, where the girls are almost naked, affirms Nancy Sirois. Me, they are fully dressed! I took my daughter to Comicon when she was 14, there was no way she was going around naked! Anyway, I told her she was going to hit hard with armor! »