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For the love… of women
If her family hadn’t left Iran when she was 11, Dorsa Babaei might not have had the career as a fashion designer she has today. First for the obvious reasons that we know, but also because her creativity was strongly imbued with the prints and colors of daily life in India, where she lived until she was 18 years old.
“The stimulation was so intense, there was bling everywhere, all the time, 24 hours a day! », remembers the one who gave us an appointment in her studio in Saint-Lambert.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY DORSALI
The Mizaan jumpsuit is made of linen and rayon ($250).
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY DORSALI
The silk and cotton Nuage shirt has a single front closure ($225). The shorts cost $125.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY DORSALI
The Psychedelic dress is in Italian linen ($293).
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY DORSALI
A few pieces in the collection are unisex. Here, the Delicia Shirt ($225).
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PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
These vegetable leather pieces (belts and cords for glasses) are the result of a collaboration between La Femme ROJE and Dorsali (from $108 to $180).
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Dorsa Babaei’s career as a designer began in Dubai, after three years of study at the renowned ESMOD school in the United Arab Emirates. With a “new couture” diploma in hand, she landed her first job for a brother-sister tandem of entrepreneurs in a neighborhood “a bit like the DIX30, but more chic”, describes Dorsa. “He was a perfumer and she was a designer. I was the assistant to both. Then one day, my boss asked me if I wanted to create a collection together. He was ready to finance it. »
Two years later, in 2016, the young woman returned to Iran and felt ready to launch her own brand. She even opened two boutiques, with her mother as a partner. This was short-lived as his application to immigrate to Canada was approved much faster than expected.
Arrived in November 2017, first in Toronto, then in Fredericton with an aunt, she fell under the winter charm of Montreal, on January 13, when she was only passing through, to attend a concert.
Between francization courses and a job as a designer on rue Chabanel, the designer had to put her mark on the ice. Layoffs due to COVID-19 allowed Dorsali to resurrect, in 2021. Her mother joined Dorsa Babaei in Quebec in 2021 and started helping out from the second collection. But this time, no shop.
“My model has changed, as is the case for many creators. I mostly sell online and participate in pop-up shops, artisan fairs, etc. I produce only a few pieces. The rest is sewn to order. »
It will be a busy spring, with appearances at One of a Kind shows in Toronto and Chicago, and then at Inland, also in the Queen City.
The spring-summer 2023 collection has been baptized By love and infused with all the hope that the new Quebecer cultivates for Iranian women. “I chose March 23 to launch these new coins because it was Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, March 20, when we celebrate the first day of spring. I see it as a new beginning. I hope things will change in Iran as well as in Ukraine and Afghanistan,” she says.
Eve Dumas, The Press
New collections
spring breeze
With the official withdrawal of winter, a spring breeze is blowing through local fashion. Here is an overview of the spring-summer 2023 collections for women of some Quebec brands that manufacture their clothes in Canada, mainly in Montreal.
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PHOTO FROM THE BODYBAG BY JUDE FACEBOOK PAGE
This spring, Bodybag by Jude is offering this fabulous graphic print in several jacquard pieces, including this reversible bomber jacket ($269) and these shorts (coming to stores), here paired with the Seaside sports top ($59.40 $).
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PHOTO FROM COKLUCH WEBSITE
Botanica is one of the prints adopted by Cokluch this spring. Seen here on the Muscari Blouse ($188) available for pre-order.
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PHOTO FROM MAS MONTREAL WEBSITE
Born from Mckenna Bisson’s desire to dress all silhouettes, MAS Montreal offers comfortable clothes with a classic cut, including the Belgrade dress, available in three colors ($162).
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PHOTO FROM ELIZA FAULKNER’S WEBSITE
Designer Eliza Faulkner offers her Luella dress in a cotton toile de Jouy fabric, one of the key fabrics from her spring collection ($295).
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PHOTO FROM JENNIFER GLASGOW DESIGN WEBSITE
The Assana linen sleeveless top, designed by Jennifer Glasgow, is both simple and original ($170). Here it’s worn with the origami-inspired Ceres Pants ($210).
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PHOTO FROM MARIGOLD WEBSITE
The classic and the fly rub shoulders at Marigold this season. Here, a rather timeless piece: the Sarah Floral Print Shirt ($179).
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PHOTO FROM THE LOUVE DESIGN WEBSITE
Detached from the seasonal collections, Louve Design rather releases new models regularly. One of the newest is this pinafore dress ($88) that can be worn alone or layered.
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PHOTO FROM ELISA C ROSSOW’S WEBSITE
At Elisa C Rossow, who practices high-end, monochromatic design, we find this season this simple and structured summer dress ($235).
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PHOTO FROM THE ATELIER B WEBSITE.
Linen is always in the spotlight at atelier b. Can be worn open or closed, this No2231w ($255) jacket dress is also available in plus sizes.
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PHOTO FROM EVE GRAVEL WEBSITE
Wetsuits are once again present at Eve Gravel this season. Pictured: The Aidan Vertical Striped Jumpsuit, made from a blend of linen, Tencel and cotton ($248 pre-order).
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PHOTO FROM MELOW WEBSITE
The vitaminized spirit of the 1970s is back at Melow. The designer Mélissa Bolduc let herself be seduced by this colorful print that she exploits to the full in this collection. Pictured: the Guillermo skirt ($210 pre-order), paired with the Aragon top ($130).
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PHOTO FROM EVE LAVOIE’S WEBSITE
baptized Lost paradise, the new Eve Lavoie collection flirts with nature and sensuality. This Beached midi dress, on sale in four colors, is minimalist and elegant with its cinched bust and full skirt ($185).
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PHOTO FROM VALLIER WEBSITE
For this summer season, the Vallier brand from Altitude Sports is betting on comfort, versatility and the colors of the 1990s. Note that only some of the pieces are made in Canada. This is the case of the Brampton sweater ($119.99) and the Onikan shorts ($119.99), in bouclé fabric.
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Consult the spring-summer 2023 collections
Valerie Simard, The Press
A Maguire sandal made in Ukraine
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MAGUIRE
Maguire’s Alina Sandal, $240
The Alina sandal is a new model from the Maguire brand with one particularity: it was made in a factory in Ukraine. “I met the managers of the Ukrainian manufacture Kachorovska last year in Milan and I was touched by their courage and their resilience. We stayed in touch and they offered me this model,” explains Myriam Maguire, co-founder of the brand. The Alina sandal has a thick platform type sole, the leather is soft and smooth. The model is offered in two colors, pink and black. “We start with a model. We ordered a hundred pairs of each color. The shoes have left Ukraine, they should arrive next week. If the reaction is good, we will be able to recommend it, ”she says. Maguire, founded in 2016 by sisters Myriam and Romy Maguire, aims to make quality shoes accessible at a fair price. “It’s the first time we’ve done business with Ukraine, they’re quality shoes and it’s a way to help them. »
The Alina sandals ($240) will be on sale at the end of March in stores and online.
Olivia Levy, The Press
The sixth campaign of Different Like You
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE VÉRO AND LOUIS FOUNDATION
The Different Like You Sweater, $50
The Véro & Louis Foundation’s “Different Like You” campaign is back for the sixth year. For several days, we have seen on social networks personalities like Patricia Paquin, Debbie Lynch-White, Charles Lafortune and Varda Étienne proudly wearing their blue “Different like you” sweater. Unisex sweaters and t-shirts are on sale at the Foundation’s online store as well as in one of the participating stores of the San Francisco, Marie Claire, Claire France and Grenier brands. The Véro & Louis Foundation’s mission is to create permanent living environments for people with autism aged 21 and over.
Olivia Levy, The Press