The new boutique that celebrates Canadian fashion and craftsmanship

Valentine & Frida. © Guillaume Vincent

A product of the world of architecture, real estate and environmental design, Valentine Leclerc – visual artist and true fashionista – is opening a shop on the rue de Saint-Jovite this month which will offer Canadian labels…exclusively. But not only those: a design and marketing office will occupy the second floor and Valentine also anticipates opening a European-style bistro in the charming garden behind the building.

© Maz

This new address for those with a passion for fashion with an authentic flavour will open in mid-March in a centennial building which, until very recently, housed the antique dealer Coq Rouge and the Atelier-Floral. Valentine could not have dreamed of a better showcase for Canadian designers and artisans.

The Frida choices

In this unique shop you’ll find internationally known brands such as Naked & Famous, which offers jeans cut, stitched and finished in Canada from Selvedge Japanese denim fabrics. Why Japanese? Are you looking for a good old-fashioned pair of jeans that will age beautifully and fade in a special way? That’s why. “They are real nerds about denim,” Valentine explains kindly. “I wear a pair of their overalls every day.”

For now, a large part of the inventory will be from Montreal designer Eve Gravel, a pioneer in the field of local Québec fashion. Add to that, brands like HotelMotel, which makes shoes locally from leathers imported from France and Italy; Montreal’s Annie 50, which offers a timeless label that brings together comfort and femininity, as well as Marigold, and Nicole Ouaknine; tuques from Gibou; shoes and boots from Manitobah Mukluks and moccasins from Bastien Shoes.

And there’s more. Valentine has also managed to expand her “Made in Canada” stock with labels such as Sheep’s Clothing; Dagg & Stacey; Duray Socks; La Sieste; Warren Steven Scott and Muttonhead.

“It was a challenge to find brands insisting that their products be made here in Canada,” Valentine explains. “But it seems to me that offering, in one place, only brands made in Canada is a good service to provide. Someone who wants to buy local doesn’t have to chase around. We also have ceramic products and outdoor furniture made by local artisans.”

The exception proves the rule

As with every good rule, there is an exception. Everything is made in Canada except shoes made in Italy. “I couldn’t help myself,” Valentine confides. “The shoes from Maison Bédard are designed in Gatineau but made in Italy.”

There’s one other intruder in the shop’s collection: boots and shoes labelled Ammann. “This Swiss brand offers boots, made in Italy, which are renowned for apres-ski. They’re exceptional! It seemed an appropriate choice for our region,” Valentine explains.

“In opening this boutique, my objective was to offer very high-quality brands made entirely in Canada. It’s early times yet, but I’m already very happy to have each of the labels in the store. Canada is not particularly well known as a country which exports luxury labels, and yet….”

The design side

Born in New Brunswick, Valentine grew up in Mont-Tremblant before studying landscape architecture at Université de Montréal and architecture at McGill. At the time she cherished a dream to build ski resorts. Her first overseas work placement saw her working for resort developer SDG (Swiss Development Group) in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Ever since I was a teen, I’ve dreamed of creating a hybrid creative space dealing with both fashion and the craft industry. Now I have the opportunity to incorporate the design of the environment into my project because it was a field, I worked in for ten years, in Europe and primarily in New York.

“Canada has exceptional design talent and Mont-Tremblant has the best skiing. Combine everything that’s gone before and you get Frida: a workshop-boutique and a unique window for everything truly made in Canada,” Valentine concludes.

 

More from this author by clicking on his photo below.

Guillaume Vincent

 

Guillaume Vincent430 Posts

Rédacteur et journaliste de profession, Guillaume Vincent a fait ses armes au sein de l’agence QMI. Il s’est joint au Tremblant Express en 2014. Promu en 2017, il y assume depuis le rôle de rédacteur en chef et directeur de la publication. / A writer and photojournalist by profession, Guillaume Vincent won his stripes in the QMI agency. He joined Tremblant Express in 2014. Promoted in 2017, he has been editor-in-chief and co-publisher since then.

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