Maison Préfontaine and Western-Chic

Traveling for Inspiration 

After studying cinema, communication, and finally fashion design, Catherine worked for 2 years before deciding to leave everything behind and head to Virginia, USA.

"I went to Virginia for four months to work on a ranch. I brought my sewing machine.”

Passionate about horses since her early childhood, the ranch was an ideal place to recharge. Every morning and evening, she took care of fetching the horses, leaving her days free. During this time, Catherine used to shop for fabrics, mend clothes, update them, or even sew small creations for the people around the ranch. All of this reignited her passion for creation, something she had stopped since finishing her studies in 2020. Upon her return to Montreal, the young designer was brimming with new ideas and decided to start her own brand.

Since the creation of her company, Catherine has found the perfect recipe for inspiration: traveling. When ideas are rare, she feels the need to go away to draw inspiration from nature, people, in short, everything different from her daily life in Montreal.

"I'm soon heading to Costa Rica because I'm experiencing creative block."

Upon returning to her studio, she buys fabrics that inspire her and starts creating using the draping technique, which involves molding the fabric on the mannequin. A method that is often used in haute couture.

Made-To-Order

Maison Préfontaine is primarily characterized by its Western-inspired designs, which appear in every piece of clothing. It was quite natural, almost unintentional, that this aesthetic emerged in Catherine's creations. Her very first piece, the Maverick jeans, set the tone for the rest of the collection, featuring hand-washed denim along with maxi skirts, minidresses, and corsets.

In a spirit of sustainability, the designer produces on demand in her small studio in Montreal and tries to source fabric in an eco-friendlier manner. Her first supplier was actually her father's basement! Four rolls of 100% cotton denim were lying there, so the creator took the initiative to use them to create her first pieces. Later on, she found a supplier offering rolls of unsold fabrics, thus avoiding waste. Keeping fabric scraps is also a common practice among Quebec designers. Catherine keeps them, thinking that one day she can reuse them or have them recycled by a manufacturing company.

WANTED by Maison Préfontaine

Maison Préfontaine's new collection is composed of pieces that complement its existing offerings since April 2023. The Maverick jeans are back in a new washed-out color and pair well with many pieces from the collection, such as trench coats, jackets, and a crop top. A new piece that every man is dying for: the Nash jeans, with the lower part detachable to transform into jorts, a standout trend of summer 2024.

"My cuts are quite simple, but I like to play with materials, fabrics, and details."

While Catherine admits to particularly enjoying creating jackets and coats, one of them catches my eye. Adorned with vintage logos engraved in leather, this denim jacket is a unique piece from the collection. A little further, I notice a jacket entirely made from scraps of sofa leather; and another hand-painted one, which turns out to be a work of art by Dominique Préfontaine, the designer's father. Whether it's jackets with unique fabrics, leggings adorned with jewelry, or washed-out jeans; one thing is certain, craftsmanship is always at the heart of creation at Maison Préfontaine.

From the Ranch to the Festival

Influenced by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Pharell Williams, or Bad Bunny, the Western trend is clearly here to stay, especially during festivals. In fact, by dressing content creators Emy-Jade Greaves and Nomey Petit for the famous Coachella festival, the designer carved her path into such events. Her creations were also seen at the M.A.D. Festival, during a runway show dancing to country music, at the Montreal music festival Osheaga, and even at the St-Tite Western Festival. For her upcoming collections, Catherine would like to see her creations even more prominently featured at festivals worldwide, especially in a place also known as Black Rock City.

"I can totally envision my long trench coat at Burning Man."

Recently, Maison Préfontaine has also appeared on television. It was Wissem, a contestant on La Voix 2024, who proudly wore Catherine's creations in front of the audience.

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In the coming years, the designer aims to bring her creations to the United States, where the Western community is significant. She also hopes that tourists from around the world will come to Quebec to discover one of the province's greatest treasures: the designers and their craftsmanship!