Marie-Paule Nolin (née Archambault; 1908 in
Saint-Hyacinthe
Saint-Hyacinthe (; French: ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérég ...
– 1987 in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
) was a
French Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
high-
fashion designer
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
who lived and worked in the province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada.
Marie-Paule Archambault started out as a vendeuse for
Raoul-Jean Fouré who had launched his fashion house in Montreal in about 1927.
At the age of 26 she launched a dressmaking business on what would become the
De Maisonneuve Boulevard
De Maisonneuve Boulevard (officially in french: boulevard De Maisonneuve) is a major westbound boulevard located in Downtown Montreal, downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is named after the founder of Montreal, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. It ...
.
[ She received publicity early on through her participation in a charity fashion show at the Windsor Hotel, and after a trip to Paris where she visited several fashion salons, she came back to launch her own fashion salon at 648 ]Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street (officially in french: rue Sherbrooke) is a major east–west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of t ...
West, Montreal in 1936.[ From 1941-1949, she ran a couture workroom, employing about twenty workers, in the department store ]Holt Renfrew
Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (doing business as Holt Renfrew and known colloquially as Holt's) is a Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. It has been owned by the Weston family since 1986, and was previo ...
from Montréal, where her creations could be purchased from the Salon Marie-Paule.[
From 1949 to 1955 Marie-Paule worked from home, until in 1955 she relocated her business to an office at 1426 Sherbrooke Street, operating as 'Marie-Paule Haute Couture'.][ The following year she became President of the Association of Canadian Couturiers (ACC), whose purpose was to promote Canadian high fashion design. Along with Fouré (the ACC's first President),][
From 1959 to 1965, she was part of the crew of the weekly radio program ''Femina'' at the ]Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
in Montreal, informing the audience about design and its philosophical and historical background and development.[ In 1962, Nolin lost a lot of her work in a house fire, and subsequently relocated to 420 Bonsecours Street.][ In 1969 she launched a ready-to-wear line, although her refusal to compromise by using cheaper fabrics led to the failure of the venture.][
Marie-Paule Nolin retired in 1974, and closed her business, which was the last couture establishment in Montreal.][
In 1984, a major retrospective of her work was presented by the ]McCord Museum
The McCord Stewart Museum (french: Musée McCord Stewart) is a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history. The museum, whose full name is McCord Museum of Canadian His ...
in Montreal.[ The Museum also manages the Marie-Paule Nolin Study Award, an academic award whose aim is to support fashion and textile research projects which make specific use of the McCord's collections.]
References
External links
Profile at Gestiondesarts.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolin, Marie-Paule
Canadian fashion designers
Canadian women fashion designers
1908 births
1987 deaths
People from Saint-Hyacinthe