My path into the world of apparel design started long before I ever imagined having my own fashion label. It all began back in high school when I became friends with Brian, a funny guy from my brother's class who always kept us laughing. Years later, Brian went on to work at his family’s business on Chabanel Street in Montreal—a bustling hub of the city’s apparel industry. Today, he's the president of that company.
In the meantime, my life took a different path. I explored the world before eventually settling into a corporate graphic design job. When that chapter closed (I was laid off), something unexpected happened: Anthropologie reached out to me about a possible collaboration. They had discovered my work thanks to a blog post by Sabine Moder on the now-defunct Moco Loco blog. Our first collaboration was apparel-focused—a silk blouse, a silk dress, and a "Painterly" skirt. I remember Aaron Hoey, then an Executive Director (and art collector), telling me that those pieces were "best-sellers." That encouraging feedback ignited my interest in apparel design—the idea of turning my colorful art into wearable designs felt incredibly exciting.
Not long after, a Toronto-based company called Nuvango invited me to create a line of print-on-demand apparel. While Nuvango closed its doors after a couple of years, the experience reinforced my enthusiasm for clothing design.
Fast forward a few years: Brian and his then-wife, Caelie, came over for dinner at our house. My husband, David, suggested I ask Brian about collaborating on an apparel line. As luck would have it, his company had just dropped one of their clothing lines and was actively looking for fresh ideas. The timing was perfect—kismet! We launched the first collection of Claire Desjardins signature apparel in January 2019, and we've been building on it ever since, with two collections each year: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.
The partnership works well because Brian's company already had an established sales infrastructure across Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. They wholesale to stores throughout those regions. Meanwhile, my apparel is also sold online through The Wearable Art Store. The sales force attends major trade shows, while the design team keeps up with trends by traveling to European fashion shows. Our apparel is produced in two factories in China, but we also manufacture in other countries when it makes sense—this season's silk scarves and kimonos, for example, were made in India.
Today, Claire Desjardins apparel is the best-selling brand within Brian's company. We continue refining our designs, focusing on practical yet stylish elements like pockets, natural fibers, and comfortable necklines. This journey into apparel has been such an exciting extension of my creative practice, and I'm thrilled to keep exploring new ways to bring art and fashion together!