How it all started…

I was 15 years old when I made the drawing of my first dress. It was just for fun. I was 23 when I drew the first garment that would actually end up in stores all across America. It was still just for fun.

Then the years passed and the laws of the market took away the fun. All of it. I was just 27 when I felt ready to retire from an industry that wasn’t what I signed up for.

But then I fell in love... with a work of art.

It was a collage by Erin Case. I figured out a way to bring the art to life on fabric. It started with a subtle lining inside a coat. It moved on to a dress. Then a top. Then a skirt... Soon enough, I was obsessed. I wanted to show more art.

Sending royalty checks to artists became my purpose. I decided then and there that it would be the sole mission of my company. Le Galeriste was born… in my mind at least...

I delivered all the orders of non-art clothing we had committed to but I haven’t designed a single black dress since. It became all about art.

Local production became a must. I didn’t trust third-party suppliers with the artwork images. I was scared the art would eventually end up in some faraway factory. I had nightmares of seeing Made-in-China gadgets copied from an artwork sent to us by a trusting artists. I decided we’d never let an artwork out of our office in Montreal.

That meant owning some of the most expensive manufacturing machines on the market, hiring the best seamstresses in the city, building technologies, engineering fabrics, etc. It took two years and every last dollar the company (and its shareholders) had access to. By the end of 2016, Le Galeriste was born. For real this time...

Today, thousands of amazing artworks are placed in our careful hands. We produce for some of the greatest museums around the planet. Incredible artists hire us everyday to help them build their very own ethical clothing brand.  Fashion stores from all over America carry our products and can proudly say they support local production & great living artists.

I am proud of what we do here but we are not done.. We have many more lives to change and eyes to fill with artistic beauty. By choosing Le Galeriste, you support local production, living artists and the environment. Without you (whether you’re an art maker, an art lover or both), none of this would be possible. Thank you… so very much.

Thierry Charlebois

CEO, Le Galeriste