Gaia & Dubos, sustainable and responsible fashion

Sustainable fashion is a boiling medium in this era of contestation of our society of overconsumption. Founded in 2015 by Léonie Daignault-Leclerc, Gaia & Dubos is one of those companies that want to revolutionize the way we consume fashion. Through its creative and educational mission, this company will certainly be an important Quebec player in this revolution in clothing consumption.

A path laid out in advance

At 12, Léonie Daignault-Leclerc was already creating her own patterns and creations. Three years later, she had her own clientele. Already, her career plan was well defined: she would be a freelance fashion designer and design ecological clothing.

Her studies were then oriented in this perspective: at Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy, she did a technique in fashion design, specializing in women's fashion. For the business side, she completed a bachelor's degree in fashion marketing at the École supérieure de mode in Montreal. Then, finally, she did a Master of Art in Fashion in Toronto, where she specialized in sustainable fashion.

As soon as she graduated, she worked on her business, which she launched before the end. Gaia & Dubos is therefore a continuation of her career, strictly respecting the career plan that the designer had set herself when she was younger.

Part creation process

First, the designer makes personal sketches by hand which she then transfers to technical drawings on the computer. Then begins an unusual method, but very useful to the entrepreneur: the survey of her audience. She sends her customers drawings of the models she is planning and asks them for their opinion and the amount she would be willing to pay. This approach guides the designer a lot for the future. At the same time, she orders fabric samples from her suppliers.

Once fixed, she orders these in limited quantities and develops a pattern in the basic sizes. She creates a prototype to which she will modify if necessary. After creating a few samples, she moves on to taking a picture of the model, grading the pattern and uploading the model. Thereafter, the production is carried out, if there is demand. A piece takes on average between two and ten hours to produce.

Ecology, a fundamental entrepreneurial value

Environmental protection is a central value of the Gaia & Dubos company, so much so that even its name bears witness to it; Gaia, goddess of Greek mythology who embodies the Earth, and Dubos for René Dubos, French environmentalist of the last century who is, among other things, at the origin of the slogan "Think global, act local". In short, the company makes the environment its priority and there is plenty of evidence of this commitment.

First of all, the materials used are 100% ecological, from the centrepiece, to the lining, including the inside of the pockets. The designer refuses to use any material that has a negative impact on the environment, such as modal made from vegetable fibers which, although these fibers come from protected forests, are produced by a polluting process. The inks used are water-based, the buttons are made of recycled glass, etc. All organic materials or made from plastic bottles used are certified. Finally, all unusable scraps resulting from this process are sent to textile recyclers.

In addition, the entrepreneur opposes the movement of mass consumption. The production of clothing is made to order exclusively. Also, in this sense, she notably creates modular clothes which, and I use her own words here, make women's wardrobes more versatile. The seams of his clothes are guaranteed for life. As Léonie says: "we don't guarantee that they won't fail, we promise that we will fix them." The nuance is important since the designer has implemented this principle to prevent her customers from getting rid of unstitched clothes. The clothes are created to last, both in their quality and their sober style. However, the designer specifies that her pieces are not timeless. Each era has its trends which will not necessarily return, the young woman taking the example of the sixties.

Who says social change, says education

On the Gaia & Dubos corporate site, there is, of course, the company's online store, but also a well-stocked blog as well as video capsules on sustainable fashion. When I asked her where this initiative to inform came from, Léonie Daignault-Leclerc answered me two things. First, it is a business strategy to enable it to gain credibility. Having studied in sustainable fashion, the entrepreneur wants to show her clients why she can affirm that her clothes are entirely ecological.

Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, the young woman wants to change the face of fashion and as she told me so well: "There is no change without knowledge." That's why she makes it her mission to inform people. Through her blog and her videos , she is aimed at everyone, whether they are part of her clientele or not, to allow them to educate themselves about sustainable fashion and to have the required knowledge. to make ethical choices, as with bamboo, whose ecological virtue is often false.

A topical initiative

Recently, the company launched a range of three t-shirts in collaboration with three Quebec personalities. This initiative came, among other things, from the fact that Léonie Daignault-Leclerc had received comments that several people would have liked to obtain one of her clothing items, but could not afford it. In addition, the entrepreneur really wanted to collaborate and increase the scope of her awareness project.

The designer therefore chose three women as emblems, key figures of this project, with whom the population could associate themselves: Jessie Nadeau, vegan activist and finalist at Occupation Double Bali, Chloé Sainte-Marie, singer and actress, and Laure Waridel, ecosociologist. and co-founder of Équiterre. The latter were invited to create the design that would be on their t-shirt themselves and to choose an organization to which 10% of the profits from the sale of their t-shirt would be donated. For Jessie Nadeau, it's Ma Voix pour Eux, an animal rights organization, for Chloé Sainte-Marie, it's the Maison Gilles-Carle Foundation, working with natural caregivers and for Laure Waridel, it's Équiterre , whose mission is to protect the planet.

So far the goal of the founder of Gaia & Dubos has been achieved: more people can afford to buy clothes from her company, but above all, the awareness of sustainable fashion that she already promotes is taking momentum!

In short, Gaia & Dubos, in addition to offering high quality pieces to its customers, is a company involved in the protection of the environment that seeks to change fashion, one garment at a time. Through her many initiatives to inform and raise awareness of sustainable fashion, Léonie Daignault-Leclerc has been able to fulfill her dreams as well as lead us to dream of a world where the clothing industry would reflect Gaia & Dubos. , ethical and ecological.

Find out more about this responsible company here.

Reviewed by Louise

Cover: Gaia and Dubos “The future is GREEN” by Jessie Nadeau