Valanga, take up the torch

It is in the heart of Saint-Hyacinthe, in the premises that the company has occupied since its foundation that we met Joëlle Royer, owner of the Valanga company since 2011. Between the final preparations for delivery to the stores and the web photo for the new FW2017 collection, Joëlle simply told us the story of Valanga and her professional career.

The little story

Founded in 1994 by Jean Levasseur and his wife, the brand of Nordic coats Valanga has built, over the years, a fine reputation in Quebec and Canada. Designed from warm and light insulation, the coats are entirely made in Quebec, in their factory in St-Hyacinthe.

In 2011, after university studies in architecture and design and a few years at the head of the family business in the field of camping, Joëlle was looking for a new challenge when the opportunity to take over the company Valanga introduced himself to her. It was without hesitation that she decided to jump into this adventure with both feet and revive a high-potential local brand that was in danger of dying out following the retirement of its founders.

Although this change of course may have surprised many at the time, it was the perfect opportunity for Joëlle to reconnect with her first love, design and the technical side of pattern drawing.

A confident entrepreneur

After several minutes of discussion on the takeover of the company and the challenges generated at the time, we were surprised to see how the decision to buy the entrepreneur seemed to have been made simply and without too much stress. Joëlle explains: “I came from another field and the jump into this new industry brought great challenges”. The transition was made with stability, supported by the former owners and keeping the same structure and the same employees. There followed several apprenticeships at a more technical level, since it was the former owner who was in charge at the time: the materials and insulation used, the method of cutting the fabrics, etc.

Six years later, Valanga still shares the same values ​​it has shared since its creation and does not intend to change: “Some customers come to the store with coats they bought 15 years ago. Regardless of the year of manufacture, we will always carry out the necessary repairs on the coats, because we think it is important”.

Always know how to adapt to the market

In order to meet the needs of its customers, Valanga works year after year to present on the market high-performance coats that will keep its customers warm, regardless of the weather. The company is working on more up-to-date cuts for its customers and has just launched a new collection of down coats.

Even today, the production of coats is done entirely in Quebec. The design of the coats, the cut and the finish are carried out in the Saint-Hyacinthe warehouse-factory, while the sewing and padding work is outsourced to three Quebec production plants.

Valanga also launched its transactional website a year ago to more easily reach customers who do not have access to a network of nearby retailers. Although the company focuses mainly on the Quebec market, developments are currently taking place in Ontario as well as in Western Canada.

You can find the entire new collection in the 2017 Lookbook .

If you want to know more about this company, visit their member profile !

Reviewed by Louise

Cover: Valanga