Hélène Barbeau

Hélène Barbeau is a Montreal designer of ready-to-wear women’s clothing who marketed her eponymous brand from 1988 to 2017. Designed for everyday wear, her comfortable, flowing creations appealed to women in various professions.

Her first studio was located on Laurier Avenue in Montreal. The designer and businesswoman then moved several times, setting up shop on St. Lawrence Boulevard, Mont Royal Avenue, Parc Avenue, and then returning to St. Lawrence Boulevard.

In addition to creating her own collections, Hélène Barbeau often worked with other designers or cultural institutions. In 1997, she took part in the Mode et collections exhibition presented by the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City. For the occasion, she created a metaphorical piece of clothing that evoked a chrysalis. Around the same time, she shared a Crescent Street store space with Christian Chenail for one year. At the end of 2000, the designer worked with François Gagnon, co-owner of the brand C’est ma mère qui m’habille, to create a clothing collection for women sizes 14 to 20 that was sold under the label Collection Plus.

Hélène Barbeau closed her St. Lawrence Boulevard studio-shop in the fall of 2017.