Les Créateurs at 1444 Sherbrooke Street West was a longstanding retailer of avant-garde and conceptual international fashion. Specialized in Japanese and Belgian fashion brands like Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons, Les Créateurs also had exclusivity agreements with Parisian designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaia. In addition, the boutique sold pieces by Rick Owens, Martin Margiela, Claude Montana, Helmut Lang, Vivienne Westwood and Patrick Kelly over the 32 years it was in business.
Founder Maria Balla, who immigrated to Montreal from Hungary as a child, worked in the accounting department at Eaton’s before becoming a buyer for the department store. After opening Les Créateurs in 1983, Balla built a very loyal clientele at the boutique, providing invaluable styling and accessorizing advice for the sometimes-challenging fashion she sold.
The Montreal Gazette’s Fashion Editor Iona Monahan called Balla “Montreal’s most inventive dresser” and the local fashion press regularly consulted her regarding new trends, designers and collections.
By 2016, Balla had grown tired of retailing and closed Les Créateurs, citing the changing landscape of the fashion industry and the growing dominance of fast fashion.
Sources
Maria Balla’s Les Créateurs: an appreciation Internal link
Friede, Eva. “The Height of Chic,” The Montreal Gazette, November 25, 2003, D1.
Monahan, Iona. “Fashion: A Collection of Directions,” The Montreal Gazette, January 7, 1997, C1.
Semanek, Susan. “An Inside Look at Glamourous Jobs,” The Montreal Gazette, February 1, 1985, D1.
