C.A.L.I.C.O.

Sold in the 1990s, C.A.L.I.C.O. was a Montreal brand of clothing made primarily of hemp fibre and recycled textiles. The company was founded in 1993 by couple Julie Lefebvre and Charles Brochu. The latter was in charge of the administrative side of C.A.L.I.C.O. while his spouse was the designer. Before going into business, Julie Lefebvre had worked for fashion designer Jean-Claude Poitras while studying fashion design at LaSalle College in Montreal. She then continued her studies at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.

The brand’s two lines, C.A.L.I.C.O. and Strawberry Fields by C.A.L.I.C.O., were sold at the company’s store on St. Denis Street in Montreal. Its collections were also distributed via a network of retailers in Canada and the United States.

At the time, the Montreal label was seen as an eco-fashion pioneer, which earned it a profile in the American magazine Hemp Times.

The brand was also featured in an exhibition entitled Au Courant: Contemporary Canadian Fashion presented in 1998 at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

C.A.L.I.C.O. ceased operations in 1999.