Michel Robichaud

Michel Robichaud is considered a key figure in Quebec and Canadian fashion. From the launch of his very first collection in 1963, a cornerstone of his work was his made to measure clothing based on the Paris haute couture model. His longstanding involvement in the world of fashion also extended to ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as uniforms.

After studying in the women’s fashion division of the École des métiers commerciaux de Montréal for a year, he received a grant and went to study at the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. After an internship at the house of Nina Ricci in Paris, and then as assistant to Guy Laroche, Robichaud acquired experience and discovered the fascinating world of haute couture. Returning to Montreal, he opened a couture house at 1400 Pine Avenue. With the support of his wife Luce and financial backing from urologist Dr. Alfred Lavallée, he presented the 13 models of his first spring collection on February 13, 1963, and then began launching two couture collections a year.

His reputation was confirmed when American actress Elizabeth Taylor visited Montreal in 1964 for her wedding with Richard Burton and ordered several models from him.

Hostess uniforms of Expo 67, October 1965. Library and Archives Canada, e000990867

His growing renown and experience designing flight attendant uniforms for Air Canada the same year earned him the mandate to design the official hostess uniform for Expo 67, which was presented to the media in October 1965. He went on to create six other uniforms for the event, and was Montreal’s best known designer during the period surrounding Expo 67. His list of loyal clients included many Quebec personalities from the worlds of politics and the arts, such as Mrs. Jean Lesage, Mrs. Robert Bourassa, Marie-Claire Boucher Drapeau, Corinne Côté-Lévesque, Denise Pelletier and Yvette Brind’Amour.

In 1966, “Quebec Fashion Travels,” a European fashion tour sponsored by the Quebec Ministère de l’Industrie et du Commerce, enabled Robichaud to present a collection with Marielle Fleury in Paris, Brussels, London, and Milan. That same year, the designer began expanding his couture business, first with a fur collection, then with a ready-to-wear collection the following year in collaboration with Auckie Sanft, one of Quebec’s largest manufacturers.

In 1968, he opened a boutique on Montreal’s Crescent Street, where he sold his couture, boutique and ready-to-wear collections all under one roof.

The shop stayed open until 1978. In 1973, he launched a perfume, Brunante. Robichaud was commissioned to create other uniforms, notably for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, the companies Via Rail and Hydro-Québec, and even for the Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission.

From the late 1970s through the 1980s, his ready-to-wear encompassed a full range of women’s and men’s clothing, as well as hats, ties, scarves, stockings, belts, costume jewellery, and gloves. In 1987, he created the Robichaud Diffusion collection, which was sold across the country exclusively at several Sears Canada stores.

In 1974, Robichaud was elected the first president of the Fashion Designers Association of Canada. This presidency was only one of the many positions he held in the 1970s and 1980s, which earned him a reputation as an ardent champion and spokesperson for Quebec and Canadian fashion. To celebrate his 25 years as a couturier, a biography entitled Michel Robichaud: Monsieur Mode by Nicole Charest was published in 1988. This milestone was also celebrated by the Montreal Fashion Group. In 1993, to mark his 30 years as a designer, he donated his collection of clothing to the Musée de la civilisation à Quebec. Several pieces from this collection were featured in a 1995 exhibition mounted by the Musée Marsil: Michel Robichaud couturier. Retour sur les années 60 = A 60s Retrospective. The Fondation de la mode de Montréal celebrated Robichaud’s 30-year career at its annual fundraising gala. The designer also received the Méritas Acadien award in 1993 from the Fédération acadienne du Québec.

In the 1990s, Michel Robichaud continued to create exclusive custom-made clothing in the haute couture tradition, and to design uniforms. He also began a career as a teacher of fashion illustration and design in 1995, at the École supérieure de mode of Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). In 1997, he stopped making custom couture work and began teaching future fashion designers at Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures. Robichaud, who has received both the Ordre du Québec and the Order of Canada, retired in 2005.