The Market

After studying fine arts, Allan Goldin (Montreal, 1943) learned the basics of fashion design by working for dress and sportswear manufacturers. Several weeks after founding the company The Market in 1969, he took on the talented Toby Klein (Montreal, 1950) as an associate. An art student at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia), she discovered the world of fashion through a summer job in advertising. While throwing herself into the project with Goldin, Toby Klein completed her training by taking pattern-making classes at the Cotnoir Capponi school of fashion design in Montreal. Together, she and Goldin created the collections and ran the business.

With a workshop/store at 372 St. Catherine Street West, The Market produced its clothing locally in addition to selling imports. The company’s creations bore the labels Alain Doré and Toby Klein for The Market, Alan Goldin and Toby Klein for The Market and, starting in 1975, Alan Goldin and Toby Klein for A.T. & Co. The two designers took part in the activities of Montréal Mode in the mid-1970s, as well as the last Auto-Élégance in 1979, an event that combined fashion with new cars. The Market was a prominent player in the Quebec fashion scene of the 1970s.

After the business closed in 1981, Toby Klein worked as a freelance designer for numerous Montreal manufacturers, notably Louben, Esprit Canada, Bagatelle and the Algo Group. In 1996, she shifted to the retail side of women’s fashion.