Françoise Élie on starting an emerging designers boutique in Montreal

First off, how did you get started in your journey?

Growing up I always saw myself doing an exchange trip or a semester abroad, but it ended up that I didn’t go to uni altogether and, having one of my best friends who lives in Berlin and who hyped me to make a move, in my mid-20s I applied for a working visa and hopped on a plane. I stayed in Germany a year and during my time there, I gravitated toward spaces where the creative types seemed to meet and hang out. Not that I wouldn’t normally do this back home but being in a new country where I didn’t have much of a social circle definitely forced me to meet new people and, naturally, I’ve linked up with those that I shared the same interests with. And without realising it at the time, I was getting to know some of the designers I now carry at the shop.

“Montreal, in general, is way cheaper to rent and live in than say, London or Paris, which makes it more convenient to start your own thing and be creative.” – Françoise Élie

Was there a point during your time in Berlin when you knew you’d go on to create a space for emerging designers?

If I had to pinpoint a defining moment where I knew I’d go on to launch Effe is when I got to meet Olof Runmaker who runs the label Atelier Runmaker. On a night out we were chatting away about nothing much and at some point, he showed me his work. At that moment I could tell we would see each other again. Not long after we went for a coffee and that day and meet-up was basically the first time I ever voiced I wanted to open a shop back home. Right away he convinced me that such a concept store had its place. Then on a trip to London, I met Marie Lueder through a mutual friend, and Felix Karl from the collective trio behind Mainline:RUS/Fr.CA/DE, who were all just as keen on the idea. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, really.

Are there advantages to having a store in Montreal? 

The city, in general, is way cheaper to rent and live in than say, London or Paris, which makes it more convenient to start your own thing and be creative. And as much as it might not seem as appealing as the fashion capitals, it’s a great place to be actually. The lifestyle’s relaxed and people tend to be laidback yet nonetheless there’s a vibrant, close-knit creative community.

As much as Montreal has its perks, what’s your thought on the city’s support system for emerging talents?

Well, that’s the thing. In Montreal there’s not much support compared to other cities in Europe where fashion is considered like an actual industry, not just a hobby. There’s not a lack of talent in fashion, but a lack of funding and few to no career prospects in design positions. Aspiring designers are pretty much left on their own and with no real solid institutions to back them up, they tend to leave elsewhere when they start gaining recognition.

“The thing with designers and especially the emerging ones is that often their work is so representative of their peculiar sense of identity, so personal that it’s not sure how the general consumer will react to it.” – Françoise Élie

So in a way are you trying to fill a gap with Effe?

To me Effe goes beyond being just another clothing shop; it’s a window for the emerging art scene. The thing with designers and especially the emerging ones is that often their work is so representative of their peculiar sense of identity, so personal that it’s not sure how the general consumer will react to it. Yet this is what I find most moving about the brands that I carry. They are each in their own way unapologetic about what they do and I do genuinely believe in their work.

How did you go about initiating contact with the designers that you now carry? And what has been their reaction?

Besides the ones I’ve met in Europe through networking or by going to showrooms, much of the work to bring a diverse roster of designers together was done online by email or social media. I also got in touch with locals such as Ben Lafaille, Ella Simone, and Gérald Lajoie, to name a few. Most of the reactions I got were good, obviously, since they had accepted to be part of Effe. Yet what I found odd is that we also ended up getting along really well. I think it’s because when I link up with someone, I want them to know that they can design and do what they want, they can work at their own pace, and that it’s fine by me. I need just the same, actually. It’s been a year now since I opened the doors and I’m yet to release a website, I still don’t have packaging and haven’t figured out if I want one, my logo is a scribble, etc… But that’s me. If I haven’t thought things through properly or when something doesn’t feel right, I won’t make any hasty decisions. And the last thing I want is for someone I work with to feel rushed or that they have to adapt to the current market trends and what mainstream customers may want. I understand what their vision is and I think they do understand mine, too.

“When I first opened I had many requests from stylists to borrow clothes for their project and I started loaning essentially for free.” – Françoise Élie

Besides selling to customers as is customary in retail, the clothes in your store are also available for rental… How have you come to this decision and how has the reaction been?

When I first opened I had many requests from stylists to borrow clothes for their project and I started loaning essentially for free. But then at some point, I stopped altogether as I didn’t feel comfortable doing it while dealing with customer service and any other task I may be facing as the store’s only employee. It’s really when I changed the business model to appointment-only that I felt more secure doing rentals. In such a context, I can properly walk people through the selection and even chip in with recommendations for the looks as it’s not only stylists who have reached out to borrow for creative projects. There’s a 20 percent rental fee as I believe there’s a value to the service I offer and also the selection I’ve curated. So far people have been understanding and are making a budget around it.

“It was clear that I wanted Effe to be not only a store but a place and in many ways an outlet for outcasts to freely express themselves, whether they’re designers or other creative types.” – Françoise Élie

What were the logistics of opening such a shop and how did you come up with the concept?

The building where the store is now situated is my father’s and my sister already had and still has a jewellery shop in it. As my dad had to redo the plumbing in the basement, he suggested that I could set up the store there, became an investor, and with him, we redesigned the interior. It might sound simplistic, but to come up with a concept I started brainstorming and typing in a Word doc what the shop would be like aesthetically speaking and as an experience, what the vibe would be, etc. The interior design in itself is quite minimalist and industrial, but that’s because I knew that, filled with forward-looking clothes from the designers I was in touch with, it would be inviting and colourful. What was clear from the outset was that I wanted the customers to feel welcomed when they would walk in, as if they were being invited into someone’s living room. I imagined a sofa right in the middle of the room, a coffee machine, and those sorts of homely things. It was clear that I wanted Effe to be not only a store but a place and in many ways an outlet for outcasts to freely express themselves, whether they’re designers or other creative types. Just recently I’ve put all the rolling racks away to hold a small, intimate event where performance artist J rah did his thing. It was his moment, his universe, and to be allowed in it felt so special. The following day I put back the clothes the way they were and was fully charged.

Whether that’s through the living room-within-a-store setup to featuring keen Effe shoppers’ fit pics on your socials or holding get-togethers and running the occasional editorial shoot, the community aspect seems to be present in every aspect of your business. How do you go about linking up with the creative scene and doing collaborative projects? 

These sorts of projects usually happen as things go along. Like one day I had my friend Fatine-Violette Sabiri, who’s a photographer, come over to the store and she suggested setting up an editorial with a good mate of hers, the singer Isabella Lovestory. Isabella’s kind of having a moment within the underground and queer community and in different yet similar ways we both foster individual differentiation and self-expression through what we do. Then on the set of an editorial shoot, I got to meet Shahan Assadourian who runs @archivings.stacks as he and Fatine share a studio. We got along right away and he asked me if he could do a selection of vintage, curated clothes that’d be sold at the shop, to which I agreed as I fully trusted his vision. This is all to say, things really do happen organically.

“It’s only been a year so I feel the real challenges are yet to come, as the boutique will grow and I’ll get to hire staff” – Françoise Élie

Of course, after the year we’ve been through, I’ve got to ask how was it to launch a boutique right in the midst of the pandemic? And more generally, what kinds of challenges do you face in your work? 

Since I’ve launched during the pandemic I’ve had to follow the restrictions right away and didn’t really get to experience doing business without them. Other than that it’s only been a year so I feel the real challenges are yet to come, as the boutique will grow and I’ll get to hire staff etc. On a personal level, though, I would say that, as I have created my own job and that there are no guidelines, that everything’s new for me, I do have my moments of self-doubt. But then someone shows up to the store or hits me up saying how they like the whole concept, and I’ll surf on that small yet meaningful gesture for a few days. Sometimes it’s just about acknowledging the little wins.

Well, it’s now exactly a year since you launched Effe, so congrats are due here. Are you satisfied with what you’ve achieved to this point?

Effe’s how I imagined it, yes. I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied though… not just yet. I’m and we’re just getting started.