Michelle Secours

Company: Frëtt Design

Sector of activity: Clothing and accessory design

Head office: Caplan, Gaspé Peninsula

Number of employees: 10

https://etrema.ca and https://frettdesign.ca

Her commitment

Aligned with UN sustainable development goal 12 (responsible consumption and production)

I commit to making ethical, sustainable choices by verifying sources for the raw materials I use in every one of my creations.

“Thanks to our daily efforts and choices we make as a business, I am confident we are helping protect and restore ecosystems.”

– Michelle Secours, President, Frëtt Design

A designer in the counter-current to fast fashion

Nature as a source of inspiration

Almost 25 years ago, Michelle Secours had the great idea to launch a seasonal collection of fall-winter knits – behind the origins of the name Frëtt, or cold – which was a major local and international success. Over the years, as part of her ongoing quest for authenticity, she decided to focus on production based on quality, durability, limited distribution, and natural materials. In 2006, she set up her studio on the sea in the village of Caplan and launched a four-season collection that combines comfort and style. And since inclusion is one of the company’s flagship values, her creations are perfect for all shapes and come in all sizes.

Sustainable clothing all along the line

The polar opposite of the fast fashion that dominates the world market and accumulates in landfills, Michelle Secours’s company makes basics in clothing and accessories that never go out of style, using sustainable materials that last, which customers can wear for 15, even 20, years. To reduce its environmental footprint, Frëtt Design uses energy-efficient materials cultivated using minimal water. The workshop has virtually eliminated textiles that contain petroleum, such as polyester, because they release plastic nanoparticles into the water, which are ingested by aquatic fauna and wind up in the surrounding air.

Cultivating natural

Since 2017, Michelle Secours has been working on an industrial hemp crop project with the goal of launching local production on fallow land. Hemp is an extremely resistant, durable fibre that breathes and adapts to all temperatures, making it ideal for creating environmentally responsible clothing. Plants that flourish at our latitude consume infinitely less water than cotton, are renewed rapidly, and act as CO₂ collectors. A wonderful alternative to textiles made from petrochemicals, to discover in the new etrëma spring collection.

Values in the right place

Frëtt Design clothing and accessories are sold at surprisingly reasonable prices, particularly given they are manufactured locally by seamstresses who are properly compensated and enjoy good working conditions. The studio makes a point of paying people fairly, throughout the supply chain. It welcomes with open arms people from different backgrounds, whether they are socially reintegrating, recent immigrants, or want specialized training. And with a concern for equity to democratize local, environmentally responsible design, Michelle Secours prefers direct sales (on their website or in their boutiques) and adjusts the prices of their products to reflect their real value, creating equity for everyone.

Masks that changed everything

When the pandemic hit the fashion world, Michelle Secours and her team rolled up their sleeves to develop a high-performance mask to replace the disposable models used in workplaces. It was a complex task: Michelle Secours created Frëtt Solutions, a new research division, recruited a team of specialists, innovated with specialized textiles, and executed its action plan. The result was that her business became the first in the world to manufacture high-protection masks, recognized as more effective than disposable surgical models, even after machine washing 100 times. These outstanding products are in the process of being certified by Health Canada as medical-grade procedural masks.