Jean-Claude Poitras is a Montreal-based fashion and home designer of over 45 years.
Poitras joined Global’s Billy Shields on Global News Morning to talk about his career and an ongoing exhibit at the Diane-Dufresne Art Centre in Repentigny where fans and artists can visit his favourite works.
Poitras said he began studying fashion in 1967, which coincidentally happened during Montreal’s Expo 67.
He was inspired by the world fair as the design school he was attending was at the corner of Ste-Denis and Ste-Catherine, giving him easy access to the festivities via the newly installed metro service.
READ MORE: Montreal’s Expo 67 marks 50th anniversary
Five years later, he was graduated from fashion design school and produced his first ever collection which evolved into a career that would last 30 years.
Even after 15 years of no longer designing clothing, Poitras still sees people wearing articles that he produced.
“I stop them, because I stopped my ready-to-wear collections in 2002, and I ask them ‘Where did you buy this?'” said Poitras about recognizing his pieces of work on the street.
“They go to vintage stores, buy them on eBay and even Amazon. It’s amazing.”
A renaissance man, he then ventured as a multidisciplinary designer and specialized in home decor.
“Fashion was never enough for me; I loved design without boundaries,” said Poitras about his shift to designing home pieces.
“I wanted to come out with something that was going to last forever. I felt it was necessary to express myself through all sorts of different forms.”
His home collection ranges from cabinets to linens, towels, furniture and even houses — he has garnered interest in highly stylish markets such as France, Italy and the U.S.
During his interview on Global News Morning, he hinted at the prospect of reinventing some of his clothing pieces to make a legendary comeback into the fashion world.
Poitras’ Retrospective exhibition is ongoing at Centre d’art Diane-Dufresne in Repentigny until Oct. 15, 2017.
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