L'équipe
I am a dreamer who opened an atelier in 2006, making me the designer and founder of Boutique Lustre. It’s a place where I can create, collaborate with my community, and offer custom-cut and well-tailored garments to make people feel good.
I have a fabulous team, and we work together to offer the best service we can to every client. If ever you have any questions or concerns, get in touch with me, and we’ll figure something out. I want you to feel fantastic in every Lustre piece, so I will do the work to guarantee you a great fit.
Lustre changes as much as I do. I believe that clothes should be made to fit bodies, not the other way around. Similarly, they should work for our ever-evolving lifestyle, so my designs evolve with me, my life, and my community.
One such example is when I started designing for brides. When I created Lustre, I never imagined I would ever create custom wedding outfits, and now it’s one of the things I enjoy the most. Being able to collaborate with the bride to build the look that makes them shine is so gratifying. Every year, our community of Lustre brides expands, and it brings me so much joy.
Some tidbits about me:
What’s your favourite colour? Pink.
What’s your favourite pattern? Stripes (but not pink stripes).
What’s your passion? Making people feel good about themselves.
What are your top three favourite ways to spend your time that doesn’t earn you money? Walking with my dogs, watching them play, and lifting heavy things.
Share a fond memory of your childhood. Learning how to say three (not “tree”) in my front yard with my English neighbour.
Do you prefer coffee or tea? I’m not a big caffeine drinker: one coffee in the morning, and I run on stress the rest of the day.
If you could live anywhere in the world other than Montreal, where would you live? Near the ocean.
ALEX
I’m Yasmine’s studio assistant at Lustre Boutique. My job consists primarily of cutting garments and helping Yasmine in the design process, but I also do some pressing and basic patterning. I’ve been working at Lustre for over a decade, so if you own a Lustre item, I’ve worked on it, even your wedding dress! I love the challenge of working with different textiles and perfecting the details of a new design. I got into fashion when I was a post-punk-emo-kid in high school on the West Island. I wanted skinny jeans like the musicians in NME magazine, but couldn’t find any, so I made them myself. A few years later, I stumbled into Lustre Boutique looking for a prom dress, and the rest is history!
If I’m not at the Boutique, I’m probably filling out a grant application for my next film (cue the gratuitous self-promotion: alexandrabegin.com), playing with my studio-dog-in-training, Jolene, or destroying my kitchen in some kind of elaborate culinary experiment. I’m a cold-weather bird that loves mornings but can’t get out of bed early enough to appreciate them. When I’m making clothes or cooking, I like to listen to podcasts, but I’m a curmudgeon that requires complete silence when I’m reading or writing. If I could live anywhere in the world other than Montreal, I would live in New Zealand for the following reasons:
1. Because I want Jacinda Ardern to be my prime minister
2. I want to live in a place where humans are only 5% of the population (9:1 sheep to human is the correct ratio)
3. You’ve seen Lord of the Rings, right?
RIN
I am the photographer at Lustre; I conceptualize and execute the shoots for the monthly launches. My goal is to seek out talent that is diverse in every way to paint a realistic and inclusive picture of the Lustre community. What excites me the most is that my world expands with each shoot! There is always something to learn from others, and as a team, we sure come together to create a unit.
I got into photography when I was 15 (a decade ago) after picking up and using my mom’s digital point and shoot camera. I spent a lot of time alone when I was younger, and I wanted to capture what I saw in my inner world. Now photography is a means to share, shed light, and expand. It’s a gift that I never take for granted.
I love Lustre because of the values it embodies--sustainability, body positivity, and liberty made one. Lustre is somewhere that I’ve always felt comfortable, safe, taken care of, and inspired. I feel incredibly grateful to work alongside a team of passionate, creative, and real women. The love they put into their work is phenomenal, and Yasmine’s designs are truly loved and appreciated every day and everywhere.
Some details about me:
Favourite colour? Green!
Morning, afternoon, early evening, or nighttime? I’m not really a morning person (I have trouble waking up early); however, I like the idea of being awake but in a state of rest in the morning (i.e. still in bed and comfortably reading). I like all times of day, though :)
Coffee or tea? J’aime les deux, but at heart, I’m a tea person. I guess it’s the Brit in me?
Preferred background noise? Music ... preferably a jazz record if we’re talking ideal situations.
Where would you live if not Montreal? I’d absolutely love to live in Auckland, London, Bridgetown, Havana, or Port-of-Spain. My heart gravitates to warmth.