THE DAILY
July 25, 2022
Valérie is a native of Lac-Saint-Jean, born to a Quebec father and an Aboriginal mother. If her mother left the family nest very young, Valérie was still immersed in her culture, through her family and her interests.
“I always knew I was Aboriginal and I was proud of that. I was not brought up there, but as soon as I was older, I wanted to visit, get involved, take part in the activities", recounts the one who worked for the Band Council for five years, in an interview with The Daily.
It was therefore natural for her to establish her business in Mashteuiatsh, the place where she finds a large part of her inspiration.
His eclectic journey has finally paid off. “All these courses have finally served me. I still sought out several qualities as an entrepreneur throughout my career, which makes it quite interesting and which helps me a lot today,” she says, laughing.
At the end of her school career, Valéry returned to her region, more inspired than ever. She continued to work in accounting while completing her business start-up course at Forgescom, in order to take steps to set up Mikuniss Collection.
First collection
The 35-year-old designer is therefore preparing her first collection, which will include a wide range of products. Basic unisex pieces that will showcase the talents of Aboriginal artists, fashion accessories, transformed fur coats, women's ready-to-wear: the collection has a host of very different axes, but all of them will highlight the Innu culture. Moreover, all the pieces will be sold mainly online, on the entrepreneur's website, which will be unveiled on the day of the show.
All of Valéry Larouche's creations are designed to contribute to sustainable development, for example by using natural fibers or by recovering certain materials. The pillars of his project are environmental protection, social equity and economic viability.
To unveil the fruit of this work, Valéry is organizing a very first parade, on the Uashassihtsh site, on September 24th. The event is organized in collaboration with two other businesses in the community, namely Matsheshu Créations and Robertson accessoires et tradition. For Valéry, it was important to take the opportunity to share the talent of local artists.