GRAND OPENING OF BOUTIQUE EQUINOXE

By Nathalie Cauwet

Le Journal Ski-se-Dit, August 2008

It is in a festive, family and feminine atmosphere that the Boutique Equinoxe officially welcomed its first customers when it opened on July 3. 

Festive by the colors, the great selection of products and the general atmosphere. Family-friendly because no less than three generations welcome you to this superb boutique. Feminine, because this shop is a girl's story. Indeed, Maria-Elena, the owner works with her daughter Mayali as well as with her mother who is also named Maria-Elena. Also join the team is friends such as Abigaël who was present that day.

One of the first things you notice when you enter this 1001 Nights décor are the colors. Red, orange, green, blue. The exotic is at its height. Colors are everywhere. As much on the walls as in the creations of Maria-Elena. The fabrics are shimmering, the decorative items colorful while the jewelry and dark wood of the furniture made of exotic essences enhance the whole. Yes, at Equinoxe, in addition to finding clothes, you can also find furniture, decorate your home and even try out various musical instruments. When we asked Maria-Elena where the idea for Equinoxe came from, she tells us: "When I was 4 years old, I made my first fashion designs... Under the direction of my grandmother I made dresses for my dolls. Later, I always created and transformed my clothes. As a teenager, I already had a style of my own. Subsequently, my passion grew and evolved from my first trips abroad. My friends also often encouraged me by asking me to bring them back or to create an original piece for them. From there, I had only one step to take to become officially a fashion designer. Self-taught, I worked hard to bring to light my first designs. For 16 years now I have been creating one collection per year.

I create my designs here in Quebec, then I send them to Bali where Balinese artisans reproduce them by hand on natural fabrics to create the batiks that will become my collection. The process consists of applying dye baths to fabrics, starting with the lightest tones. Melted wax is applied to the places that need to be preserved before soaking to keep areas lighter. After drying, the operation can be repeated with another color as many times as necessary. In the end, we obtain a fabric where different tones or juxtaposed contrasts mingle, forming all kinds of patterns. For several years, I opened and ran the first version of the Boutique Equinoxe in Ste-Adèle. When the time came to expand the store to be able to increase my clothing and jewelry collections and add decorative items or furniture that I brought back from my travels, the choice of Val-David seemed obvious to me.

This is how my team and I created our shop from A to Z. We built the building, the walls and decorated it to our taste. In short, this new Boutique Equinoxe looks like us and I see it as an accomplishment. We want people to feel good there. 

Come see us! Give us a hello on the way! 

"Indeed, it feels good in this beautiful new Boutique Equinoxe.''