Montreal Hats : Corine.andthebee
Our story begins…
Our protagonist, Corine, took delight in fashioning together accessories for the hair. She experimented with making them at home; floral headbands, lace veils, clip-on braided headpieces, oh the fun! Besides the enjoyment she got from assembling and creating, she also realized that there wasn’t many people doing this. It soon opened up to her as being a “need” for the general public, and therefore a business. This understanding helped develop hair accessories into hats, and hats into a business. Corine taught herself the art, and 18 years later we arrive to the current time of her story. The story of Corine and…
Ophelie Hats
Montreal, Quebec
What’s happening at Ophelie?
Fedoras, touques, sun hats, baseball caps, cloche(s), you name it, she’s got it! And if she doesn’t? She will custom make it! This is to be believed as an exceptional motion which her business has to offer. Corine will work with you to make sure you get the hat of your dreams. Design, colour, fabric, you can essentially build-your-own-hat.
Corine travels all over the world to source the best materials to make her hats of the finest quality for the best value. It is important to her to provide a fashionable product that is also affordable.
Two collections are designed every year at Ophelie; a spring collection and a fall collection. Each collection has between 50-60 pieces including hats and hair accessories.
Commodities are made in the studio (which just so happens to be on location in the shop.) They use a method called blocking. Blocking is the process by which a hat is given its shape. They have a wild assortment of blocks that came from all over the world; new, and vintage.
“In millinery, ‘blocking’ is the process of shaping material onto a mould to form the body of the hat. Hat blocks are the moulds used in this process. They are usually carved from wood, but you can also find aluminium and poly blocks…*read more*
Why Supporting Local is important to her…
Corine sees that people are tired of buying factory-made products. More and more people are becoming receptive to hand-makers. People are thrilled to get handmade quality items. She loves to see the surprise from people when they see reasonable prices. So many of us think that with local handmade products, come high unaffordable prices. This doesn’t have to be the case and Corine looks to show that. She believes that more people are supporting local, and it’s something that’s happening naturally. There is a new-wave of the generation who are redefining what consumerism means.
“If you could have a coffee with anyone (living or dead) who would it be and why?”
“Epictetus. He was a Greek philosopher. Born a slave, he was such a good worker that his master freed him. I read his book, he has only one book. He had such a hard life, but that didn’t matter, he was so positive. He always spoke of the essence of what is good. So I would love to have a coffee with such a wise man.
On a more nostalgic side, I should wish to sit with my father. It has been a long time and I would love for him to know the woman I’ve become.”
authors side note:
I really enjoyed visiting Ophelie. The staff were very welcoming and kind, and it had a feeling of family. Corine was so generous, she let me part with a gift.
Information
Address:
3868 St Laurent Blvd,
Montreal, Quebec H2W 1Y2
Hours
Monday – 10:30-18:00
Tuesday – 10:30-18:00
Wednesday – 10:30-18:00
Thursday – 10:30-19:00
Friday – 10:30-19:00
Saturday – Fermé/Closed
Sunday – 11:00-18:00
Don’t forget to leave a comment
🙂
Wow!!!!!!! Lovely and colorful hats.