Seven Independent Québec Brands Making Quality Wares in the Province

Quebec has a number of artisans crafting beautiful jewellery, clothing, furniture, and more, highlighting the province’s independent streak and devotion to innovation and pushing boundaries. As well as in Montreal, Quebec’s beating creative heart, much is also produced elsewhere in the province. These seven brands are shining examples, all designing and producing their wares in la belle province.

Kastella (Montreal)

There’s a simple elegance in the wooden furniture Kastella crafts and sells in the city’s Mile End neighbourhood. Whether you are looking for rich black walnut or lighter maple, the company uses the natural lustre of timber to build timeless, beautiful pieces like modern dressers and midcentury-leaning chairs. The company also sources all of its woods in North America, keeping the entire process on the continent. This is furniture is meant to look as good a generation from now as it does today.
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Lamoureux & Sons (Saint-Basile-le-Grand)

The beauty of the knifework from Lamoureaux & Sons is in its ruggedness. While the handles are crafted from gorgeous metals, woods, and other materials, the knives have a certain style that highlights why these are built for traversing the wilderness. Most of the blades are made of S30V stainless steel known for durability and sharpness longevity. The company also backs all of its products with a lifetime warranty, which could come in handy given the unpredictability of heading into the wilderness.

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Onquata (Wendake)

While Onquata paddles are certainly worthy decorative pieces for a lakehouse or cabin, they’re built to actually use on the water. That said, they are also an homage to the artistic heritage of the Wendat First Nations community near Quebec City where the paddles are made. Each design is a nod to a different aspect of the community’s culture, and each paddle is painted by a local artisan.
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Gemmes Québec (Quebec City)

Among the province’s significant natural resources are gemstones that Gemmes Québec proprietor André Gagnon mines himself, then sets in sterling silver as part of a larger collection of Québécois jewelery such as amazonite rings, rosaline pendants, and labradorite bracelets.
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Midi34 (Quebec City)

Midi34 has a range of attainable jewellery, all designed and assembled in a small studio near Quebec City. The men’s pieces are decidedly modern (tennis bracelets and daisy chains), while the women’s collections lean more traditional, and even whimsical, at times. The brand has also done a number of collaborations, but it may be most known for a specific Midi34 x Simons series, available at most Simons stores across Canada.

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Naked & Famous Denim (Montreal and Stornoway)

In the world of selvedge denim and finely made casual shirts, there are fewer names with such a legacy than Naked & Famous Denim. The company has almost two decades of lineage making rigid jeans and doing workwear-style shirting and jackets long before chore coats came into fashion. Most in the menswear space know the brand for importing rare and sought-after rolls of Japanese denim, which it then turns into gorgeous pairs of jeans at its factories in Montreal and the Eastern Townships.

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Ergonofis (Montreal)

Building all of its wares in the province, Ergonofis offers practical office furniture. The focus, as the name implies, is on comfort and sensibility, but in a way that makes a day at the office feel that much more bearable.

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