Lucie Grégoire

Lucie Grégoire is a Montreal milliner who creates both ready-to-wear and custom-made hats. Her business Comme un chapeau has been on Parthenais Street since 2008. She also offers millinery courses to the general public.

Graduating with a degree in visual arts from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), Lucie Grégoire then studied millinery at LaSalle College, taking part in her first hat exhibition in Monte Carlo in 1987.

In 1990, she moved to France, hoping to open a boutique in Marseille. However, the project never got off the ground so she returned to Montreal and founded her atelier Lucie Grégoire Modiste in 1994, on Boyer Street.

Carmen hat, Rouge Opéra collection, 1991 © Raymond Sauvé. Photo courtesy of Lucie Grégoire

In 1996, she began creating hats for stage and screen. For example, her work could be seen in the film Snake Eyes, the play Le malade imaginaire at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, and the TV shows Marguerite Volant and Les orphelins de Duplessis. In addition, her hats were sold in several Quebec department stores—Simons until 2007 and Ogilvy until 2010. As of 2018, her wares were sold via the Etsy online platform or by appointment in her atelier.

Throughout her career, Lucie Grégoire has continued to develop her professional skills by taking classes in Canada and France, notably in felt moulding, fabric flower making, and feather work.

Her expertise has been recognized in competitions like the international hat art contest organized by the Atelier Musée du Chapeau hat museum in France, where she won first prize in 1999.

Lucie Grégoire’s work has been displayed in numerous exhibitions, notably at the Musée de l’Amérique francophone, the Musée de la civilisation à Québec, and the McCord Museum in Montreal.