Sheila Dassin

Sheila Dassin is a designer of women’s ready-to-wear, especially evening wear and business attire. She is known for using rich fabrics like brocades and other silks.

Born in Haiti, Sheila Dassin moved to Quebec in 1992. In 1998, she graduated in fashion design from the Académie Julien in Montreal. The following year, she created her first women’s clothing collection and opened a store on St. Denis Street, working from her atelier at 555 Chabanel Street. Some models were produced on-site, while others were sent out to subcontractors. Her creations were sold by various retailers in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto and New York.

In 2000, Sheila Dassin took part in the Fusion 2000 fashion event, organized as part of the Vues d’Afrique International Film Festival, joining an African diaspora that asserts its identity while participating fully in Montreal culture.

After closing her St. Denis Street store in 2009, for two years Sheila Dassin headed the design department of Sélection As, a manufacturer specialized in leather clothing, and then worked as manager-supervisor for retailer Peter Nygard International from 2012 to 2016.

In 2016, the designer opened a new shop under her name in the Centre Laval shopping centre. In addition to selling her own label, she sold several Italian brands of high-end women’s ready-to-wear. This store closed its doors in the fall of 2018. Since then, Sheila Dassin has worked for an industrial design firm specialized in aircraft seat design.