Isaac Larose : Paris, Montreal, Quebec City

Beyoncé wore one, so did Kendrick Lamar: hats from Larose Paris are causing a sensation. Isaac Larose is a Québec City native, but it hasn’t gone to his head. It’s hard to believe, when you see where Isaac ended up, that he started out as a salesperson in a skate shop! “I sucked at skateboarding, but I loved the look!”

His passion for fashion is something he carried with him for a long time before it turned into a career. “I spent a semester studying at the Sciences Po, in Paris. That’s where I met Marc Beaugé. Together, we came up with the idea of creating a project based on a single accessory. Larose Paris was only supposed to last a single season!” Six years have passed, and the hype around their five-panel caps hasn’t let up.

During a party organized for his brand (in a clandestine bar on the roof of a building in Tokyo!), Isaac fell in love with speakeasies, inspired by the prohibition. Since then, along with mixologist Patrice Plante, he created Nénuphar, a bar hidden in Vieux-Limoilou, in Québec City. Leaning against the counter of the Madeleine, his natural wine bar (the Nénuphar’s waiting room), Isaac sports an open smile. “You know”, he says, twirling his glass, “under the whole fashion thing, at the core, I’m pretty much white trash!” He bursts out laughing and continues: “Trying out all sorts of things is fun, but in the end, we really don’t need much.”

ISAAC’S FAVOURITES

Le Moine Échanson, “It’s the restaurant where I discovered natural wines.”

The Saint-Roch Marina, “I’ve always been a fan of brutalist design, and it’s also where I go swimming every day.”

Hono Izakaya, “The best value for money! And it brings back memories from Japan.”