Anne Mulaire began designing at the age of 14. She was part of various contemporary dance groups and could not find comfortable dancewear. So she decided to take things into her hands and began designing independently.
For the next ten years, she created costumes for Nafro Dance Productions, which helped her become more conscious of movement and cultural sensitivity. Her emphasis on comfort and style, along with these guiding principles, inspires her creations.
Building A Brand
Anne Mulaire graduated from one of Canada’s top design programs, the LaSalle College School of Fashion Design in Montréal. Following her studies, she established MJAnne Couture as a sole proprietorship in honor of her twin sister, Marie-Josée. She began her first collection of comfort clothing in her parent’s basement and named it Hug Me.
During her career, she changed her operating name to Voilà par Andréanne to emphasize her French héritage. At this stage, her designs began to take on a more structured appearance while remaining comfortable but not completely casual.
Today, she operates under the name Anne Mulaire.
Inspired by Héritage
Andréanne (Anne) Mulaire Dandeneau was born in St. Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba, the homeland of the Red River Métis Nation. Growing up, she was taught to embrace her Anishinaabe/French Métis heritage, respect everyone, and honour our shared planet. These teachings continue to guide her as a businesswoman, a designer, and, most importantly, as an individual.
Anne’s designs are inspired by her Anishinaabe/French Métis heritage and her most prominent and influential ancestor, Catherine Mulaire. She was the first rural Anishinaabe/Métis teacher in the Red River Settlement and an accomplished seamstress and embroiderer.
The family still owns samples of Catherine’s embroidery, and one of her works inspired Anne to create the design for Catherine’s Vine.
The Métis Fashion House
Anne Mulaire is a sustainable Métis Fashion House that empowers women and inspires pride. Their clothing lines honour Canada’s French, Indigenous, and Métis characters. With hints of Prairie culture, notes of the North, and shades of the Pacific Northwest. Anne Mulaire expresses heritage, beauty, comfort, and pride.
Their prints are handcrafted by the Indigenous Métis Elder, David Albert, Andréanne’s father, and use only natural fabrics like organic hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, linen, and Tencel. The brand operates its textile facilities, champions ethical and just-in-time manufacturing and is home to a successful Zero-Waste program. Anne Mulaire is an inclusive brand offering sizes from XXS-6X.
Anne Malaire emphasizes conscious design and conscious consumption. Their production starts with comfort and versatility and ends with pieces that are good for those who wear them and good for the planet we live on.
Their designs and clothing are nature-inspired, and people and the planet work together to create comfortable and quality clothing of all sizes. As a business guided by strong ethics, they are a designer label that ensures comfort, confidence, and pride.
Ethical and Sustainable
The knits are unique to Anne Mulaire as their fabric is exclusive to their brand, where they take responsibility for its quality and impact on our planet.
Their fabrics are milled and knitted in Ontario by a company that adheres strictly to the Oeko Tex Standard, which ensures materials are free of hazardous chemicals. They are an eco-friendly and eco-efficient brand that uses bamboo, organic cotton, hemp, Sorona and TENCEL, grown without pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.
Their entire production process takes place on Canadian soil, and they take pride in owning their own 100% vertical sewing and textile manufacturer. By owning their manufacturer, they deliver the best products possible and help produce jobs that support the local economy.
They make small, made-to-order batches and offer a high level of customization. As a result, they have very little stock and no large warehouses of unsold clothes that inevitably end up in landfills.
They also champion ethical employment and ensure equal opportunities for all. They place inclusivity, justice, and honesty at the center of everything and believe that jobs should empower communities, not hold them down.
To facilitate this, they partner with Fair Trade Certified factories that provide safe working conditions, living wages, and a pollution-free environment that’s kind to our planet and the employees.
Anne Mulaire is a Canadian, women-led, Indigenous-owned and sustainably made brand shaped by Canada. For more information, visit the website at https://annemulaire.com/.
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