On February 14, 2005, Amélie Gingras-Rioux and Annie Chagnon founded Annie 50, a ready-to-wear fashion label for women that aims to enhance the feminine allure of all who wear it. Over the years, the company has successfully made its mark thanks to its unique style and, as a result, has carved out an important place in Quebec’s fashion industry.

The designers draw their inspiration from major trends of past decades, to which they add their own special touch of modernity. A fusion of vintage fashion with contemporary trends, Annie 50 designs stand out as much for their originality as for their timelessness.

Furthermore, the designers strive to highlight the modern woman’s best assets with their designs, offering a wide selection of fabrics, colours and prints. Often form-fitting and always comfortable, garments are designed to suit the active woman’s lifestyle while satisfying her desire for feminine, flirtatious appeal.

For this reason, even if the label offers complete collections season after season, Annie 50 is best known for its dresses, to which the label’s success can, for the most part, be attributed.

The designers met while working at the boutique, Aime Com Moi, after having completed their respective courses of study: Annie, who had studied fashion design at the Collège Marie-Victorin was working as an assistant designer, while Amélie, who had completed a fashion marketing program at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), was managing the boutique.

They discovered that they had a great deal in common and consequently became friends. It was in discussing their many shared interests that they came to share the same dream: to launch their own clothing label. It was clear that above and beyond their complementary skill sets, their personalities were equally as compatible to take on this new and exciting challenge.

Annie 50 firmly supports ethical production practices where all garments are created and made in Quebec. The company upholds a sustainable philosophy by maintaining high levels of quality to best reflect Quebec manufacturing. While most of the label’s carefully-chosen fabrics generally come from Asian manufacturers, some are woven in Montreal exclusively for Annie 50. Furthermore, the company prioritizes the hiring of local production personnel in order to support the local economy.

To date, Annie 50 designs are available in over 60 boutiques across Canada and will soon be distributed in the United States, where one boutique already offers the clothing line.