The Coop Couturières Pop was born from the mobilization of four seamstresses who wanted to break with the poor working conditions in their environment. “We are former workers of the same clothing manufacturing company,” explains the general manager and co-founder Camille Goyette-Gingras. “We left this job with the feeling of having been violated in our rights. I thought that what we had experienced was exceptional, but I realized that it was widespread.”

After this failure, the woman whose life goal had always been to start a business thought about opening a sewing workshop. A friend suggested that she create a cooperative. “I hadn’t even thought about it,” she admits. “For me, the coop was associated with local service, neighbourhood life, the local café… I was probably afraid of not being taken seriously. However, it corresponded to my values! There are many little-known aspects of the cooperative model, like the cooperative investment plan which is so interesting!”

The seamstresses strike back

The first seamstresses' co-op in Quebec was created on August 26, 2019, as a for-profit workers' co-op. After a few months of operation, the pandemic struck. "When I heard the government calling on manufacturers to produce medical equipment, I wondered: where are they going to find seamstresses? There are no more in the factories! Many of them no longer do the job because of the working conditions. I said to myself: I'm going to bring them together. I'm going to call on the nation of seamstresses! If I bring together 100, that will be a great start. We received 5,400 applications."

Since then, Camille Goyette-Gingras has certainly had the largest database of seamstresses in Quebec. "The fact that we are a cooperative immediately gave the seamstresses confidence. The cooperative model is at the heart of our success. The members are all involved in the business. A cooperative cannot be sold, only the assets can be redistributed. The general management cannot go on a trip with the surplus, it is returned to the cooperative or in the form of rebates. And if the management is not up to the task, its members can change it!"

Not only did they bring the cooperative model back into fashion by engaging younger generation seamstresses, but they also restored the image of their profession. In the midst of the pandemic crisis, the co-op's seamstresses were accosted in the street like rock stars while passersby thanked them for their work. Premier François Legault even came to visit the workshop in Montreal's Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, accompanied by Mayor Valérie Plante.

“We are proud to be a sewing cooperative by and for women.

In our case, the pandemic allowed us to improve the conditions of our seamstresses. That was the goal, but it happened sooner than expected. We always made sure to take on contracts that we were able to deliver. We come out of it with a very good reputation, good values and a great reputation."

At the height of the COVID-19 crisis, there were 150 full-time seamstresses and 250 part-time seamstresses making medical equipment. Now that the situation has stabilized, the members of the co-op are preparing to open a second workshop dedicated to making medical equipment for Health Canada. When the hiring process is complete, there will be 25 members and employees in total.