La Brise du Sud

It is a well-known fact that the Quebecois love to head south for a week or two during the dreariest winter months, and who could blame them? Before setting off on their journey, snowbirds ought to make a pit stop on Saint-Denis Street in the heart of the Plateau to peruse La Brise du Sud’s essential collection of quality swimwear.

The boutique is the brainchild of Élise Rouleau, herself an inveterate traveller and sun worshipper. “This all started when I was running my own windsurfing school in Venezuela. I kept noticing how South-Americans always had the best, most original and prettiest swimsuits, really cool stuff I hadn’t seen before,” she says.

Out of a desire to bring the people of Quebec and Canada a finer selection of swimwear, Élise started contacting large South American brands, and launched La Brise du Sud upon her return to Montreal. “I started by importing established brands and supplying other retailers around the country, including my own," says Élise. "But since Canadian morphologies tend to be different from the South American type, I quickly started specializing in the re-designing of patterns; I wanted my customers to feel as proud and beautiful in their swimsuits as the designer intended them to look.”