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Small Talk

We started small. And we mean very small. Exactly 21 inches small.

In 2014, Aude Le Dubé created her first handmade fabric dolls. Because she is passionate about fashion, she dressed them in the coolest clothes she could imagine and even collaborated with the greatest fashion designers in Montreal.

That's how the idea of designing a matching line for childen started to grow.  She had not forgotten what her favourite childhood outfits looked and felt like. She remembered what her own kids liked to wear and what she enjoyed purchasing for them. Finally, during the Summer of 2017, she consulted children around her and asked them to help her design her first collection in what turned out to be a bona fide creative board meeting!

That explains why our first line is fun, comfortable, full of surprises, pockets and soft fuzzy fabrics.

And just because she loves her products so much, she created them in adult sizes so she could wear them as well. Not so so small indeed...

 

To us, fashion is art. No designer is more touching than Yohji Yamamoto. He turns fabric into poetry.

savoir faire

We put all our time and care into making our dolls truly unique. Here, you'll discover how the Petites come to life.

A few words (actually more than a few) on the Petite Dolls. Above all, they are handmade. That isn't to say that we don’t use sewing machines - we do. Rather, it means  that they are made one at a time. That's what makes them all different, all unique. The eyes and the mouth are embroidered with cotton floss, according to the embroiderer's mood that day  (which, it tuns out, is always pretty cheerful). Tomboy, princess, bookworm -  each doll has a personality of her own. We are not sure just how this little miracle happens but we are not trying too hard to figure it out. Some smile, others don’t, but they are all guaranteed to be entirely made of tenderness and poetry.

It takes (at least) three experts to make a doll.

 

First, we cut the 100% coton fabric according tour own exclusive doll patten. Our fabric comes in four shades: ivory, copper, amber and ebony. Then Jyoti, our doll body specialist, sews and stuffs each part of the doll before hand-stitching it together.

Meanwhile, Aude is busy designing clothes and picking fabrics. Every new outfit we design requires a different pattern, just like in the full-size world of fashion. Then, Tauts cuts and sews the clothes. His studio is located 40 feet away fron coton mouton's.

Finally, Aude embroiders the dolls’ faces before hand-stiching and styling the hair.

Each doll, including her clothes, takes over 4 hours to come to life (a lot more for the designers' dolls).

As a finishing touch, we check every part of the cloth doll to ensure she is as perfect as possible, we play with her a little bit and we take lots of pictures.

The hair on our Petites is made of natural yarn  (merino, mohair, alpaca) or of a mohair blend. First, the hair is hand-stitched directly onto the doll’s head, one layer at a time. The, we play hairdresser cutting and styling it.

This is the most fragile part of the doll. It can be torn away. Human hair tends to grows back. Doll hair doesn’t. All it takes is a little explaining to the playing child: dolls represent people, so it is important to treat them with care. Trust them, children  understand this and will likely apply the same principle to other living beings around them. .

That being said, a doll is a doll, and we will gladly fix it for free if it has been loved a little to vigorously (although postage is at your expense). Send us a picture first and we will tell you whether the damage can be repaired. We promise to break the news as gently as we can.

Hair apart, our dolls are strong. They are machine-washable on low temperature if you put a stocking's foot over the head (avoid fishnet!). Air drying is recommended.  Clothes are little bit more complicated. We recommend hand-washing linen and cotton items in cold water and we disapprove of dryers. We really do.

When it comes to silk, wool, embroidered outfits or anything with feathers and such (as will happen) spot cleaning is best. Baby powder works wonderfully on grease stains.

 

CONTACT

+1 514-566-2956

351, avenue Duluth Est

Montréal (Québec) H2W 1J3

Canada

CANADA

info@cotonmouton.com

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