Miss and Coco opened a new boutique in Quebec

Reusing children’s and maternity clothes is the mission of a Quebec company that helps save the planet.

Babies grow so fast that they don’t have time to wear their clothes. So with the intention of reducing waste, Patricia Benoist-Bouchard opened the first Mme et Coco boutique in Cap-Rouge in 2015 with her mother Guylaine.

“We have evolved over time. We are trying to minimize risks while still being attentive to our customers,” said Ms, who now owns two storefront stores. Bouchard said.

A second branch of Mlle et Coco was newly established in Lebourgneuf, Quebec City at 325, rue du Marais, in premises four times larger than the previous address.

“We’ve been looking for a new location for a year,” Ms. Bouchard said.

The inauguration of this new store took place yesterday. Among the novelties, the store offers used maternity clothing, which fills a need, according to the co-owner.

Some numbers

“Since the beginning, our corporate mission has been to reuse clothes for children aged 0 to 12 years. From day one of our inception, we wanted to educate customers about reusing clothes. They don’t wear for long, you can even give them a second and third life,” adds Ms. Bouchard.

According to Équiterre, global textile production has doubled in the last 15 years. About 4% of the world’s water reserves are used to produce clothes.

RECYC-QUÉBEC estimates that more than 12 kg of clothing per person is thrown away in the garbage each year.

In Quebec, nearly 287,000 tonnes were sent for disposal in 2019-2020, a 78% increase compared to 2011.

Products of Quebec

Miss and Coco buys used clothing from carefully selected individuals. Sellers receive a check or store credit. Over the years, the store has added strings to its bow.

It offers a variety of Quebec products, games, body care products and accessories. The boutique also sells new and used maternity clothing as well as new baby clothing patterns.

Having weathered the pandemic by showing innovation, particularly with her online sales site, Ms. Bouchard hopes to focus her efforts on encouraging people to embrace clothing reuse more.