Since I am the founder of this fledgling home industry, let me introduce myself to those of you who may be curious. In the beginning…I grew up and played in the streets and alley-ways of St-Henri, a traditional Montreal childhood. After primary and secondary schooling at FACE (Fine Arts Core Education), i earned a DEC in social studies at the Cegep St-Laurent. And so followed a few trips to diverse places around the planet in preparation for what is called “deciding what to do with my life”, as if anybody were capable of predicting the future. And so, after enrolling in the school of education at UQAM, I completed—with passion and pleasure—the provincial requirements for working as an educator in a daycare (now call CPE). But before settling in, there were, of course, other places on the planet to visit, other experiences to savour, other plans to make… and unmake. And thus, among all this possibility, arrived love… my time to found a family. Three beautiful bambinos, born in and into our house, under the warm supervision of a mid-wife and far from the cold light of the hospital. Desiring to accompany my children during their early years, we bought a house situated in the wide open spaces of the Quebec countryside, looking out on the beauties of the Appalachians, close to the earth.

As the children grew in age and experience, I tried to solve the eternal dilemma of juggling those often contradictory responsibilities of career and family. So I searched for a home-based business which might conciliate work, family and a certain passion for “the impossible dream.” While pondering the pros and cons of agricultural production, or a private day care facility, I made a minute inventory of my own capabilities, gifts and talents. Among them, yes, making something new and unusual from something old and familiar. I had always been a sewing buff and was struck by the idea of artistic recycling, the transformation of ordinary material into extraordinary products. And, thus, plunging into this multi-facetted universe of production and marketing out of our home, I found myself thriving on the hustle and bustle of meetings, designing, the hunting and gathering of fabric, contracting, producing, displaying, selling, protecting the planet, reflecting, discovering myself and others, perfecting, creating…

It is probable that eco-designing is part of my genetic make-up. My great-grand parents, blessed with wall-to-wall children, had no choice but to recycle shirts and skirts to clothe their growing brood. When I first appeared on the planet, my parents clothed me in their mutual creation of cotton and velvet, my first dress “Peace and Love.” And I have memories of learning to darn the knees of favourite slacks—when I was six years old. Adolescent, I would have been an eager and willing adept of the national pastime of shopping had not my father insisted on taking me to a neighbourhood shop to choose patterns and fabrics, before spending the afternoon with scissors, needle and thread in my hands, and lots of dress-up ideas in my head. When I was 16 and graduating from high school, I chose carefully the pattern for my ball gown, which my dear father produced with loving perfection. And, later on, I often had the pleasure of sewing (freestyle!) articles of clothing or Halloween costumes for friends and acquaintances. And, today, this sartorial passion has become my primary occupation, contributing not only to the economic health of our household, but also allowing me to make joy out of matter. Not bad for a 30-year old woman, trying to grow interiorly within the habitual, though necessary, restraints of family routine.

If by chance you may be wondering about the origins of the company name KNINK UNIKETIK, suffice it to say, most of the interesting names I dreamed up seemed to be already the property of someone else or unworthy of what I wanted to do. No one idea seemed to capture the spirit of the enterprise. So I tried to invent something which no one had ever imagined. What better name, then, than KNINK UNIKETIK. Pronounce it if you can…you’ll like it.

Thanks to one and all, responsible consumers. Hope to meet you soon.
Lysandre