It all started in bins, not on a boutique floor: For years, LE NINETY’s founder Steven Labbé built a business sourcing, washing, and trading vintage clothes long before they ever hit a rack.
“It’s not a sexy process,” co-owner Cédric Comte explains. “You end up washing tons of clothes from export warehouses in commercial laundries.”
When Comte met Labbé in 2022, the back-end had outgrown the basement. There were partnerships in Toronto, pop-ups under his belt, and a dream to open a store in Montreal. Comte, a marketing professional and event producer, saw the potential.
“Steven is like the heart of the company,” he says. “At some point, all of the items people have bought throughout the years… have been touched at least once by Steven.”
For readers who care about Montreal
Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.
![The Bulletin: Summer’s last stand, a world-famous pothole, and politicians pulling pints [Issue #147]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthemain.ghost.io%2Fcontent%2Fimages%2F2025%2F09%2F54789127323_4650d521c5_b.jpg&w=640&q=75)
![The Bulletin: The 201st St. Patrick's Day Parade, Doom-Scrolling Performance Art, and Live Jazz in a Skyscraper [Issue #173]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthemain.ghost.io%2Fcontent%2Fimages%2F2026%2F03%2F639814571_1405587904703075_6311450862363727259_n.jpg&w=256&q=75)
