The unsexy work of building a thriving vintage business

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.”