Paris women join artist Marguerite Larmand to create roots coat for fashion week

At a WIWWI meeting, Jennifer Budd presents the Roots Coat, where members asked questions about its design and inspiration.

Rubyyy Jones

Cultural Correspondent

Arts, culture and craft has always been a pillar of Paris’ identity and economy, and this rich creative environment has enticed many artists to land, root and flourish in our community. We are home to thousands of artisans and artists, including Installation Artist & Project Facilitator Marguerite Larmand. 

Larmand works in various mediums and will be featured in the upcoming ‘The Other Paris Fashion Week’ on Saturday October 4th with an amazing collection of textile and fibre creations. The Naturalist’s Closet Project will include a piece made in collaboration with Paris’ Women Inspiring Women Women’s Institute (WIWWI) titled: The Roots Coat. 

Larmand, born in 1939 in Victoria Harbour on the southern shores of Georgian Bay, grew up in a farming community. From the ages of seven to thirteen, she took part in nearly all aspects of farm life while also creating private spaces and objects that reflected her deep physical and spiritual connection with nature. 

Larmand retired from formal teaching in 1995 and transitioned into life as a full-time practicing artist, presenting her first public gallery exhibition at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Among the installation works in that show, Part of the Fabric, was Donning the Coat of Nature—a metaphor for her commitment as a visual artist to, as she described it, “wear my values.” The following year, in 1996, she launched The Naturalist’s Closet Project in North Bay, Ontario, a body of work that will mark thirty years in 2026.

Larmand explained her creative process: “Each coat has a planning process and with so much research and writing on the forest, and how trees are integral to the vitality of Brant, the roots of the trees became our subject for the Roots Coat.” 

As Larmand’s work is deeply intertwined with the land, the life around her informs so many choices within her creations “The background for the Roots Coat is heavy woven cotton, a mix of fibre tones to resemble the gravelly soil of Paris. The yarns used for crewel embroidery were wool, linen, silk and cotton, always one-ply or what is called lace weight; a small few stitches were decided upon to begin ‘drawing with a needle and yarn’ roots that has absorbed the rich colours of the minerals in the soil.” 

Recently, Larmand partnered with the Women Inspiring Women – Women’s Institute (WIWWI) to introduce her work and give members a chance to explore their own creativity. Each of the nineteen WIWWI participants selected the tree associated with their birth month—for example, birch for January—and then researched its roots, habits, and unique characteristics. This groundwork guided them as they began creating their assigned sections of the Roots Coat.

Participants described the experience as both inspiring and transformative. “The coat project was an engaging project which pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’m glad I decided to give it a go and am proud to have played a small part in a big, wonderful enterprise,” said WIWWI member Monique Giroux.

Fellow member Laura Tousaw reflected, “Participating in this collaborative art project allowed me to reflect deeply on the meaningful connections I've made with my Women's Institute friends, not unlike the deep connections of tree root systems. While we can't physically see these connections, they exist in space and time, through transfer of energy, support, and love, by showing up, being present and wholly yourself. This experience helped me slow down, find meaning in the work in my hands, hold close to my heart what it represents, and more firmly connect me to this community of fabulous women.”

This collaborative project is a rare example of community creativity at its finest, and the public is invited to experience the results firsthand at The Other Paris Fashion Week on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at the For Paris Centre. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features a fashion and art market alongside two runway shows spotlighting local designers and makers: The Nith Show at noon and The Grand Show at 1 p.m. Admission is free, with donations at the door supporting future fashion and wearable art events.