A point of reference for slower fashion
Point de Repère began in a small Montréal atelier with a simple belief: clothes are worth keeping. What started as a repair bench has grown into a studio that mends, reworks, exhibits, and teaches.
A point de repère is a landmark — something to orient by. We hope to be exactly that for a fashion culture learning to slow down, repair more, and waste less.
Made from what already exists. Keeping textiles in circulation, one repair at a time.
Follow our journey on our blog (yes we still have one of those) and come visit us in the shop soon!
what guides us
Repair First
We keep textiles in use for as long as possible before anything else.
reuse always
Reclaimed and deadstock materials are the starting point for everything we make.
community-made
We share skills so repair and reuse can outlast us.
OUR RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT POLICY
At Point de Repère, we believe in making choices that benefit both people and the planet. Our mission is to reduce textile waste, promote the circular economy, and create a positive impact in Montreal and beyond. Our policy outlines our commitment to responsible sourcing to ensure our practices align with our values.
Our responsible sourcing policy is not just a document, it's a living commitment to continuous improvement. We value feedback and are dedicated to ensuring our practices reflect the highest standards of sustainability and ethical responsibility. You are choosing to support a business committed to making fashion more circular and kinder to people and the planet.
MEET THE founder
tara st james
Tara St James has worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years as founder of her own brand, Study NY, production manager, sustainability consultant, and educator. She built a sustainable textile library and sourcing service in Brooklyn to help the industry find responsible solutions. Tara also taught a sustainable material sourcing class at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has led ESG strategy, circularity and sustainable development at brands like Another Tomorrow in New York City and Moose Knuckles in Canada. She continues to support sustainability initiatives in the fashion industry as a consultant at Re:Sourced.
By aligning with her personal ethos, Tara has dedicated her career to driving genuine environmental and social change through innovative supply chain sustainability strategies with a focus on resilient and responsible sourcing practices, and by optimizing value chains and promoting sustainable solutions within the fashion industry and beyond.
Through consulting and leading ESG in-house for brands, Tara has had the opportunity to enhance sustainable sourcing practices by collaborating with next-generation textile suppliers and facilitating their product market introduction. One notable achievement was improving sustainable sourcing for fashion industry stakeholders, which not only involved developing transparent supply chains across multiple continents but also guiding brands of varying sizes towards sustainable sourcing and design strategies, including end-of-use solutions. This achievement underscores her capability in creating strategic supplier engagement approaches.
Tara launched Point de Repère in 2026 to bring some of these sustainability solutions to her beloved hometown of Montreal. Follow her journey of building, furnishing and outfitting the space through her musings on the blog (please forgive the occasional run-on sentences, there’s a lot to say!)