DENORA
- Milan Tanedjikov
- Nov 8
- 2 min read
J.O. Boudreau has been orbiting LIGNES DE FUITE for nearly five years — part of the early studio energy, then quietly building their own world beside it. Under the name DENORA, they’ve developed a practice where craftsmanship and storytelling overlap — clothes that behave like characters. Now that world is stepping out of Montréal. DENORA will debut at Fashion Art Toronto (FAT), supported by 1664, bringing J.O. Boudreau’s surreal, good-natured chaos to a new crowd.
Their studio is never still. “Right now it’s between my home and the LDF space,” they say. “For hand-weaving, I stay home, but production days? Those are at LDF — surrounded by other designers, good energy, conversation.”
The rhythm — solitude and community — defines everything they make.“This collection is about having fun and letting your inhibitions go,” they say. “I see a group of friends laughing at a lavish table — mismatched mugs, ornate goblets — a joyful tea party in the woods. Mushrooms. Laughing.”
Then, almost like a confession: “The hardest part was deciding how absurd to go. I kept asking — is it too much?”
That question sits at the heart of their work. It wants to be taken seriously but refuses to act serious.“Every DENORA project is about trying to reach the flow state — being in the zone, daydreaming, losing track of yourself. I wanted to explore that through connection and conversation… and yeah, sometimes through psychedelics.”
They laugh, but the humor hides something heavier. Anxiety has become an aesthetic — neat and performative.“Everyone’s taking themselves too seriously,” they say. “I just want to have more fun.”
But fun has its limits. There’s rent to pay, fabric to buy. “The biggest struggle,” they say, “was proving I could mix wearables with more out-there looks.”They used to make only showpieces. Now they’re testing how far play can stretch before it snaps.
There’s always risk. “I want people to see themselves in the wearable pieces but also to follow the story,” they say. “The fear is they’ll think it’s too crazy.”They pause, half-smile.
“Maybe that’s fine.”
Credits:
Images LIGNES DE FUITE Words Milan Tanedjikov
RISING is a feature series by LIGNES DE FUITE, spotlighting designers in the midst of their ascent — when ideas are still raw and everything feels at stake.Each piece captures the moment a practice becomes visible: part encounter, part record, part news. More than coverage, RISING is an acknowledgment — that something vital is taking shape, that a voice is forming, and that becoming is worth remembering.
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