Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise in recognition of the tremendous work being done by fashion designer Bougaricci.
At 41 years of age, Marc Lessard traded his construction career for sewing machines and decided to set up shop in his hometown. He took a chance on making Valleyfield a fashion mecca, just like Milan. He is known for being a visionary, a dreamer, and a bit of a madman—all completely true.
He also decided that all of his creations would be 100% made in Quebec. His passion, his straight talk, and the unique quality of his clothing have charmed many, myself included. A bit of a darling in the region, he has been named ambassador of the Beauharnois-Salaberry RCM. He has been hosting more and more events at his shop, including tastings of local products and a performance by Yann Perreau for the Artefact festival, in order to showcase local artists and entrepreneurs.
Bougaricci has dressed more than 40 Quebec artists, including Véronique Cloutier and Dead Obies. His program, #Bougaricci , on Véro.tv recently earned this generous, bearded, bespectacled gentleman a Gemini award. This guy is amazing.
Master Bougaricci, thank you for putting your heart and soul into everything you do and for believing in Valleyfield.