Subban willing to take fashion risks
There’s a saying that behind every well-dressed man is a woman, and for P.K. Subban, that woman is Maud Marquis-Breton.
Marquis-Breton is the co-owner of Montreal’s Sartorialto highend couture house on Papineau Avenue and is Subban’s coach when it comes to fashion.
She is a wardrobe specialist and the main stylist for Sartorialto and works along with her husband, Mark Patrick — who founded the company in 2007 — and Thomas Wickens, a designer and graduate of the London College of Fashion who moved to Montreal in March.
Together they put together the fancy suits Subban likes to wear.
The three-person Sartorialto team made three suits for Subban’s appearance at last month’s NHL Awards in Las Vegas, including the sensational red jacket with black trim and black pants he wore for his red-carpet appearance.
“It’s cashmere cotton ... it’s a velvet,” Patrick said during an interview at his store this week. “Wove in Italy. It’s very soft to touch ... it’s a beautiful cloth. The first time I saw it, I immediately thought the person that belongs on is P.K.”
Subban wore all the suits while working as a co-host at the awards. The Canadiens defenceman is a fashion designer’s dream: a very good-looking, famous young man who loves clothes and isn’t afraid to experiment.
“Before P.K., we had the captain, Saku (Koivu),” Patrick said. “And once he got traded, we didn’t have anybody on the team (as a client). By fluke, we met P.K. in a bar and exchanged cards. He came and paid us a visit a few weeks later.”
While Koivu’s fashion tastes were much more conservative, Subban is one of the few men who could look good in a red, velvet jacket.
“You have to take risks sometimes,” Patrick said. “But I think red is a beautiful colour for a Canadiens player ... for P.K. Or for somebody who has a little bit of flamboyant personality. He wears it with so much confidence.
“We’re always pushing the bar a little bit in terms of his style. He’s not scared to go places people have never been.”
The Sartorialto team also dresses Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin. Marquis-Breton said Bergevin has an eye for what he likes in fashion, but prefers to let her pick out his suits.
“He doesn’t choose that much,” Marquis-Breton said. “I choose stuff and he wears it.”
At 49, the super-fit Bergevin can pull off a lot of looks other men his age — not to mention other NHL general managers — simply can’t.
When asked who has more suits — Subban or Bergevin — Marquis-Breton responded immediately: “P.K., by far.” She figures Subban owns at least 40 suits, adding that the Sartorialto team has made at least 15 for him this year alone and that they are also working on a new closet for him.
Dressing like P.K. isn’t cheap. An “entry-level” suit at Sartorialto costs $1,200, with an average suit price of about $2,000. Subban’s red velvet jacket alone cost $2,800.