If you haven’t yet met Steeve Lapierre, now is the time. As marketing and creative director at Ofélia, he brings a rare mix of strategic vision, fashion instinct, and deep understanding of the client experience. Before Ofélia, Steeve was vice-president of marketing at Montréal’s legendary Ogilvy, where he played a leadership role in shaping brand image, visual identity, customer experience, and the way fashion was brought to life in-store. He has long understood fashion not simply as product or trend, but as a cultural language—one that reflects how women live, what they desire, and the moment they’re living through. He later carried that expertise through the store’s transition into the Holt Renfrew Ogilvy era.
At Ofélia, Steeve has built something deeply personal: a fashion environment shaped by intuition, precision, and an exceptional understanding of women’s lives. As one of Canada’s most distinctive destinations for beautifully made European fashion, Ofélia reflects his quieter, more meaningful idea of luxury, with a carefully chosen edit of pieces selected for their quality, character, and ability to build personal style over time. In this Diary exclusive, the thought leader shares his views on the state of fashion retail, the Ofélia experience, where the industry is headed, and his picks for a glamorous spring season:
THE STATE OF FASHION RETAIL
In my opinion, luxury is going through a cultural correction. For too long, style was confused with brand signaling: the logo of the moment, the it-bag, the shoe of the season, all at increasingly extravagant prices. Even “quiet luxury,” now so overused it can describe almost any expensive beige aesthetic, shows the limits of that conversation. What is returning is taste, point of view, and composition. Clients still want quality, but more and more they’re looking for something personal: not a branded identity, but a style that feels like their own.
THE OFÉLIA EXPERIENCE
At Ofélia, fashion is not about dictating trends, but helping women keep expressing who they are. Our clients are not a target market; they’re a community. We work in three dimensions: what she has loved, what she needs now, and who she is becoming. That is why the role of the sales associate has evolved into that of a true in-store stylist—not someone who simply pulls the right size or recreates a look-book silhouette, but someone who understands a woman’s energy, removes artificial barriers around age or silhouette, and helps her discover a style that feels truly her own.
THE FUTURE OF FASHION RETAIL
I believe the future of fashion retail will be smaller, sharper, and more personal. Less square footage can actually mean more precision: a tighter edit, more thoughtful buying, and a clearer point of view. Niche does not mean elitist; it means coherent, intentional, and client-centered. This model can exist in luxury, in a boutique for teenagers, or even in vintage. The common thread is a well-edited selection. The greatest luxury will no longer be owning the piece seen everywhere in advertising campaigns. It will be developing a strong personal style, with the help of an instore stylist who knows you well enough to find the right piece for your life, your taste, and your energy.
PARTY READY FOR A GLAMADA
SPRING SUMMER
For a Glamada spring summer, I love pieces that create impact without looking overworked: fluid tailoring, the right dress—one that moves beautifully and feels made for you—a touch of shine, and accessories that finish a look with confidence rather than noise. What matters most is not wearing a trend head to toe, but creating a silhouette that feels personal, modern, and alive. The best party dressing always has a sense of ease to it. When a woman looks unmistakably like herself, just elevated for the moment, that is when fashion is most glamorous.
Photos OFÉLIA
For more on Steeve and to shop Ofélia’s spring/summer collections, visit their website at ofelia.ca.
