If we want our artists and craftspeople to be seen as world-class entrepreneurs, they need to be equipped as such. That's why our accelerator is proud to unveil its complete collection of workwear and presentation apparel for the Spring/Summer 2026 season. This isn't just "promotional merchandise." It's the new uniform for the creative elite.

The time for big decisions has arrived for Le Socle. Our mission has been clear from day one: to transform creative workshops into structured, profitable, and exportable businesses. To help our creators transition from hobbyists to successful entrepreneurs.

Tricentris has just made a major splash by announcing the opening of Quebec's first shopping centre entirely dedicated to secondhand goods. For the general public, this is excellent environmental news. But for us at Le Socle, it's a wake-up call signaling a major paradigm shift: the circular economy is no longer a basement project, it's a market to be conquered.

At that time, our founder, Max Doré, was the president and founder of the underwear brand UNDZ. The company was experiencing explosive international growth and forging numerous bold collaborations with giants of the global art world, such as Ai Weiwei and the designer Walter Van Beirendonck.

They describe themselves as "Pythagorean-Cubist Dada-rock Mantra." They play masked with a microtonal guitar, sing the praises of Parisian pâté, and sometimes throw sardines into the crowd. On paper, it sounds like commercial suicide. But in the reality of 2026? The Saguenay duo Angine de Poitrine is packing venues across Quebec and is currently touring France.

Pour la première collection (Septembre 2026), notre fondateur Max Doré dépoussière ses crayons. L'ancien créateur derrière la marque culte UNDZ signe le design de cette première "drop".

The historic Jean-Talon Station, an architectural gem, will not house a public market or an independent art gallery. It is becoming the new home of... the Value Village. But be warned, this is not the cluttered warehouse you know. A new "Boutique" concept, more refined, more curated, more "expensive".

It's February 9, 2026. Outside, Quebec City is celebrating its winter. Bonhomme is there, smiling, iconic. But behind the friendly image, there's a marketing unease that everyone senses, but no one dares to name.

The shoe craftsman (the "customizer") no longer simply paints a flower on a Nike Air Force 1. He deconstructs it. He tears off the factory-made synthetic leather and replaces it with precious materials: genuine python, vintage Japanese denim, silk velvet, or scraps of recycled luxury handbags.

If your art is refined, your packaging should be too. If your art is raw and eco-friendly, your packaging should be as well (no Styrofoam!). If your art is playful (like UNDZ), your packaging should bring a smile.

A colorful and textured revolution is underway in the world of crafts: Sculptural Tufting. What began as a viral trend on TikTok (those satisfying videos of wool being "pulled" at high speed) has become, by 2026, a major art form exhibited in galleries.

This isn't science fiction. It's Bio-Design, and more specifically, Mycelium technology. It's a quiet revolution that's transforming the world of craftsmanship and sustainable design, and it might just find its promised land right here in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli. Imaginez que vous n'avez qu'à planter une graine... et attendre.

An artist's Instagram feed used to resemble an immaculate art gallery: luminous photos, a perfectly tidy studio, clean hands, and sublime, finished works. They were selling a dream. They were selling the idea that creation was a smooth, flowing process.

We are witnessing the explosion of "Visible Mending" and upcycling. This movement, far from being a passing fad, is a philosophical and aesthetic response to fast fashion. Consumers no longer want disposable products; they want stories.

There was a time, not so long ago, when Etsy was the promised land. It was the digital haven for artisans, a friendly marketplace where "handmade" actually meant something. For a creator from Saint-Jean-Port-Joli or Montreal, it was the ideal showcase to reach the world.

For some, he's a neo-pop genius holding up a brilliant mirror to our consumer society. For others, he's the ultimate embodiment of the art market's decline: the triumph of marketing over meaning, of the "product" over emotion. When a stainless steel balloon dog sells for $91 million, the question inevitably arises: is it still art, or is it high finance?

In the cultural imagination of Quebec, the word "money" is often synonymous with "subsidy". For thousands of artists and craftspeople, their careers are punctuated by the cycles of arts councils: the waiting, the forms, the hope of a jury decision and, all too often, the uncertainty.l'espoir d'un jury et, trop souvent, l'incertitude.

There is a quote, often attributed to Mark Twain, that seems to have been written for Saint-Jean-Port-Joli: "They didn't know it was impossible, so they did it." If we had to summar Si l'on devait résumer l'épopée de Médard, André et Jean-Julien Bourgault, ce serait par cette phrase. Imaginez le contexte : nous sommes dans les années 1930. La Grande Dépression frappe le monde de plein fouet. La misère est partout. Dans la plupart des foyers du Québec, la priorité est sim

In the collective imagination of Quebec, there is an image inextricably linked to our region: that of a small wooden schooner, sails unfurled, proudly perched on a chimney mantelpiece. These motionless vessels, which have nonetheless sailed around the world, are the legacy of a visionary family: the Leclercs.

In the vibrant creative scene of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, the sculpture capital and home of Le Socle, some figures stand out for their ability to inhabit multiple worlds simultaneously. This is certainly true of Christian Michaud, an artist whose talent extends far beyond the stage, finding equal expression in the quiet stillness of wood. Today, in our Creator Portraits series, we delve into the world of this talented sculptor and actor, who has honored us by acting as a mentor