From Childhood Dreams to Global Wanderlust: The Story Behind Passepartout
Travel, design, art, and textiles have shaped my life for as long as I can remember. What started as childhood curiosity has blossomed into a lifelong creative journey, blending the love of historical dress, painting, sketching, and the golden age of travel with a passion for luxurious fabrics and immersive experiences.
Growing Up in a World of Imagination
As a child, I spent long stretches in hospitals due to chronic illness. While this limited my mobility, it gifted me hours to explore my imagination. I filled margins of school notes with sketches, doodles, and creative writing. These early artistic endeavors helped me create vibrant inner worlds and sparked a fascination with:
Historical dress and period fashion
Books, atlases, and globes
Drawing and painting
Exotic fabrics and textures
Even during university, when I studied fine art and art history, creativity remained a personal pursuit—something I loved, but hadn’t yet fully embraced professionally.
New York, Fashion, and the Call of Travel
In the 1990s, I moved from Toronto to New York, where I first dabbled in fashion and textile design as a side interest. Later, after starting a family, I explored elaborate costume design, which allowed me to express my creativity in bold, imaginative ways.
Opportunities to travel for work opened my eyes to the world. I followed my instincts, often taking off-the-beaten-path detours to discover unique, remote locations. Photography became my tool to capture:
Exotic cuisines and scents
Luxurious fabrics and textures
Historic sites and local lore
Stunning landscapes and architecture
Each journey reignited my artistic passion and deepened my connection to creative storytelling through art and design.
The Birth of Passepartout
Wanderlust has been a constant thread throughout my life. What began as a hobby has evolved into a full-fledged creative pursuit: Passepartout.
Inspired by Jules Verne’s adventurous valet from Around the World in 80 Days, Passepartout is my homage to:
Travel and exploration
Artistic expression
Textile and costume design
Creative storytelling
Through Passepartout, I curate images, stories, and experiences from my travels, transform them into digitally enhanced paintings, and print them on luxurious silk. These creations are available for custom silk scarves and handbags, each a wearable piece of art.
Why Passepartout Matters
Passepartout is more than a brand—it’s a passport to creativity, a bridge between imagination and reality. Each piece reflects:
The thrill of travel
The beauty of fine art
The tactile richness of textiles
The joy of storytelling through design
Whether you’re a fellow traveler, art lover, or textile enthusiast, Passepartout invites you to explore creativity in every corner of life.