They profoundly marked Montreal, but their history is not widely known.
A new exhibition at the Centre des mémoires montréalaises (MEM) focuses on the role Italian women played in the city’s post–Second World War garment industry and their contribution to the social, economic and cultural development of their community and Montreal.
The exhibition is titled “Le cucitrici – Voices of Montréal’s Italian Seamstresses.”
The project brings forward the lived experiences of women who spent years working in Montreal’s clothing factories.
For some of the seamstresses featured, seeing their stories recognized carries strong meaning.
“I’m honoured because somebody did something about this,” said seamstress Pina Albanese.
“It’s a spectacular feeling, something unexpected,” added seamstress Anna Manno.
The exhibition was built around direct testimony from the women involved, with no outside interpretation placed over their stories.
Production and creative director, Anita Aloisio, said the goal was to keep their voices at the centre.
“I wanted them to express themselves by their voice, and not have a third party talk about them, study them, pretend that they know about them. I wanted to give validity to their sacrifices, their opinions, their strife, their extreme pride and courage,” she said.
Aloisio said the interviews include themes of solidarity, responsibility toward family, and resourcefulness, often described as l’arte di arrangiarsi.
She also said the recordings will remain part of the MEM archives.
“It’s the beginning of oral history, and we know that all the interviews that have been conducted. Each interview is about an hour and a half long. We had to edit those interviews to five to seven minutes depending on the interview. But the bulk of the interview collected is going to be part of the archives of the MEM. What does this mean? Any researcher coming in, anyone wanting to study the Italian immigration process specifically in Montreal, and the role that women played, can look and can listen to these interviews. It will last forever.”
Designer Nadya Toto said the project brings together personal and collective history.
“This is the first time, and it’s also a lot of things going on. It’s Montreal and it’s history. This will stay forever, and to gather all these women with all their stories and pictures, it’s just really heartwarming,” she said.
Toto also spoke about her own family background.
“My grandmother is my heart and soul. My story is that my parents used to work, and I’m born and she was changing my diapers under embroidery machines in Saint Leonard. So I kind of grew, I actually grew with her and that’s all I’ve seen is handmade things, crochet, embroidery with a thread,” she said.
Alex Loffredi, executive director of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation, said the stories in the exhibition are familiar to many families.
“It’s a similar story for a lot of people, and when the Alliance Donne first came to us with this project, I couldn’t help but think of my Nonna with the two sewing machines downstairs in the basement and once in a while she used to show us as grandkids what she used to do,” he said.
Loffredi said the exhibition highlights the impact these women had beyond the workplace.
“It’s nice to have this exhibit that really puts into light not just what they did, but how they really shaped and ensured that our families advanced and progressed, and made sure there was food on the table, and made sure they were well taken care of, at least to the best of their abilities. For me, it touches a personal cord, but I’m sure it does with so many others, and we are really glad to be part of that.”
Albanese described long hours and strong connections formed at work.
“Sometimes we woked till midnight, until 10 o’clock and we were happy, We would get out at 10 o’clock to laughing. And with the snow, with the ice storm, everybody said, we are not going to stay one year, we stayed 25, some are still there maybe. you meet a lot of people, many people from different countries. You learn from everyone of them,” she said.
Manno said she began working at a young age and adapted over time.
“At 14,” she said. “At first I was very lonely, because I was the youngest you know. There were all the older ladies but eventually I made some friends, and I got to like the work. I made great friends to this day.”
The exhibition runs until June 6, 2027. It was conceived and produced by Alliance Donne, a non-profit organization focused on celebrating women of Italian origin, in collaboration with the MEM. It also includes work from five second-generation designers.
