la Vie en Rose

la Vie en Rose is a Canadian lingerie, swimwear and sleepwear retailer founded in 1985 by Harry Kanner and his wife Rosemary, who opened the first store in Toronto. Owned since 1996 by Francois Roberge, it designs its products at its Montreal head office and sells them through more than 230 boutiques in Canada and close to 400 worldwide.

A Toronto store, 1985

The name is shared with Edith Piaf's song, and the brand is written with a lowercase "la." Its early years were modest. By the time the Kanners sold it in 1996, the chain had 28 boutiques.

Many references, including this museum's earlier record, describe la Vie en Rose as founded in Montreal. The company's own history says otherwise: the first store was in Toronto. Montreal became its home only after the sale.

Francois Roberge and the move to Quebec

Francois Roberge bought the company in 1996 and remains its president. The head office is now in Montreal, and under his ownership the business grew from 28 boutiques into a national chain. The company says Roberge intends to pass the business on to his children.

The Montreal office does the design work. The company states that its products are conceived and drawn by in-house designers there, including lace designs, prints, patterns, samples and fittings, and it markets the range as 100 percent designed in Canada.

Milestones under Roberge

The company's growth came in steady steps:

• 1998: Aqua, a dedicated swimwear line
• 1999: first website and first outlet store
• 2002: the Roses of Hope Foundation, which the company says has donated 5.1 million dollars
• 2004: first international store, in Saudi Arabia
• 2010: Muse, a collection of mastectomy bras
• 2013: a memory foam bra
• 2015: purchase of the swim retailer Bikini Village
• 2016: the Sleek Back bra
• 2019: a wider size range
• 2021: purchase of Newex, a maker of period underwear
• 2024: first stores in the United States

The la Vie en Rose bra range

The bra business is built on smooth everyday shapes. The memory foam bra of 2013 used molded cups that hold their shape under thin tops, the core of the T-shirt bra category. The Sleek Back bra of 2016 aimed at the other common complaint, back bulge, with a wider, smoother band. Push-ups, lace sets, sports bras and wireless styles fill out the range, and stores offer free fittings.

The Muse mastectomy line and the Newex purchase show the company widening what a mall lingerie chain can carry. Post-surgery bras and period underwear were once niche products sold through specialists. la Vie en Rose put them on the same shelves as its fashion sets.

A franchise empire in the Middle East

The international business runs on franchising. Stores outside Canada are operated by licensees, and the list of countries is unusual for a Canadian retailer. After Saudi Arabia in 2004 came the United Arab Emirates in 2006, Egypt and Lebanon in 2007, Jordan and Kuwait in 2009, and later Algeria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Tunisia, Iraq and Libya. India and the Philippines followed in 2023, and Malta is listed for 2026.

The company now counts almost 400 boutiques in 19 countries, with more than 230 in 125 Canadian cities. Earlier listings of 270-plus Canadian stores do not match the company's current figures.

Into the American market

The United States came last. la Vie en Rose opened its first American stores in 2024 and had three by that year's end, entering a market long dominated by Victoria's Secret and by younger mall rivals such as Aerie. In 2025 the company marked its 40th anniversary, run from Montreal by the same owner who bought 28 Toronto-founded boutiques in 1996.

Last updated October 7, 2026