by KRISTIAN GRAVENOR

Ten years ago, Mariouche Gagné's designer dreams faced a big brick wall. She was stuck in Italy about to get the Beatle boot from a prestigious fashion school due to lack of tuition funds. "I called my mom and desperately told her to sell my bike, sewing machine and mannequin - instead she faxed me info about a fur contest with a note saying, ‘You'd better win.'"

Gagné - who knew nothing about fur - rushed back, took the scissors to her ma's old pelts and transformed them into purses, mittens, hats and scarves and soon bagged the second place $12,000 prize. The fur recycling gimmick gave her enough money to finish her schooling in Italy and eventually propelled her through a master's at UQÀM specializing in recycled fur and Inuit Art.

Then one day Simon's of Quebec City offered her five grand for more of her furry redesigns. This time it was granny's turn to sacrifice her old coats, and soon Gagné was a full-time fur recycler, a vocation that allows her to supply people with fur without the guilt of knowing they killed a cuddly animal.

"I didn't want to build a business that involves destroying something else, I wanted a business that would allow me to sleep well and do the right thing," says Gagné. "But the bonus here is that it's so much fun to recycle because you don't do the same piece twice. I look at other garment businesses where you make the exact same press 8,000 times. It looks like no fun to me."

The high-flying (she pilots mini-Cessnas as a hobby) 32-year-old resident of the Point now oversees 10 employees as part of her 14-hour workdays at a building she bought last year at Ste-Antoine and Atwater. True to form, the new store - known as Harricana - is a gorgeous addition to St-Henri's streetscape. The old bank - now bathed in white paint and light - was nominated for a local award for best-renovated space. Gagné, whose garments are now sold in 150 stores worldwide, describes fur as "comforting and warm" and hasn't run into many who object to her trade.

"I've never had any problems. I've had people ask me why I was working with fur, but nobody was ever aggressive. I think many people like that I'm recycling and not using new fur."

But as an outdoorsy-type she shuns "frou-frou" styles for more athletic stuff. "I like practical, reliable garments that you could use to mountain climb - I started this off by making reversible skiwear with fur." Indeed, so complete is the recycling process, which involves cutting, sewing, shearing and dyeing, that she even recycles the silk lining of old furs into dainty little dresses. Gagné sees 2004 as a big decision year for her. "This will be the 10th straight year I've been pushing this business so I'm going to sit down and make a decision what to do when that anniversary comes. But I think I'll have to continue - although I'll need more space to create, to read, play and eventually build a family."

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