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Marc-Alexandre Gagnon plus Charles-Antoine Girouard had time to think about the best fit and fabrics for sports wear during their years as Canadian elite speed kayakers.
Today, they’re behind Tesca Sport, a Trois-Rivières company that sells made-in-Quebec apparel for running and, of course , canoe-kayaking.
“When you put on the right clothing, this motivates you to train, ” said Gagnon, 31. “It’s underestimated, but when you feel good, you look in the mirror and have more confidence and you push yourself a little more in your training. ”
The company’s online sales “exploded” by 600 per cent after the COVID-19 emergency began in March 2020, he stated.
The timing was fortuitous. He and Girouard, 28, had bought half of Tesca Sport within January 2020, including control of online sales.
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The organization sends the personalized thank-you note with each order.
Tesca Sport was created in 2009 simply by Trois-Rivières seamstress Carole Tessier, who had started off making kayak shorts for her kids’ races. She began making toques — and getting contracts from Quebec retailers.
Gagnon plus Girouard met Tessier through kayaking.
Since 2020, Tessier has held onto the particular headbands and toques, while Gagnon plus Girouard create Tesca Sport’s other products, from the neck down. They buy fabric in Canada and tailoring is done within Trois-Rivières and Montreal.
“Do we want to expand? Or do we would like to stay small? ” Gagnon mentioned. He plus Girouard still have day jobs, he said. Girouard holds a master’s degree in labour relations, and Gagnon has a master’s in international studies.
“We don’t know yet which way we want to go, but we have lots associated with projects with regard to new products and want in order to develop the brand. ”
