Karène Lefebvre
Karène Lefebvre is the proud co-owner of Ruby Mardi! And we’re thrilled to introduce her here.
Karène was born and raised in Rouyn-Noranda, Abitibi, where she first fell in love with the arts — starting with classical piano, followed by literature and cinema. It was her passion for film that brought her to Montreal, where she completed a major in Film Studies at Université de Montréal before turning to Graphic Design (BFA, UQAM). That, and the irresistible appeal of being able to get around by metro. Deeply concerned about the environment from an early age, Karène has always avoided cars.
As for jobs, she once worked night shifts in a photo lab, launched her own video production company, and later took on a graphic design role in the film industry to pay off the debts of her web series flop — which, by the way, was Quebec’s very first web series back in 2007. In short, nothing exactly pointed her toward opening Canada’s coolest jewelry shop.
It was love — what else? — that led her there. Smitten with a jewelry designer with big dreams, she agreed to dive into the adventure headfirst when, on a lovely glamping night, the couple came up with the name Ruby Mardi... and with a name that perfect, there was no turning back. With commercial spaces sitting empty during the pandemic, the opportunity was there for the taking.
Karène and Victor opened their boutique in December 2020, in Montreal’s Little Italy. Karène is behind the shop’s design, artistic direction, marketing, and social media — among many other things. And she still doesn’t have a driver’s license (much to Victor’s dismay).
We’re excited to share this interview where you’ll get to know Karène, what inspires her, and what she loves.
Who are the artists you love the most, who inspire you or accompany you? Do they influence your work, and if so, in what way?
I’ve always dabbled in “art” here and there. I’ve played piano, experimented with photography, directed a few short films, and even started writing a novel — currently on pause so I can focus on Ruby Mardi. But I’ll come back to it.
These days, I frame butterflies against colorful backdrops, create cheeky collages that end up as fridge magnets (some of you know!), and for Ruby Mardi, I stage jewelry in videos that I dare say are artistic. I also handle the styling of our photo shoots and oversee all of the brand’s creative direction.
My work tends to be pop — full of color — with a dose of humor, boldness, a touch of vintage flair, and a strong sense of rhythm.
After some thought, here are the artists I believe influence me the most. At the very least, they all hold a special place in my heart.
Cibo Matto
I adore these women!
Their first album Viva, la Woman! will always stay with me — I never get tired of it. I love their music, but also their sense of freedom, their sensuality, their uniqueness, boldness, and humor. Miho & Yuka’s music always fills me with a kind of creative energy. They make me want to exist fully, take up space, and have fun!
“Let’s eat carrots together, until…!”
Miranda July
Miranda July is a multidisciplinary artist whose persona, body of work, and entire creative approach I deeply admire.
I really enjoy her films, but I love her writing even more. She has a unique way of expressing the strangeness we all carry inside, portraying the human soul and its contradictions like no one else — with singular humor, emotional depth, and sensitivity. I regularly revisit her short story collection No One Belongs Here More Than You. Her characters stay with me.
And I must admit, I didn’t come out of reading her second novel All Fours (published a year ago) unscathed. The female protagonist is exactly my age, so let’s just say that everything it explores hits me on a deeply personal level. I feel very connected to her as an artist.
Philippe Katerine
I’ve been a huge fan since 1999, when his hit Je vous emmerde was playing on the radio — even in Rouyn-Noranda! He was the first singer from my own generation I truly fell for. (As a teen, I was all about music from the ’60s and ’70s.)
I love his irreverence, boldness, self-deprecating humor, sense of freedom, and the touch of absurdity he sprinkles into his art.
I adore his music — I even love his voice! — and I admire his journey. I find it so inspiring to see everything he’s accomplished, especially knowing he was too shy to sing on his first two albums.
Listening to him or seeing him live always lifts my spirits.
Special shoutout to his fantastic 52 reprises album — I waited eagerly for each new song, week after week! And if I had to pick just one track Excuse-moi would be the one.
Abel & Gordon
I discovered Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel’s world through RUMBA, a 2007 film, and it completely blew me away! Their work speaks to me on every level, and I truly love everything about it: the colors, the free-moving bodies, the music, the poetry, the burlesque, the way they portray love…
I think they’re simply brilliant. Seeing a couple grow older together and continue to create side by side, with such complicity and freedom, is deeply inspiring to me.
Guy Maddin
I’m a shy and introverted person. The only time I ever dared express my admiration to someone was to Guy Maddin — I couldn’t help but write to him after watching his masterful film The Saddest Music in the World. And he even replied! 🖤
I have immense admiration for the work of this Canadian filmmaker.
His genius absolutely blows me away!
Maurizio Cattelan et Pierpaolo Ferrari (Toilet Paper Magazine)
I came across a book that compiled several issues of the magazine at the MoMA store during a trip to New York in the late 2000s, and it was a revelation. I absolutely LOVE their world. It felt like everything had been created just for me. Every image spoke to me personally and filled me with delight.
Their way of expressing ideas and conveying messages through polished visuals that shock and always flirt with absurdity brings me so much joy!
I believe what stands out with these artists is a wild sense of freedom and truly unique, recognizable worlds. That’s also one of my intentions with Ruby Mardi: I dare to believe there’s a distinct artistic signature in our universe — one that’s rooted in creative freedom.
How do you think art can have an impact on society or on people's lives?
Art allows us to step into someone else's shoes — it fosters empathy. It has the power to spark change by opening our eyes to different perspectives, especially those of people who are silenced, ostracized, invisible, or even criminalized by society. But every story matters if we wish to understand the human soul.
In my opinion, it’s fiction — film, theatre, literature — that allows us most intensely to “live” someone else’s life, but other forms of art can evoke that experience too. I’m thinking of dance, or even painting.
Art also invites introspection. And changing our own flaws is a first step toward broader change and a more just society.
I deeply believe that.
If you feel ready to confront your own unconscious biases, I highly recommend reading the short essay Recitatif,
by American author Toni Morrison.
If you could be reincarnated as a flower, which one would you choose and why?
Gladiolus.
It doesn’t really feel like me. It’s tall. It’s bold. It offers multiple blooms, opening one after the other.
Choosing just one life has always felt frustrating to me, there are so many things I would have loved to try, so many lives I would have liked to live!
That’s why I love literature so much: it offers a glimpse into the lives of others.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Is there a movie or song you could play on repeat and never get sick of?
The song: Good Morning Starshine. This version !
The movie: Zazie dans le Métro by Louis Malle, 1960.
Criterion gives three reasons to love this film — and I couldn’t agree more.
I’ll just add that it’s an adaptation of a book by the great Queneau, whom I adore!
If you could meet one person from history, who would it be and why?
Franz Liszt.
To watch and hear him play, and maybe more,
if there’s chemistry!
Jokes aside, attending a concert by the first true rock star in history must have been quite the thrilling experience.
I’ve loved Liszt’s music since I was little, and I even visited Budapest to see his instruments and manuscripts.
I’m kind of a groupie!
Finally, what is your favorite museum (worldwide)?
The Louvre. It’s so vast, you can practically see everything there.
I’m especially fond of the section on Italian painters and the Islamic ceramics and mosaics.
And what a joy it is to wander through a place so rich with history!
Thank you for sharing a little of yourself with us, Karène!
