Editor-in-chief at Urbania until 2018, TV and podcast host,, author and columnist, Rose-Aimée Automne T.Morin is always busy. She meets with Vallier to discuss her career path, her doubts and inspirations, her commitment to responsible fashion, and the woman behind this array of titles and achievements.
Vallier meets: Rose-Aimée Automne T.Morin
A closer look at society
What social issues are important to you?
Rose-Aimée Automne T.Morin : I have a habit of analyzing life through a feminist lens. Gender equality - and equality in general - is something very important to me. I like to give the microphone to those who are looking to reinvent the world around us. We all have the power to transform the lives of others, and it’s a privilege to be able to do so.
I use my platform to highlight these issues. I want to create more visibility; whether that means more funds, more volunteers, more outreach. Whatever I can do.
You made a documentary series not so long ago called Comment devenir une personne parfaite (How to become a perfect person). Have you since been able to let go of that target?
R-A : That project was a critique of the search for perfection that plagues a lot of our generation. The more we advance in life and our careers, the more pressure there is to succeed in every single thing we do. The fear of failure - of not being good enough - becomes greater and greater. I created a caricature to show just how much this pressure has become totally inevitable.
And unfortunately, I was beaten at my own game. I applied everything that scientists, researchers, psychologists, neuropsychologists told me to do all day long. It was as if I was embracing the need for perfection rather than denouncing it. It took a good year of detoxing to stop me from feeling bad because my plate wasn’t only full of green vegetables or because I hadn’t felt motivated enough to work out one day.
Now, I am very far from my former need for perfection. But mostly because of the pandemic! Staying at home, away from the gaze of others, became a game changer. The pressure to be good, beautiful, smart, etc. quietly evaporated. I realized that there were so many worse things happening around me: people were dying and the virus was getting passed on from one person to the next. These issues made my quest for perfection seem like a joke. Maybe that isn’t quite the right word, or the right way to put it, but these global problems did help me recentre myself.
You write columns in La Presse, that prompt you to go out meeting people, knocking on doors, asking a lot of questions. You are a curious person - so where does this desire to meet and interact with others come from?
R-A : I love people, I truly do. It doesn’t take effort for me to be curious. Everyone has stories to tell, though not everyone knows how to listen. But that’s why I love to do it. I sit down with them, with the mindset of “There is nothing else I have to do today but listen to you speak.” I find it wonderful to make someone feel special, even if I might not understand everything they tell me. There’s a richness in discovering that some people live in completely different worlds. These people are so much brighter and more involved than me, and that inspires me a lot.
A closer look at fashion
When it comes to clothing, who is your biggest fashion icon?
R-A : Good question. I admire all those who don’t care what people think and wear what they want. I would never dress like Hubert Lenoir, but I think his style is absolutely incredible. So gorgeous and creative! I also love costumes, like how Pierre Lapointe has a different identity - and always an elegant one- for each album he puts out.
I really like La Bronze’s style too, the way she can rock a bold neckline without the slightest concern for standards. As a general rule, any artist that has fun with clothing, but does so in a way that’s also clever, impresses me. I like the feminine side of things. I like to wear dresses that make noise, that make heads turn. I’m not afraid of showing some skin.
Sustainability is really important too, and I’ve had the chance to shop locally in Quebec for some time now. I’ve stopped letting myself fall into the trap of fast fashion, but I know this is a privilege. So I use my platform to encourage shopping locally, shopping responsibly, and especially not shopping for garments made by children.
How would you describe your style?
R-A : Somewhere in between comfortable and hyperfeminine. If you catch me wearing a ball gown to debone a chicken - all is normal. I won’t hold back from wearing a plunging neckline even if I’m just going up Mont Royal. But I also really like skate style - I’m learning how to skateboard right now and I think it’s cool to submerge yourself completely into a new world.
What is your must-have piece from the Vallier collection?
R-A : I love the dress from the Armor Lux collaboration, as well as the Riverdale shirt & Niagra short matching set.
Overall, I think Vallier’s clothes are gorgeous, and I love that the brand is so aligned with my personal values. Like I said, I think it's important to support local businesses, those that strive to make their pieces responsibly. But I know I have the luxury of doing this, and I'm very conscious of it.
A closer look at the person
Who is your biggest influence, both on a personal and professional level?
R-A : My dad. He raised me like a project, for better or for worse, because he wanted me to be the most perfect version of myself. There are obviously aspects of my personality that I can’t choose, but also many that I would have probably ended up choosing anyway if I had the option.
I was molded by a father who wanted me to take up space, no matter what environment I was in, and it's obvious that this has had a huge impact on my personality.
On the professional side of things, I’m lucky to have had many people who reached out to me, offered opportunities and opened doors when I needed them. I am indebted to so many people...and a lot of women, in fact.
You have a pretty impressive background - Editor-in-Chief of URBANIA magazine, host of the podcast Ohdio and of a documentary series on Vero.TV, columnist on On dira ce qu'on voudra on ICI Première, On va se le dire on ICI Radio-Canada, and Esprit critique on ICI Artv. You've written two books, you write for La Presse. What do you want to do now?
R-A : To go on vacation, haha! But no, really, I know how lucky I am. I didn't come up with all these great projects on my own. There were also people I trusted who told me, "I could see you writing a book" or something. I, who had never written a book in my life, and who was a TV researcher, could then say to myself: okay, why not?
What's the worst that can happen? That I'm not good at it? Frankly, nothing bad can happen. At the very worst, I'd go viral for a few days for putting my foot in my mouth in a column and accidentally saying something horrible. But life goes on.
Sometimes it feels like our mistakes will follow us for the rest of our lives, but that's not the case. Personally, I want to continue not caring too much about what people think of me, and pass the microphone to people who aren't heard - when they should be.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
R-A : Go on more walks! A little walk in the forest could have calmed my anxiety on many given occasions. I needed to get out of my environment, out of myself, out of my head. A walk is simple, and it solves a lot of things.
My other advice for young Rose: don't be afraid to try. I learned to ride a bike in my thirties, to skateboard last summer, to cross-country ski this winter... All these activities that you normally learn as a child, and that I was too afraid to undertake as a teenager, I finally got around to. And it turns out, they're so much fun! It would have been great to discover them earlier.