Pret a Preter

Specialties

Pret a Preter is a Clothing Library and Styling Service concerned about sustainability and the ethical consumption of fashion. We help women dress beautifully through conscientious consumption.

Pret a Preter’s Clothing Library rents high-​end women’s vintage pieces for less than the cost of fast fashion. Our inventory is vintage, contemporary vintage and emerging Canadian designers.

Membership is free. Garments are rented out for two weeks at a time, on a pay-​per-​rental model. At the end of a rental, garments are returned to our popup for some TLC. All our clothing is dry cleaned and repaired by one of Toronto’s premier Dry Cleaning services.

Pret a Preter’s Styling Service helps women dress their full self-​expression through customized style advice. We offer several services: one-​on-​one consultations, fashion parties and in-​store advice. These services are all personalized and focused on leveraging the assets our client already has (ie.: their existing wardrobe and their body shape).

History

Established in 2015.

Pret a Preter is a Clothing Library and Styling Service that launched in Toronto in 2015 and is founded by Carol Burbank, a stylist and seamstress with over 20 years experience in fashion and styling.

Meet the Business Owner

Carol B.

Business Owner

Carol Burbank has worked in fashion and retail for over 15 years, including working for high end retailers such as the Hudson Bay’s Whitespace and Holt Renfrew.

Carol has over 20 years experience designing and sewing clothing and bags, including a line of dresses and a line of handbags. Carol began as a self-​taught designer, and in her early 20’s was accepted into a year-​long seamstress course where she refined her skills of clothing design, sewing and styling.

In the last two years, Carol has worked for a small clothing designer start up to design, cut, sew, and retail garments. As well as she organized and ran her own popup retail shop that gained neighbourhood credibility quickly and due to its success, ran for twice as long as expected.

Carol has 15 years experience as a stylist and personal shopper. She specializes in incorporating vintage style into contemporary looks, giving her clients a fresh and modern look.