Alvin Segal

In 1951, Alvin Segal began working at Peerless Clothing manufacturing men’s suits. In virtually no time, he emerged as one of the most technically knowledgeable people within the industry in the production of fine men’s tailored apparel. A true visionary; Alvin Segal introduced the “engineered suit” into the North American market, reinventing the industry and putting Peerless on the map forever.

When the Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 1989, Alvin seized the opportunity to enter the American market and made a significant investment in machinery, technology and retraining his personnel; employing individuals on both sides of the border. The result was a product of better quality and value and Peerless has never looked back since. Today, Peerless Clothing is the largest supplier of Canadian-made and imported men’s tailored clothing in North America, boasting iconic brands including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, DKNY, IZOD, Michael Kors and John Varvatos—to name but a few.

An industry pillar, Alvin is President of the Canadian Men’s Clothing Manufacturers Association, played a key role in the inception of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and The North American Free Trade Agreement, and served on the Canadian Ministry of International Trade’s Advisory Board.

As the Peerless Clothing empire grew, so did Alvin Segal’s commitment to philanthropy and community. His support of the Canadian Jewish community, Israel, and the Montreal community at large has been nothing short of legendary, particularly when it comes to the arts, healthcare and education. He has been instrumental in supporting the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, showcasing the best in theatre, music, dance and cinema. He has also made major gifts to The MUHC – Montreal Children’s and Shriners Hospitals, Centraide of greater Montreal, Concordia and McGill Universities, the Jewish Public Library and the Governor General Performing Arts Awards.

His support of the community and healthcare is epitomized through his extraordinary gift to the Jewish General Hospital’s Segal Cancer Centre. This state-of-the-art facility, which serves the entire province of Quebec, is dedicated to offering the most comprehensive approach to cancer screening, prevention, care, diagnosis, treatment, support, nutrition and research.

Over the years, the philanthropic work of the Alvin Segal Family Foundation has garnered him numerous honors including the Order of Canada, the Order of Quebec, the Order of Montreal and Hebrew University’s Scopus Award.