Sylvia Marasco said she sometimes dreams of her late father Cesare Marasco’s hair salon, La Moda, as it appeared in the 1970s.
“Many people dream of their childhood home, which I do sometimes, but more frequently I have La Moda dreams, with the ’70s La Moda decor of my childhood, which was baby blue in colour,” she said, in an email to Sudbury.com.
“La Moda changed its decor several times, but for some reason, the baby blue phase stays etched in my dreams. So it is fair to say that La Moda has been a big part of my childhood and life over the years.”
In 2023, La Moda, which has been under the ownership of Lianne Depatie since 2005, celebrated its 50th birthday. To mark the occasion, Sudbury MPP Jamie West presented Depatie with a congratulatory certificate.
Opened in 1973 in the same South End strip mall in which it’s currently located — although a few doors down — the salon’s original owners were Mario Greco and Cesare Marasco.
Eventually, Marasco became the salon's sole owner. In 2005, he sold the salon to Depatie, one of his stylists.
Marasco stayed on as a stylist with Depatie for some time after selling the business, and passed away in 2011.
Depatie said she started working with Marasco in 2000, but had returned to school, when she got a call from her old boss saying he was looking to sell.
“I guess there were a few buyers at the time,” said Depatie. “And so when I asked him ‘Why did you choose me?’ He just said, ‘Because I know you're going to carry the name like I would and that you welcome everybody in the way I have.”
Indeed, Depatie has carried on the salon’s legacy, including keeping the original sign outside. She continues to provide hair care for the whole family.
Mario Greco said he’s “more than proud” to see the original sign outside of the business, and said he thinks it’s great that La Moda is still around after so many years. “It’s going to be another 50 pretty soon,” Greco said.
While she only recently met Greco, Depatie remembers Marasco as being funny and a good mentor.
“He just loved people,” Depatie said. “He was so welcoming to everybody. Anybody who came in, he was always super approachable and made you feel really like happy and good, and especially with the workers. He was a pretty cool boss.”
As for herself, Depatie said she loves owning her own salon because a good haircut can make people feel good.
“I mean, you can have somebody who comes in and feels a little bit blah, but once they leave, they have a little hop in their step, and are feeling a little bit better,” she said.
In her 19 years as the salon’s owner, Depatie has faced some challenges, mostly notably the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the business to close for nine months in total due to public health restrictions.
Employing four stylists as well as herself, Depatie said she was fortunate her employees came back. She notes that several other salons in the South End area have closed.
“I remember the day I closed everything up and we had to lock the door,” said Depatie, adding that she’s pushed those times to the back of her mind. “That was the day I had nobody on payroll for the first time. You know, that was pretty scary. Very sad.”
She said she wants to thank the community for coming back to La Moda and ensuring its post-COVID survival. “Because look, we wouldn't be here without them,” Depatie said.
Sylvia Marasco, who also worked at La Moda on and off in her earlier life, first sweeping hair and as a shampoo person, and later as a stylist, said she thinks her dad would be “ecstatic” that La Moda is still operating.
“You know, generations have been coming now,” she said. “So it's an amazing, amazing thing.”
She also said she thinks her dad would be proud of his protegee, Lianne Depatie, for “all her hard work and dedication to keeping it going so well. I am so happy for Lianne and grateful that La Moda is still going strong.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
