Canadian Brands: What is the current landscape?
Hey y'all, I've been more and more into the idea of supporting and buying brands local to my home and native land.
I'm going to post a list of brands that I know as Canadian staples, will try and describe them a little bit, and note where they are based.
Please post any that you think I've missed, because I'd like to see the full and broad scope of Canada's productions in this day and age!
JJJJound (https://www.jjjjound.com/):
The collaborator's collaborator. Mooder of All Boards. Well-known for high-profile, minimal collaborations with brands like New Balance and Asics. Based in Montreal, QC.
Libero (https://liberoworld.ca/):
A brand whose menswear essentials seek to present "the meeting point between North American and European culture". The Le Mans jacket has been seen on a few influential people. Based in Toronto, ON.
James Coward (https://james-coward.com/):
A high quality "basics" brand in the sense that they will take a cut that works, and put it out in as many nice fabrics as they can. Based in Vancouver, BC.
Ostrya (https://ostryaequipment.com/):
Hiking brand taking a bit more from the kooky, psych-y colour schemes of technical wear of previous decades. Based in Montreal, QC.
Dana Lee Brown (https://danaleebrown.com/en-ca):
High-quality, low-production runs that emphasize the production process and materials used in the garment's creation. Based on Bowen Island, BC.
Rosa Rugosa (https://rosarugosa.ca/):
Canadian workwear brand oriented towards inclusive sizing and producing workwear basics within Canada. Co-founded by Matty Matheson. Based in Toronto, ON.
Alterior (https://alterior.ca/collections/alterior):
Through their in-house store, A Living Taste, Alterior makes a variety of leather goods and recently begun making garment collections based around well-established textile producers like Woolrich and Cone Mills White Oak denim. They have also focussed on building community through consistently collaborating and presenting local brands. This includes Commonside, LLOYD, and thheme. Based in Vancouver, BC.
Henry's (https://wearhenrys.com/):
Denim brand taking nods from vintage military and workwear cuts, all masterminded by founder Keith Henry. Based in Toronto, ON.
Whetung Ojibwa Centre (https://www.whetung.com/):
Not necessarily a brand, but I wanted to highlight an Indigenous maker of moccasins that was well-liked when doing my research on how to get Canadian-made pairs. Based in the Curve Lake Reservation, ON.
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Regining Champ also comes to mind!
Dime is also Canadian I believe
Damn, knew I forgot to write something down haha
Haven is another one
Kotn, Naked and Famous
I'm gonna just use this as a thread to hype up other Canadian brands doing things too
Really like these db cardigans from Shirley
shirley.company
FW23 “Snow Day”
Select items available Thursday December 14th first at @nomad.shop and online at 11am est
Photos @saemouhl
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I really like Popov Leather for belts
I love Kanata Sweaters
RIP Wings and Horns
I like The Pool Riders as well for workwear
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Commenting to follow the thread! I'm stoked to check some of these out
Been thinking about a few Maple Co. rings for a while
MAPLE
MAPLE
Established in 2014, MAPLE aims to push the boundaries of design and brand culture in the jewelry industry.
Dime are so underrated
shopneighbour
new items from HENRY’S exclusively for NEIGHBOUR.
please join us on friday from 6-8pm for an in person launch at the menswear store with keith henry.
remaining stock will go online saturday at 10am pst on the NEIGHBOUR website.
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Henry's just dropped a collection for Neighbour
The lines on that orange jacket are so nice
a few others top of mind.
Barbarian Knits - based in kitchener. Rugbys and hockey jerseys. Linking NAQP because i like the shop no affiliation. https://shopnorthamerican.com/en-us/collections/barbarian-sportswear
Drzdwsk - micro brand (aka 1 person) in Calgary. Made some stuff for NAQP that hits way above it's price. Not as refined as Henry's, but unique stuff. https://shopnorthamerican.com/search?q=drzdwsk
House of Blanks (roopa) https://www.houseofblanks.com/ - tees
North American Quality Purveyors
Barbarian Sportswear
Barbarian Barbarian Sports Wear sportswear rugby Made in Canada since 1981 heavy weight, densely knit 100% cotton jersey fabric Calgary AB North American Quality Purveyors NAQP Kitchener, Ontario
North American Quality Purveyors
Search: 7 results found for "drzdwsk"
North American Quality Purveyors NAQP Calgary Alberta AB Canada CA menswear mens wear men's clothing Made in Canada USA Europe Portugal France UK England Italy Asia India Japan
House Of Blanks
HOUSE OF BLANKS
The best heavy weight Canadian made blank hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts and other apparel. Made by Roopa Knitting Mills in Toronto, Canada. Wholesale blanks available. Best streetwear hoodies, crew necks, sweatpants, t-shirts and beanies. Custom distressed dyeing available. Made in Canada.
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Co-sign on Kotn. Been very happy with my purchases there. Great design, well and ethically made.
Samuelsohn is canadian I think? They make some nice suits
https://klaxonhowl.com/
I dig klaxon howl, I have one of their chambrays in yellow.
Klaxon Howl
A Toronto menswear company specializing in vintage military and Japanese denim
Just came across Rosa Rugosa, made in Toronto
https://rosarugosa.ca/
Matty Matheson’s brand for those who dig his whole… thing
They don't make their own clothes often, but Livestock is a streetwear boutique that sometimes releases their own collections and sneaker collabs
École de Pensée
École de Pensée
École de Pensée is an independent fashion label and retailer founded in 2014. Shop the brand’s seasonal and permanent collections.
Very well-made menswear brand in Montreal. Their brick-and-mortar is near Michel Brisson for any locals.
Headgear maker in Vancouver, sells through Neighbour only I believe.
https://www.instagram.com/hirotoriiyamamoto?igsh=MXB1bXU0NHhhYTIxYQ==
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Casual tech/hiking wear brand from a former Reigning Champ designer: https://www.colinmeredith.com/
I'll just post this one's brand statement cuz I don't particularly have a strong grasp on what they're doing:
https://theworldofoutlaws.ca/
OUTLAWS is a high-street, contemporary clothing brand based out of Vancouver, B.C. Working alongside the in-house creative team, OUTLAWS aims to re-imagine the generational outlaw while referencing personal narratives & traditional design.
Taking inspiration from, but not limited to the OUTLAWS of the old-west, the basis of the “outlaw” is not protected by social norms or views. This individual isn't afraid to stray from the pack in order to find their true identity.
OUTLAWS aims to explore individuality by transforming classical design elements into handmade garments all made in-house. Garments that bring a modern yet classic feel, unique to OUTLAWS.
Are Barbarian's shirts available as blanks if it's not a collab? Haven't been able to find much and their site seems to want bulk orders.
you can find 'em on poshmark or ebay sometimes
Yeah, I've tried on eBay, but it's got a lot of school emblems to sift through haha
They sell them here but it's basically the same price of any collabs https://www.rugbyimports.com/collections/barbarian
Rugby Imports
Barbarian
Shop authentic Barbarian rugby shirts and jerseys for teams and individuals at RugbyImports.com. 100% cotton rugby shirts, hoodies, and more from Barbarian Rugby Wear. Order online at RugbyImports.com
wait they might be US-based even though you can show prices in CAD
Oh cool! I remember they used to be sold at Studio A-Ok (RIP) and wished I grabbed one. Cool to see they're still kicking.
Another Vancouver based company that specializes in workwear called Old Fashioned Standards.
https://oldfashionedstandards.com/collections
Old Fashioned Standards
Collections
OFS is a company that specializes in high quality products and custom craftswomanship. Made for a good time, hand made to last a lifetime. In our downtown workshop.
I've been itching for one of their baseball style shirts for ages
Oh yeah, the Vancouver Fashion Week shoot made me remember another cool brand.
This reminds me of like Earth/Studies if it was put through the lens of the rainbow gas station water:
https://www.ateliercoin.com/
Atelier COĪN
Home | Atelier COĪN
Oh damn, I instantly wanna grab something from them, they've got such cool pieces. Really cool story as well! I love seeing multi-disciplined people succeed.
This moss bomber was the thing that sold me
I'm currently trying to talk myself up/down about buying these pants. The belting on the legs is bolder than anything I own, but the material and construction look incredible.
Or gorpy pants MADE OF SILK
buy them buy them buy them buy them buy them buy them buy them
Old Fashioned Standards
Witch Hats assorted colours
Very rare and unique Witch's Hat, perfect for keeping the rain out of your eyes when you're not casting spells. Made of durable traditional oilcloth or waxed cotton which of course is water, wind and abrasion resistant. Something you want out of stock get. No worries get in touch to special order your Witch Hat today.
GOAT
Is anyone familiar with or had prior experience with Wanze? Just got a promo email from Lost & Found about 'em and their linen camp shirt looks dreamy.
https://www.wanzesong.com/pages/info
Bags are cool
Have not come across the brand before
Thought I'd throw in some more domestic manufacturing:
Commonwealth Mfg. in Winnipeg; started with collared button up/down shirts, really nice fabrix in limited runs, semi-recently started doing chinos https://commonmanufacturing.com/
On the west coast, Ecologyst, formerly Sitka, https://ecologyst.com/
and Anian https://anianmfg.com/ do variations on what I'd read as a sort of minimal Cascadiana aesthetic, sweaters and shackets and cozy outerwear adjacent pieces in natural materials, whereas Haven which someone mentioned above, does a similar thing but streetwear and gorpcore inflected https://havenshop.com/
also these folks do blanks https://jerico.ca/ but I haven't bought any of their stuff yet; can vouch for the quality of the others tho
Whoa whoa whoa Sitka rebranded into Ecologyst? I feel so stupid, I thought they just stole the tree logo
A Canadian brand that seemingly doesn’t exist in Canada: https://fort-gs.com/wp/2023/09/22/%E3%80%90victoria-athletics%E3%80%91half-zip-sweat-made-in-canada-for-fort-exclusive%E3%82%929%E6%9C%8823%E6%97%A5%EF%BC%88%E5%9C%9F%EF%BC%89%E3%83%AA%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9/
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【Victoria Athletics】Half Zip Sweat “Made In Canada” For Fort Exclus...
【Victoria Athletics】Half Zip Sweat “Made In Canada” For Fort Exclusiveを9月23日(土)リリース致します。 少しづつですが朝晩の涼しさを […]
Or basically anywhere. Lots of “made in Canada” sweatshirts from random brands but I have no idea who makes them
Oh and actually gotta mention Northern Watters based in PEI, they make the antidote to the downfall of the chunky knit that folks were bemoaning on the internet a while ago
https://nwknitwear.com/collections/pullover
Northern Watters Knitwear & Tartan Shop
Pullover
"Home" of the 100% British Wool Sweaters and Accessories, knit on antique Swiss Dubied Knitting Looms. We also support over 250 Canadian Artisans at our Charlottetown and Halifax locations. We also offer Wholesales prices on all our knitwear products, both labeled and unlabeled.
Reigning champ?
Roopa Mills does a a lot of the blank work out of Canada
Canada West for welted/resolable leather footwear. I believe they're made in Winnipeg
CYC got bought by Aritzia so I don’t know if they do a lotta other brands besides RC and their offshoots
yo anybody know how the calculus in-house brand fits? they never have measurements on stuff and i dont really want to email the guy as he prepares to move
They’re just rebranded LAA
so…like LAA
I think they switched to a different company for the new sweatshirts though since they’re made in Canada
And the sweaters I assume are bosie knitters
the hoodies are MiUSA on his site so I assume still LAA (LA Apparel?)
Yeah they are
Same with the tees
Oh yeah there’s some MiC hoodies if you go to the calculus brand
But it’s only LAA ones in the sale
now i just need to find an LAA size chart lmao. i was in the market for a new hoodie so i might take a shot on it either way
They fit loose but not crazy
ya i found a random chart and it said p2p on a L was 25" which is probably good for me. I think an XL would be huge
That sounds right to me