Supporting well-known brands and hidden local gems
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Canada is home, and from coast to coast we love to support our neighbours – spelled with a “U” and all.
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When it comes to Canadian companies, we’ve got some great small mom-and-pop shops and some international behemoths, like Canada Goose. We also recently discovered some great finds from companies we didn’t even know were Canadian.
All this to say, it’s nice to support local however you can. Here are some of our favourite Canadian fashion and lifestyle brands.
Quick summary
Smash + Tess
Roots
Ecologyst
Canada Goose
Kotn
Encircled
Lesley Hampton
Jenny Bird
Mejuri
Numi
lululemon
Tentree
Knix
Club Monaco
Joe Fresh
Sorel
Herschel
Hudson North
Etsy | Made in Canada
Amazon | Made in Canada
A handful of wonderful Canadian brands
About: Smash + Tess was founded by the classic mother-daughter-bestie trio. The brand focuses on sustainable materials like rayon from bamboo and cotton blends. It makes “everywear” pieces that are great for lounging but can be dressed up too.
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Founding location: Vancouver, B.C. Made in North America.
Favourite item: Rompers. We love the brand’s styles, materials and sustainability, but it’s definitely best known for rompers.
About: Roots was founded by Michael Budman and Don Green, who met at summer camp in Algonquin Park, Ont. The brand started by creating leather goods, which continues to be a part of its persona, but is now best known for sweatpants and sweatshirts.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont. Leather goods are still made in Toronto, Ont.
Favourite items: Salt & pepper sweatpants and sweatshirts
About: Ecologyst is all about buying fewer, high-quality items that will last. The brand uses natural, biodegradable materials like organic cotton and merino wool. The styles are simple and casual. The materials are high quality and comfy.
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Founding location: Victoria, B.C. Made in Canada and the U.S.
Favourite item: The 195 Merino Henley
About: Sam Tick founded the company in 1957 as Metro Sportswear Ltd. The brand first started producing woolen vests, raincoats and snowmobile suits and evolved into the coat and outerwear brand that we know today.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont. Down coats are made in Canada.
Favourite item: Chilliwack Bomber Jacket (women’s | men’s)
About: Kotn is all about organic Egyptian cotton. The brand focuses on simple, classic and comfy cotton clothes. Kotn sources and produces its products in Egypt and supports the community in which it operates. You can learn more about its factories on the website.
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Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Unisex Antifit Denim
About: Encircled focuses on ethics, sustainability and comfort. The styles are mostly flowy and are offered in a range of sizes (from XS to 4X, varying by product). Encircled is a certified B Corp, meaning it is governed by the non-profit that prioritizes people, communities and the environment.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont. Made in Canada.
Favourite item: The Dressy Sweatpant
About: Lesley Hampton founded her namesake brand in 2016. The brand is Indigenous-owned, women-led and size-inclusive. Lesley Hampton is known for luxury activewear and eveningwear.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Embroidered T-Dress
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About: Jenny Bird founded her namesake brand in 2008. The brand features simple and classic jewellery. Jenny Bird jewellery started in Canada and can be found on ears, necks and wrists around the world, including celebrities like Selena Gomez and Mindy Kaling.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Icon Hoops
About: Mejuri was founded in 2015 by the current CEO and co-founded Noura Sakkijha. Sakkijha grew up in Jordan and is a third-generation jeweller. The brand offers well-priced, high-quality jewellery with a focus on sustainability. 80 per cent of the gold that Mejuri uses comes from recycled sources.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Lotus Necklace
About: Numi started off as a solution for sweat stains. The founder worked in finance and didn’t like to wear her favourite shirts because they were prone to sweat stains. They also required dry cleaning. The brand launched with an undershirt to address the sweat issue but then expanded to create easy-to-wash and wear products.
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Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Essential Undershirt
About: Though lululemon is now a globally known brand, the company is a Canadian success story. When the brand’s first store opened in Kitsilano, B.C., the company said that it would provide a free outfit to those who came in naked, and it’s been a news-generating brand ever since. The company is best known for its activewear.
Founding location: Vancouver, B.C.
Favourite item: Align Legging
About: When you buy a product, the company plants 10 trees. The mission is in the name. Tentree is an Earth-first clothing manufacturer. It is B Corp certified and is on a mission to plant a billion trees by 2030.
Founding location: Regina, Sask.
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Favourite item: TreeBlend Classic T-Shirt
About: Joanna Griffiths founded Knix to solve the issue of period leaks. Though the brand started with leak-proof underwear, it has expanded to other categories including activewear, swimwear and loungewear.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Underwear
About: Club Monaco was founded in 1985 to establish the concept of “better basics.” The brand offers a middle ground between fast fashion and couture, accomplishing what it set out to do. Club Monaco styles are contemporary yet classic.
Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Wear to Work Shop (less an item, more a useful section)
About: Joe Fresh was founded by the same person who established Club Monaco, Joseph Mimran The brand also features basic clothing, but at a much more accessible price (and sold in grocery stores). Joe Fresh also has a large range of sizes.
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Founding location: Toronto, Ont.
Favourite item: Textured Sweater
About: Sorel was founded in 1962 and originally focused on winter and work boots. The brand was acquired by Columbia Sportswear and expanded its product offering to now offer a range of footwear including boots, walking shoes and sandals.
Founding location: Kitchener, Ont.
Favourite item: Tivoli IV Parc Boot IV
About: Brothers Jamie and Lyndon Cormack founded Herschel Supply Co. in 2009, naming the company after their family’s hometown. The company makes bags and accessories and is likely best known for its backpack with the iconic Hershel patch.
Founding location: Vancouver, B.C.
Favourite item: Herschel Classic Backpack
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About: Hudson North was founded by the Hudson’s Bay Company, Canada and North America’s oldest and longest-surviving company. The Bay launched Hudson North in 2022. The brand focuses on contemporary and simple styles and currently has over 200 pieces.
Favourite item: Bouclé Shacket
About: Etsy is a central platform for crafters. The site offers the option to select Canadian crafters and entrepreneurs. We love the platform because we can access smaller and more diverse crafters across Canada.
About: Amazon has dedicated pages for Canadian makers. Dubbed Homemade in Canada, the category also features crafters from coast-to-coast.
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