Of course Canada is a great place to live and we’re all lucky to be here, but Canada is not, generally speaking, “cool.”
But could it be that “Canadian-ness,” as a style, a culture, is cool again? Or maybe not “again”… because… was it ever cool? Hmm, perhaps not? Alright, so I’m going to suggest something here… maybe Canada is not necessarily any cooler than it ever was, but I think we’re seeing a Canadian Heritage trend happening.
Check out Classified’s surprisingly popular Oh Canada song, which starts off with “A Heritage Moment”…
Or that the sales of Canada Goose jackets have “inexplicably” soared this year, with the jackets becoming a much coveted item. I can’t believe I see teenagers wearing these things (don’t they go for something like $800 a piece? WTF?) You may recall my biz partner Angela’s lovely post entitled, “Bitch! That’s My Jacket Episode #1,” over a woman’s suspicion that Angela stole her Canada Goose jacket… in bar packed with Canada Goose jackets. And I can’t remember if Angela posted about her experience a week later… but she actually got her jacket stolen (and subsequently wrestled it back) at a Montreal bar.
Apparently, the Canada Goose thing was just one of those tipping point trends, largely seeded by the brand itself when the founder’s granddaughter took over in 2001.
Hayden Christensen in a Canada Goose jacket
The Bay leveraged the Canadian Heritage trend this past year with their clever PR initiative of tasking ten Canadian designers to turn the traditional Bay point blanket into a winter coat.
Smythe’s version of the HBC coat
Even the originals are doing pretty well.
Everyone’s favorite “socialite,” Nolan Bryant, in an original
Our friends on the leading edge of fashion have been playing with this too. One of our favorite photographers Troy Moth did a photo shoot for HOT LIGHTS which mixed aboriginal inspired pieces with PVC leather, to create beautiful, fashion forward looks.
Troy Moth for HOT LIGHTS
And another fashion photographer Mackenzie Duncan co-created a fashion film called Cazar with Stuart McIntyre for Filler Magazine, which plays on an aboriginal/colonialist theme (I think… what do you think this film is about? Either way, I like it) and uses several Canadian leathers and designers.
So what’s the upshot here? High quality, staunchly Canadian brands, like Roots Leather, are primed to see sales increase this year. Maybe even the awards jacket will be making a return.
XO Kanye