Hudson’s Bay celebrates 350 years and its iconic point blanket
As Hudson’s Bay turns 350, its iconic point blanket remains the peak of Canadian chic.
As Canadian as the maple leaf, Hudson’s Bay stripes are to the Great White North what Breton stripes are to France — a once utilitarian pattern that carries serious fashion cachet today. While Coco Chanel lifted the French sailor’s uniform into couture circles in 1913, Hudson's Bay stripes have been admired since the 18th century, when the wool point blanket became a staple of the fur trade. Long before street-style stars jumped onto the trend, Indigenous peoples, fur traders and voyageurs took to wearing the blankets like robes.
Today, you can find the stripes on all kinds of Hudson’s Bay merchandise, including baby onesies, yoga mats and dog bowls. Top brands such as Le Creuset, Lacoste, Smythe and Levi's have all adopted the famous Multi Stripe for polo shirts, denim jackets, sneakers and sweats. But it’s the point blanket that remains valiantly trend proof.
Still handcrafted in England, the blankets are almost always part of the picture when we imagine the classic Canadian cottage. Despite its rugged origin — or maybe because of it — it’s just as popular in posher places, too, warming the foot of a bed or the arm of a chair (or the lap of a royal heir, as it did in 1951, when Princess Elizabeth paid a royal visit to Canada). For it’s 350th anniversary, Hudson’s Bay is rereleasing a few favourite colourways from the blanket’s past, including the sunny 1959’s Canary and the 1950’s pastel Ice Cream tones. A new version with ombré stripes (left) is also launching for the special occasion. Whatever the hue, the point blanket remains our most stylish and enduring emblem of home.