Local designers get national nods
Vancouver designers and brands have made a huge showing at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards this week amid the distraction of COVID-19.
Nominees for the 2020 prizes include cool-comfort footwear brand Casca for the Joe Fresh fashioninnovation award; Herschel Supply Company and Wolf Circus for accessory designer of the year; Arc’teryx for outerwear brand of the year; and charity-minded Obakki for the fashion-impact award.
Winners were supposed to have been announced at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto on May 29, but due to social-distancing measures, the awards gala has been postponed to the fall.
We thought we’d celebrate the local lines anyway by spotlighting a few of our favourite spring looks from the brands. (Note that many of the stores listed here are closed for safety in these coronavirus-afflicted times; we’re just listing them for when the cloud lifts again.)
CASCA
What: Avro Knit runners in burgundy ($198), breathable and cushiony in a colour that will let you break out of your black-and-grey winter rut.
The brand: The Vancouver innovators want sneakerheads to buy fewer shoes to help the planet. How? By designing high-comfort shoes that can step easily into all walks of your life, from work to hiking. The line combines classic looks with 3-D-printing tech, offering customizable insoles: its FoorB3D lets you scan your foot with the Casca App. Other pluses: treads with the grip of a boot and sustainably made leathers.
Where: Online and the Vancouver flagship lab (4166 Main Street).
HERSCHEL SUPPLY CO.
What: Neon pink Heritage backpack ($69.99), a blast of muchneeded colour in these dark times, perfect for picking up a few essential supplies or toting your work-athome strategy to the park.
The brand: Founded in 2009 by brothers Jamie and Lyndon Cormack, ubiquitous Herschel has gone global—as in 70 countries—with its classic and studio collections. Breaking out when hipsters around the world embraced its high-quality, low-key backpacks, it’s grown to encompass duffel bags, luggage, raincoats, T-shirts, and more.
Where: Online and at its flagship at 347 Water Street.
WOLF CIRCUS
What: Sophia Pearl Necklace in Silver ($198), a cool way to adopt this year’s biggest jewellery trend, with freshwater pearls and a cute recycled-sterling-silver toggle.
The brand: The sustainable Vancouver line is all about understated luxury. It employs recycled metals, hand fabrication, and lost-wax casting in its Railtown studio. Founder and creator Fiona Morris launched the line out of her home in 2011 with a wolf ring. She’s gone on to sell internationally and nabbed last year’s $100,000 award through the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Design Entrepreneur program in New York City.
Where: Online and at stores like Blue Ruby, Hills of Kerrisdale, Hey Jude, Much & Little, and Walrus.
ARC’TERYX
What: The ultralight Alpha pullover in a blast of colour to offset misty Coast Mountain hikes—tourmaline/phoenix. The look is made from Gore-Tex made from reclaimed materials ($670).
The brand: Founded by Dave Lane and Jeremy Guard in 1989, the North Vancouver–based outdoor clothing and equipment company is driven by extreme adventuring, meticulous craftmanship, and cutting-edge technology. Arc’teryx released a long and meaningful statement on the coronovirus crisis and its effect on business, as it closed its retail outlets (but not ecommerce) this week: “We hope that you can find sanctuary in connecting with any form of nature you have access to during these unusual times— even if viewed from a distance or a place of optimism for what’s to come.”
Where: Online and at 813 Burrard Street, with a factory store at 2155 Dollarton Highway.
OBAKKI
What: The hand-dyed rayon-andmodal indigo scarf ($110) is silky soft and drapes in a perfect, loose, I’m-not-trying way. It also supports the women of Uganda’s Bidi Bidi, one of the largest refugee camps in the world; they use a natural indigodyeing process that’s been passed down for generations. Obakki runs a tailor and textile training facility in the heart of the resettlement area.
The brand: Treana Peake founded the company in 2005 as an extension of her dual passions for travelling and humanitarian work. The heart of the brand is the Obakki Foundation, a registered charity that focuses on providing clean water and livelihood initiatives in Africa.
Where: Online and 261 East Pender Street.