CLOTHING IN QUARANTINE
Local brands innovate to stay afloat
Montreal streetwear retailer Off the Hook had its annual spring-break line of clothes designed and ready to go to the printers, but with the spread of coronavirus keeping everyone indoors, celebrating the sun and surf no longer felt appropriate.
Rather than scrap the line, designer Laurent (Faker) Poignot quickly offered up a timely alternative, flipping the spring break logo into Stay Home 2020. Montrealers can now sport a shirt, hoodie or pants promoting the message of self-isolation while self-isolating, and more importantly support a Montreal clothing shop that — like every non-essential business here — had to close its doors temporarily.
“We posted the Stay Home line on social media and we got so much positive feedback. People were excited,” said Off the Hook owner Harry Drakopoulos. “Everybody’s living the same thing at the exact same time.”
Off the Hook entered the month of March preparing to drop a new Reebok shoe, years in the making, designed to handle the city’s sneaker-ruining slush season, although a warning from a colleague in South Korea prepared Drakopoulos for what was to come. Not long after launching the shoe, Off the Hook had to close its three locations (downtown, Old Montreal and the Plateau) and let go of 32 employees.
They’re down to a skeleton staff and even have to wait for a seamstress to be able to come in and stitch the final touches for the Stay Home line, which is set for release on April 14.
“Our bread and butter is not online,” said Drakopoulos. “We won’t replace our business online, but we have an opportunity.”
Local clothing designer Tamelo Boutique, on the other hand, has been an exclusively online shop since being founded by sisters Mélodie and Virginie Fisette over a year ago. Typically, their shirts are adorned with kitschy Quebec pop culture icons from yesteryear, like boy band Les B.B. and late-’80s-era Céline Dion.
Their latest designs feature Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec director of public health, surrounded by the Enrique Iglesias lyric “I can be your hero baby” and Premier François Legault saying “sometimes a glass of wine may help.”
“Usually, it takes about a week to get a concept off the ground, but in this case it took 24 hours,” said Virginie Fisette. “There was a lot of momentum behind the project, but we’re also a lot less busy.”
Fisette said reaction to the shirts has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People have been leaving notes when ordering them online, and we’ve seen people are buying them as a gift for someone else or doing it to support us because we’re local,” Fisette said. “They’ve been our fastest sellers ever, but it’s really just keeping us afloat for now.”
When sales dip and local retailers are forced to shutter, it’s not just the stores themselves that struggle — local artists feel the pinch. Boutique and clothing brand Artgang — noted for connecting MTL into a New York Yankees-style logo — has been offering its Royaltees program for six years. Traditionally, it’s been in the form of art galleries where the pieces are all printed on T-shirts, but with coronavirus threatening the city’s creatives, they’ve moved Royaltees online. Artgang reached out to 40 local artists to come up with T-shirt designs, and the plan is to release one every other day online in the coming weeks.
Gavin Macgregor, director of operations at Artgang Art Contemporain, said profits will be split 50-50 between Artgang and the artists.
“The idea is to help them make some extra cash to get through the next few weeks,” Macgregor said. “Our contact list is one of our most precious assets when it comes to art production. We are happy to be able to put it to use for a good cause and reach out to such a large part of Montreal’s cultural community.”
Although the artists commissioned were free to create whatever inspired them, so far there have been a few references to our current times. Lachine artist Bez drew a logo that says Montreal Stay Strong. Stay Home. Buy Local., while Snipes, also from Lachine, is offering a shirt reminding everyone to wash their hands.
When local retailers talk about the POST-COVID-19 economic recovery, the theme of buying local is a recurring one, and these Covid-19-related items are less about seizing the moment and more about local brands doing what it takes to survive until their shops can reopen. Many retailers have lowered the threshold on free shipping and initiated storewide discounts to spur online sales.
“In times like this, we need our community’s support,” said Koku Awuye, founder of local brand Atelier New Regime. “If you’re able to support local businesses during this crisis, I think it’s important.”
That’s also why local retailers say people shouldn’t feel wasteful about buying a shirt based on the current situation, even if it doesn’t become an enduring piece in their wardrobe.
“I think it’s the kind of thing people might keep in the back of their closet as a keepsake,” said
Drakopoulos. “Everyone is going to have a specific story about how they experienced it.”
Drakopoulos warned that even when things improve for the clothing industry, it won’t be business as usual. His stores are in tourist-heavy areas and he doesn’t expect sales to return to previous levels any time soon. He’s taking the retail downtime to work on long-term projects with business partner Angelo Destounis.
“People talk about buying local, but I don’t think we took time to really think about what that meant,” Drakopoulos said. “It’s about keeping money within our ecosystem and having a sense of community. I think we’re now seeing why it’s important to support our own, starting with your neighbourhood.”
People talk about buying local, but I don’t think we took time to really think about what that meant. It’s about keeping money within our ecosystem and having a sense of community. I think we’re now seeing why it’s important to support our own, starting with your neighbourhood.
Harry Drakopoulos, owner of Off the Hook