Luxury retailer partners with mukluk maker
Holt Renfrew is stocking Manitobah footwear in H Project boutiques in four locations
For Manitobah Mukluks fusing fashion, function and thousands of years of aboriginal tradition has been a long- standing mission.
“As an aboriginal- owned company, our vision is to build a vibrant, global brand that makes a significant social impact in Aboriginal communities,” Sean McCormick, president and founder of Manitobah Mukluks, says.
The Winnipeg- based company recently announced a partnership with luxury retailer Holt Renfrew called the Storyboot Project, which fosters the continuing growth of arts and traditional craftsmanship in aboriginal communities while offering a 50/ 50 profit sharing agreement with the elders and artisans who create the products.
“We see our Storyboot Project as a business- building partnership rather than a charity,” McCormick says.
“These kinds of exchanges have a lasting effect in our communities and serve to keep the traditional arts alive.”
The Storyboot project, which launched at four Holt Renfrew locations across Canada ( Calgary, Yorkdale Mall, Bloor Street and Vancouver) in late December 2013, includes pieces from the brand’s core collection ( priced from $ 79.99) as well as the limited- edition mukluks designed by Storyboot artist Annie McKay for $ 799.99.
“The H project offers a unique shopping experience to Canadians with a commitment to culture, craft and global artisanship,” McCormick says of Holt Renfrew’s in- store capsule that features items, many of which have a charitable giveback, that launched in 2013.
“We’re proud that the Holt Renfrew team sought to share that vision while telling the stories of aboriginal people in the process.”
Though Manitobah Mukluks are sold in various retail locations across Canada, the partnership with Holt Renfrew marks the first national luxury retailer to carry the Storyboot Project products alongside their main line of mukluks and moccasins.
“It’s extraordinary to witness our mukluks being recognized by the most fashionable Canadians for their iconic and timeless qualities,” McCormick says.
The company, which continues to work with the same hides and furs that have been staples of aboriginal culture, has looked to expand the brand globally by increasing production and introducing models featuring Vibram rubber soles that make them suitable for urban environments.
Headquartered in Winnipeg, where they produce about 20,000 pairs a year, Manitobah Mukluks has expanded its operations to include a partner office in Gatineau, Que. and an international facility in Vietnam, where they “ethically produce enough mukluks and moccasins to meet the extraordinary demand there is for our products,” according to McCormick. “With the exception of our Sunshine Moccasin, all pieces at the H Project location come from the made- in- Canada collection.”
After years running his family’s tannery, where they traded tanned hides for handmade moccasins, McCormick began manufacturing his own mukluks and moccasins in 1997.
“As an aboriginal Canadian, my vision revolves around my community,” McCormick says.
“Aboriginal communities are among the fastest growing in Canada. For us to continue thriving I believe in using the tools we’ve had for generations: entrepreneurship, art and culture, our land and our community.”
Along with employing craftsmen in various aboriginal communities, Manitobah Mukluks also provides bursaries to young entrepreneurs and have recently created a Storyboot school to teach mukluk- making to the next generation, according to McCormick.
“It’s an honour to make a modern product that perpetuates a proud history and culture.”