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Canada’s top sustainable fashion designers Organic fibres spun into baby-soft fabrics, vintage
pieces
repurposed into modern style confections—sustainable fashion has come a
long way, baby. Especially in Canada, where legions of designers are
doing their part for the planet. Here are the eco-chic lines on our
radar (and in our closet) right now.
What: Thunder Bay, ON’s
Jennifer
Fukushima
creates scrumptious dresses, skirts and shrugs from eco-friendly
fabrics with all the girly details you want and none of the chemicals
you don’t.
Where: Boutiques from British
Columbia to Quebec
Who: Elroy Apparel
What: Vancouver, BC,
designer Leanne
McElroy delivers her fashion-forward women’s line
of structured coats, skirts and dresses in organic cotton and soft
bamboo jersey.
Where: Boutiques across Canada and
the US
 Who: Nixxi
What: Vancouver, BC,
designer Jada-lee
Watson turns natural and renewable fibres into
pretty, playful pieces in juicy colours.
Where: Boutiques across Canada and
the US
 Who: deux fm
What: Nova Scotia-born
Anna Gilkerson
is making her mark with smartly simple separates in enviro-friendly
fabrics. Starlet Anne Hathaway
left a recent photo shoot with deux fm’s Vienna dress in antique
white—the rest of Hollywood can’t be far behind.
Where: Boutiques across Canada and
in the US
Who: Red Jade
What: There’s nothing tree-hugger
looking about this new line from Vancouver, BC-based
Margarita
Angelatos,
who works her magic transforming merino wool, cashmere/micro-modal and
other luxurious natural fabrics into sleek trenches, skirts and flowy
frocks.
Who: Susan Harris
What: This Toronto, ON,
designer spins her deliciously crafty concoctions from recycled wools
made beautiful with raw edges, frenetic stitching and lots of whimsy.
Where: Toronto
studio by appointment
Who: inKlein Design
What: Traditional Scottish Fair
Isle aesthetics meets West Coast sensibilities in designer Leona
Klein’s sumptuous collection of luxury
organic knitwear for men and babies. Made from un-dyed natural
baby alpaca, qiviuk
(a cute, furry, softer-than-cashmere Arctic beast) and bison,
all pieces are produced under Fair Trade policies
in Lake Country, BC.
If that’s not Canadian enough for you, the 2010
collection includes scarves inspired by the Vancouver
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Where: Online and in stores in British
Columbia
 Who: Myco Anna
What: Owner and artistic director Christiane
Garant and designer Annou Théberge are earning
praise for this bold yet wearable women’s line from Quebec
made from 20% to 100% recycled and equitably traded materials.
Who: Lav & Kush
What: Designer
Angela Saxena’s
flirty women’s line uses super-soft jerseys made from bamboo, organic
cotton and soy blends. Bonus: partial proceeds go to organizations such
as PETA and Imagine
1 Day.
Where: Boutiques across western
Canada and the US
What: Montréal, QC,
fashion entrepreneur
Mariouche Gagné repurposes some 6,000 fur coats
every year into glam berets, long gloves and contemporary home
accessories.
Where: Flagship store near Montréal,
QC’s
historic Atwater Market
as well as boutiques across Canada, the US, France and Japan
What: This Paris-born Montréal, QC,
designer got her start repurposing vintage fur and fabrics. Today
organic materials give rise to ethereal designs that blend 60s sexiness
with futuristic fantasy.
Where: Boutiques across Canada and
the US
Who: Lundström
What: Believe it or not, this chic
women’s wear collection from Toronto, ON,
incorporates material made from recycled plastic bottles.
Where: Boutiques across Canada and
the US
Who: Adhesif Clothing
What: Vancouver, BC-based
Melissa Ferreira
creates her attention-grabbing women’s line from recycled garments and
bold vintage fabrics.
Who: preloved
What: Trench coats turn into sexy
cocktail apparel. Button-downs loosen up as flirty blouses. Toronto, ON,
designer and founder Julia Grieve
and Creative Director Peter Friesen
fashion reclaimed vintage fabrics into runway-worthy looks, loved by Hilary
Duff, Anne Hathaway,
Kate Hudson
and Canadian
super-model Daria Werbowy.
Where: preloved stores in Toronto,
ON,
and Montréal,
QC;
boutiques across Canada, Australia, Europe and Japan
Who: Passenger
Pigeon
What: The feminine frocks from
Toronto, ON
designers Heather
Schibli and Wendy Traas
are made solely from eco-conscious textiles (including organic wool and
lyocell) and printed with water-based inks.
Where: Boutiques in Toronto
Who: Twice Shy
What: The whole family can look and
feel good in cute casual wear from this Vancouver, BC
purveyor of organic cotton clothing.
Where: Boutiques across Canada and
the US
Who: Roots
What: The beloved casual wear
company’s collection now
includes bamboo-based yogawear, veggie-tanned leathers, recycled rubber
shoes and plush and organic cotton bedding.
Where: Roots stores across Canada,
the US and Asia
Who: Oqoqo
What: Yoga class makes you feel
good in more ways than one, thanks to this sub-brand from British
Columbia-based Lululemon Athletica.
Oqoqo yogawear uses materials such as hemp, bamboo, 100% organic merino
wool and “soyla”—a fabric made by extracting protein strands from
low-impact soy crops.
Where: Oqoqo stores across Canada
 “courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission.” Key word Sustainable design Canada Environmental
Design URBAN Design
ECO Design a r c h 1 d e s i g n a r c h 1 d e s i g n a r c h 1 d e s i g n 
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