Don't sleep on Canada's fashion scene
From indie labels to iconic boutiques, a deep dive into Canada’s evolving menswear scene and the artisans keeping "Made in Canada" alive.
Made in… Canada?
The Great White North, Canuck Country, The 6ix—Canada’s got more nicknames than a hockey player with a long career.
It’s a land of outrageously polite folks, dangerously addictive poutine (seriously, once you start, good luck stopping), and a shockingly high number of Hollywood Walk of Fame inductees.
But one thing that’s been criminally overlooked? Canada’s influence on fashion.
My love for Made in Canada started 11 years ago when I worked at a boutique. We carried Wings + Horns (where I copped one of my all-time grails), and I remember being absolutely floored by their virgin wool sweaters, sulfur-dyed chinos, and that wild byBorre collab inspired by an astronaut suit—still mind-blowing today.
That was just the beginning of my deep dive into Canada’s fashion scene. It led me to Roopa Knitting Mills, the unsung hero behind heavyweight Canadian fleece and French terry.
Turns out, they were supplying blanks for some of the biggest names in the game—Aimé Leon Dore, J.Crew, and Supreme, to name a few.
These days, you don’t need a middle person; you can go straight to their in-house label, House of Blanks.
Fast-forward and my love for Maple Leaf Land has only grown. But I’m not talking about the usual suspects—Lululemon, Arc’teryx, Canada Goose. I mean the indie labels still flying the Made in Canada flag high, and the shops committed to putting the next under-the-radar brand on the map.
To get a better pulse on the scene, I tapped into the minds of Canadian brand owners and tastemakers to hear how things have evolved.
The evolution of Canadian menswear
“The Canadian fashion scene exists in extremes,” says Dwayne Vatcher, Wings + Horns alum and co-founder of Body of Work with his wife, Brittney MacKinnon. “It’s either very small, one-person operations or huge corporate companies like Canada Goose. There’s not a lot in between.”
Robert Yarish, founder of Toronto tailoring label Wynona, shares a similar sentiment. “Canada’s kind of a laggard in the menswear scene,” he says. However, he acknowledges the impact of pioneering retailers. “Lost & Found, for example, has been pulling in really unique brands from the get-go.”
Over the last eight years, MacKinnon has noticed a shift. “There’s been a rise in independent brands and a new approach to how people wear clothes,” she says.
Menswear aficionado and content creator Nolan White (peep his very own Canada guide) says, “Toronto has always been the hub for menswear in Canada.”
He credits Lost & Found with ushering in the first wave of the blogger-era menswear scene, cultivating a strong clientele with brands like Real McCoy’s, Viberg, and Alden—later evolving to include names like Our Legacy, Lemaire, and Kaptain Sunshine.
Out west in Vancouver, White highlights another key player. “Neighbour has kind of been the authority from a boutique perspective,” he says.
The style DNA of Canada’s major cities
As the U.S. is very multicultural, the same goes for Canada. “It’s a melting pot of fashion,” Yarish says.
White echoes that thought: “A lot of people here are first-, second-, or third-generation immigrants, and that translates into the fashion scenes.”
He then breaks down the style of a few major cities:
Toronto & Southern Ontario – “Pretty casual—similar to what you’d see in New York.”
Montreal – “A bit more edge,” with people wearing Jean Paul Gaultier (shoutout The Fifth Element), vintage Oakley, JNCO, Jérôme Dreyfuss, and Katharine Hamnett.
Vancouver – Tech-heavy and performance-driven.
Calgary – A unique blend: “There’s a really interesting Western wear subculture that’s incredibly authentic, along with a solid GORP scene since it’s so close to the mountains.” White emphasizes that “these aren’t just fashion cowboys—there are massive cattle ranches in Alberta, and it’s truly the Canadian West, similar to Texas.”
Edmonton – White hasn’t spent much time there, but he notes that it’s home to HAVEN and Kluane Mountaineering.
Why Canadian-made matters
With my old Wings + Horns and Reigning Champ pieces—back when they were still manufactured in Canada—I remember the exceptional quality of their 1x1 slub T-shirts.
But what really stood out was the level of detail in their knitwear—it was unlike anything I’d ever felt. And who better to trust to keep you warm than Canadians, eh?
Funny enough, when it comes to knitwear, Canada produces some of the best in the world. “A lot of American and overseas companies specifically manufacture their knitwear here—like cut-and-sewn knitwear—because of the quality,” MacKinnon shares with me.
Around the same time I discovered Wings + Horns, so did Vatcher (before he worked for the brand). He remembers, “Seeing ‘Made in Canada’ just felt exciting, special.”
As he dug deeper and eventually worked with Craig Atkinson, the brand’s founder, he was inspired by his obsessive care for fabrics.
“I had never seen someone nerd out over textures like that—getting into the dryness, weight, and what makes a fabric feel good on the skin. Those little details fascinated me,” Vatcher says.
With their brand, Body of Work, Dwayne and Brittney are trying to preserve what makes Canadian fashion special: its incredible quality.
There’s a small but dedicated community that cares about craft and the concept of ‘Made in Canada.’ “To us, that feels like such an important and interesting angle,” Vatcher tells me.
MacKinnon agrees. “I think we just have a strong connection to the craft aspect.” While not everyone can visit the factory multiple times a week, she admits, “We’re probably there too much,” which is a huge advantage of making garments in your own backyard.
“Honestly, it’s very emotional. It’s exciting. It makes you feel something,” she says of the clothes-making process.
Over the years, the lens of Canadian fashion has widened, but Vatcher notes that they started their own brand “to inspire the younger version of themselves.” Both he and MacKinnon had to move to Vancouver to start their fashion careers, and now, with their own label, they feel like they’re fighting the good fight.
“We’re building something in Canada so that, years from now, someone like you—who maybe discovered Wings + Horns back in the day—can look to us for inspiration and think, ‘Hey, I can do this too,’” Vatcher says.
Brands and shops
Just a quick note—plenty of extensive Canadian lists are already out there, so we aimed for something more focused and easier to digest.
Brands
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I moved to Canada in 2020 and am aware of some of the scene but this is a great guide. Here in Montréal I also recommend 'Clark Street Mercantile' - great boutique
LOVE THIS! Also another brand that you should have on your radar is Province of Canada! Love their casual approach, have amazing rugbys, and can fill the nostalgia that Roots has occupied for many Canadians!