When I popped into the store this week to check things out I felt like I was back in the beloved indie store Nokomis: I kept running across the great Canadian brands that were Nokomis favs like House of Spy, Passenger Pigeon, Smoking Lily and even the Nokomis house brand!
Nokomis dress; Size S, $46
Finding pieces from Canadian designers who are no longer producing under the brand, like Nokomis, is bitter-sweet. It sucks that they are gone, but then you know that the pieces which are left are truly unique and a great addition to your collection.
House of Spy has a new name: Maison Clothing, by the same designer. Check out the super cute teapots on this House of Spy tunic!
House of Spy tunic; Size M, $28
Sadly, Passenger Pigeon is no longer in production. Boo. So you can probably imagine what it sounded like as I hissed "NO WAY" when I found this one on the front dress-rack:
Passenger Pigeon dress; Size S. $36
....They're bikes...printed on organic cotton...ethically made in Canada.....oh, come on!
Ever stalwart Smoking Lily has a special place in my heart as they were the first to pop up on my fashion radar many, MANY years ago when I first became conscious of indie-Canadian designers. I'm always happy to find Smoking Lily in the shop.
Smoking Lily jacket; Size M, $32
( Note: This looked like a pretty small medium to me).
Preloved is also a brand we often have in the shop that I just LOVE. Always well constructed, I love figuring out what the pieces were before, and then having that "But how did they do that?!" moment. I think this purple bolero was pants. Yes, pants.
Preloved jacket; Size M, $30
Here's a brand I'm not familiar with, Snoflake, and there's not much I could find on them. But the tag says straight up "Made In Canada", and that's good enough for me! Check-out that awesome stitching detail at the bottom...
Snoflake skirt; Size L, $28
From our friends at Noul (formerly Loft 82), this paint-splattered shirt:
Loft 82 shirt; Size M, $30
And one honourable mention: this skirt has no tag and looks to me to be hand-made by someone awesome who did a super pro job. I LOVE garments that are hand-made, and this one was probably made by someone in Edmonton, so it gets, like, double Canadian-content points.
Beautifully hand-made skirt; Size L; $20
But, what really blew my mind is that I believe the fabric itself is hand dyed! This type of me-made makes me swoon. Well done, fiber-artist who created this piece, whoever you are!
Excellent craftsmanship!
I was really excited about these finds; I'm so glad these brands get to live-on in our store!
YV