I love the local movement. Eating local. Shopping local. This past holiday season we made a concretive effort as a family to do all our shopping locally. Supporting our neighbourhood shops ensures a vibrant community and rewards the stores that support local craftsmen, artisans, and growers. Beyond the neighbourhood stores, there are some larger brands that believe in community too.
It use to be that you could trust that some of the big Canadian brands, like Roots and Sorel, were made locally in Canada. Now many of these larger brands have gone overseas as a way to cut costs but we don’t see this savings as a consumer. Canada Goose is a company that still designs and manufactures their brand right here in Canada. You can read a little more about their story.
It’s true, the cost of a Canada Goose coat isn’t cheap but when you think about the cost behind making that coat, right here in my own backyard, versus a similarly priced brand name with labels from China or Thailand, I feel completely justified by the cost. You have to wonder why some of those other jackets can go on sale regularly at fifty-percent off?
You can’t judge the value of a jacket by its price tag alone. Some brands are just names you are paying for and not real quality. I’m not a winter person. I have to wear layers of sweaters when I’m indoor, forget what I have to put on when I head outside. Like it or not, Canada gets cold, even if we don’t always receive snow. I gave in and bought the Canada Goose Kensington Parka. I must admit, I fell in love with the look of this coat when I first saw it at a preview event.
I love the long slim fitting shape. I even had a woman stop me in the grocery store to comment on how slimming the jacket looked compared to other parka’s she’s seen, a nice confidence boost. The coat is rated a TEI3 (Canada Goose’s Thermal Experience Index used to help determine the type of product you need). This coat is perfect for real winter chill in the city and I wear it every day.
Most people shy away from Canada Goose’s brighter colours like their Blue Topaz or Red but I find winter can feel so dreary already, why add to it with black. I love the Sunset Orange colour of my Kensington Parka and I’ve had so many people, those I know and strangers, stop me on the street and comment on how much they love the colour. It’s certainly not a choice if you want to walk around anonymous.
For extreme cold, like those low wind chills we’ve had the last few days, I have a Canada Goose Whistler Parka. This is a longer coat, going past my knees, and a TEI rating of 4. This has been a great coat for walking to and from school as well as just hanging out with the kids in the backyard.
Yes, it’s true the Canada Goose coats are made with coyote fur for their hood trim. With the hood up, the cold is actually kept off my face and better still the fur doesn’t end up with wet snow, frozen in clumps. You can remove the fur trim but if the trim is an issue, the jacket may not be one you want to purchase (removing the trim doesn’t change the fact that the jacket came with it).
I’ll admit, I don’t live in the coldest place in the world or even Canada but the cold doesn’t agree with me. I’ve tried my fair share of big brand winter jackets, only to be disappointed with the investment I have made. Canada Goose coats are actually ones that keep me warm and encourage me to spend more time outside during the winter months (which is saying a lot since I have no interest in winter sports). It’s nice to see some brands don’t have to go to foreign markets to make their business work in their home country.
