24 BIPOC-Owned Canadian Fashion Brands to Shop This Season
If you’re looking to keep your drip fresh while supporting communities who have long been at the forefront of fashion innovation, look no further than your friendly neighbourhood BIPOC designers. Across the country, Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour have been making moves and offering gorgeous design perspectives in streetwear, athleisure, and your casual everyday wardrobe. Now, with parts of Canada in COVID-19 lockdown and small businesses closed for in-store shopping, they need our support more than ever. If you don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered: here are 24 BIPOC-owned Canadian fashion brands to shop this holiday season.
Sevin Kasran
Indo-Canadian brand Sevin Kasran has provided fits for musicians and famous NBA players like Chris Paul, Jayson Taytum, and Tobias Harris, among other sharp dressers. The company was started by friends Sunny Basran and Kevin Khungay from Kamloops, BC, both of whom draw on their Indian heritage to create pieces with meaning and flare, like the perfect Indo-Worker Jacket. The brand's Fall/Winter 2020 collection ‘Sunday Mornings’ was inspired by Basran and Khungay's frequent visits to the local Sikh temple during their childhoods.
Povrich
Ahniel “Ricky” Lee launched his brand Povrich straight out of university, designing both men’s and women’s items. Currently in the former category they have joggers, hoodies, coats, tees, and a bunch of funky mid-rise skinny fit denim pants, like these with distressing at the knees and an assortment of patches. Povrich also sells masks now, of course.
Evan Ducharme
Based on BC’s unceded Coast Salish territory, Evan Ducharme is centred around the concept of Atavism, a philosophy that sees clothes as protection from everything from the natural elements to everyday social encounters. The brand incorporates Metis iconography into incredible pieces that can take you from impeccably silhouetted casual way all the way to well-tailored evening looks.