Category Archives: Canadian dress

Canadian Fashion Connection – Rainbow Jeans

Posted on 2019-04-11 by Jonathan

After Joe Owen finished his tour of duty in Vietnam, he was working for an American Jeans manufacturer and was in Toronto on business when he met future business partner Richard Brown. In 1975, the two were still in their … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – Stanfield’s

Posted on 2019-04-03 by Jonathan

In 1882, Charles Stanfield established the Truro Woollen Mills in Nova Scotia. His sons took over the business in 1896 and developed a patented process for making unshrinkable wool union suits in 1915. Stanfield’s went on to diversify its product … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – Guy Cramer

Posted on 2019-03-26 by Jonathan

Canadian born Guy Cramer is the C.E.O. of HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp. in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Twenty years ago Cramer developed a system for making computer generated digital camouflage patterns. His first client was the King of Jordan. In 2003, … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – The Ideal Dress Company

Posted on 2019-03-21 by Jonathan

Moe Lupovich arrived in Canada as an immigrant from Romania in 1912. Unable to find jobs Moe and his brother Samuel began selling rags and saved up for a sewing machine, which enabled them to make aprons and sell them … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – Trans-Canada Shoes

Posted on 2019-02-20 by Jonathan

Founded in c. 1954 (the logo was registered that year), Trans-Canada Shoes was a retail chain, headquartered in Quebec, that sold Canadian-made footwear, primarily from Quebec manufacturers. The chain was mostly located in strip plazas and suburban malls. The company … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – The Woodward’s Jingle

Posted on 2019-02-13 by Jonathan

If you grew up in Vancouver in the 1960s and 1970s like I did, you knew this tune – the $1.49 Day jingle. I blogged about Woodward’s, the Vancouver department store that was in business from 1892 to 1992 a … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – Newlands

Posted on 2019-01-21 by Jonathan

Andrew Newlands was born in Scotland in 1840, and was married with two children when he immigrated with his family to Canada in the late 1860s. In the 1871 census he is recorded as working as the superintendent of a … Continue reading →

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Dry Cleaning – Pearl Laundry

Posted on 2018-12-25 by Jonathan

I am often asked “How did they used to keep their clothes clean?” Various forms of dry cleaning have been around for centuries, and many garments such as wool suits were wet washed that today we wouldn’t consider washable. The … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – Edith Strauss

Posted on 2018-11-29 by Jonathan

Edith was born in Poland, the eldest of four children. Her father, Nathan Solomon, left Poland for Canada in 1928 to find work, and after eight years managed to have his family join him in Montreal. At the age of … Continue reading →

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Canadian Fashion Connection – Dayton Boots

Posted on 2018-11-28 by Jonathan

Dayton Boots was established in 1946 by C. H. (Charlie) Wohlford. Before becoming the manager of The Lumberman’s Social Club at 64 East Hastings street in Vancouver, Charlie had worked for Caterpillar Tractor Company, and as a young man had … Continue reading →

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