{"id":193,"date":"2026-11-04T09:16:34","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T06:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/?p=193"},"modified":"2026-11-04T09:16:34","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T06:16:34","slug":"canadian-outerwear-brand-revives-heritage-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/?p=193","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Outerwear Brand Revives Heritage Appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\n\tKanuk\u2019s Snowy Owl logo has become part of the fabric of Canada over the past half century. And now, the company, best known for its outerwear, is hoping to expand its presence in the U.S. market.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlthough it had opened a flagship in New York\u2019s SoHo in 2021, that store has closed and Kanuk is available mostly online in the U.S., through Nordstrom and the brand\u2019s own website. But on Wednesday, the brand is hosting a Canadian cabin-themed cocktail event in New York with Elisa Dahan, who took on the role of Kanuk\u2019s president two years ago.<\/p>\n

\n\tDahan is a serial entrepreneur: She cofounded Mackage, another popular Canadian outerwear brand, as well as Dodiee, a women\u2019s knitwear\/shapewear brand named after her mother. Kanuk is the first brand she\u2019s worked for that she didn\u2019t personally start.<\/p>\n

\n\tKanuk was founded in 1974 in Montreal and built its reputation on creating outerwear designed to withstand Canadian winters. It is credited with revolutionizing coat manufacturing with its Taiga Parka, which featured a seamless body, moisture-resistant lining, fleece interior and a Sherpa-lined collar.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kanuk<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

\n

\t\t\t\t\tKanuk has become a lifestyle brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe brand was founder-owned until 2015, when it was acquired by Corporation Financi\u00e8re Champlain, a Montreal-based private investment firm. The business was sold again in 2024 to Thread Collective, with investor Bertrand Cesvet leading the transaction. Thread Collective is the $500 million Montreal-based owner of Psycho Bunny, Frank and Oak and Salt Life and licensee for a wide range of brands, including Dickies, Ellen Tracy, Nautica and Scotch & Soda.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s funny how quickly you become invested in something,\u201d Dahan said. Although she didn\u2019t create Kanuk, she has been wearing the brand her whole life. \u201cKanuk is my off-duty wear. I am a girl who loves the city, but I actually do have a country house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile owned by Champlain, the company instituted a more modern interpretation of the brand and opened the SoHo store as it sought to create an international business. In contrast, Dahan\u2019s mission is to help the brand return to its roots, which are centered around \u201ca touch of workwear, a touch of comfort, a touch of cozy and layering,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like the foundation of the brand really resonated with me, but it got lost in translation over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe described Kanuk as \u201ca real legacy brand, and I felt the world should really know what this brand was founded for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

\n

\t\t\t\t\tKanuk offers both men\u2019s and womenswear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tHer vision is to evolve Kanuk from an outerwear specialist into a lifestyle brand rooted in Canadian country life. The collection draws its inspiration from Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s landscapes and spans knitwear, layering pieces and ready-to-wear. In recent years, young people have been scouring vintage sites for some of Kanuk\u2019s signature pieces.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe younger generation\u2019s interest in Kanuk\u2019s heritage jackets was very telling,\u201d she said. \u201cThose pieces have such a distinctive character, particularly the Sherpa collars with the owl emblem. I saw an opportunity to build a clear visual identity from those signatures and use the brand\u2019s craftsmanship and expertise to create a complete wardrobe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs president, Dahan oversees all aspects of the business, from design and marketing to pricing and partnerships. And while she doesn\u2019t have day-to-day interaction with Thread Collective, its back-end support has been invaluable. \u201cI feel like I have carte blanche, but at the same time I have the support of a big organization whenever I\u2019m stuck or need to brainstorm or talk through something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Elisa<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

\n

\t\t\t\t\tElisa Dahan<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe brand currently operates two stores in Canada, with a third in Toronto slated to open shortly. But Dahan\u2019s goal for the U.S. is to expand Kanuk\u2019s reach within the wholesale market. \u201cWe\u2019re on Nordstrom online, and we have a few very small boutiques,\u201d she said. \u201cBut this is the real launch. It takes time to clean up a brand that has lost its way, and I wanted to make sure it was in the right place before we sold into the wholesale market.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe event on Wednesday will be cohosted by actress Sophie N\u00e9lisse and is expected to draw several other actors, models, stylists, press and content creators.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kanuk\u2019s Snowy Owl logo has become part of the fabric of Canada over the past half century. And now, the company, best known for its outerwear, is hoping to expand its presence…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}