Lost & Found on Ossington Avenue focuses exclusively on men’s wear.Handout
When it opened its original location on Toronto’s Dundas Street West in early 2011, Lost & Found was a pioneer in the concept of combining shopping with caffeine, housing both a curated selection of men’s and women’s clothing and an espresso bar. “It was a neat endeavour in the sense that having a coffee shop wasn’t necessarily a marketing tool but a tool to bring people in,” says Jonathan Elias who co-owns the store with Justin Veiga. In 2013, Lost & Found moved around the corner to its current location on Ossington Avenue, having switched gears to focus exclusively on men’s wear.
Lost & Found constantly evolves its design and collaborates with local artists.
The emphasis here is on hard-to-find, quality-made men’s fashion. Some of the store’s featured brands include Gitman Vintage, an American-made shirt collection, Beams Plus, a Japanese casual-wear brand, and Denmark’s Norse Projects. Elias’s nurtures a cost-per-wear mentality amongst his clients, citing some of Lost & Found’s footwear as an example of a clothing item that can be repaired rather than tossed.
A visit to Lost & Found is always a new experience, with a constantly evolving design and regular in-house collaborations with local artists including Josh Pong, Robin Nishio and Moya Garrison-Msingwana. Each season, the façade of the store is painted a new colour (for summer 2020, that’s orange) along with custom illustrated decals affixed to the front windows. “One of our mandates is to bring happiness to the community and really promote a positive vibe,” says Elias. “The store has always been built around community and fun.”
Lost & Found, 44 Ossington Ave., Toronto, 647-348-2810, shoplostfound.com.
Handout
The Real McCoy’s BC20007 Buco Stripe Tee, $135.
Beams Plus Short Sleeve Open Collar Geometric Print Shirt, $150.
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Paraboot Michael Velours Whisky Shoe, $525.
Style news
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