In pictures: Coats from Canada Goose competitor Wild North
Winter jackets by Wild North, a competitor to Canada Goose
Janet Han is the founder of Wild North Inc., a high-end outerwear company based in Oakville, Ont. Her luxury winter jackets range in price from $600 to $2,700 and contain more natural fibres than those of her competitorsGlenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Models wear Wild North jackets during a photo shoot.
Ms. Han thinks Canada can make a name for itself in winter-wear. “We live in a cold climate and we’re such a big country. ... Thanks to Canada Goose, we’ve paved a bit of a path for ourselves already.”
A decade ago, the high prices for Wild North and Canada Goose coats (seen above) might have seemed exorbitant, but the parade of Canada Goose insignia down any city street proves people are willing to make an investment in staying warm.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
But Canada Goose coats are being counterfeited, which is also affecting the bottom line of boutique brands such as Wild North. “It’s frustrating,” Ms. Han says. “There are ways of noticing if it’s the real thing or a knockoff, but when people shop, they’re driven by price.”Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
The hefty cost for Wild North jackets comes from high production values and design, says Ms. Han, who launched her business in 2014. She uses wool, silk and cashmere instead of Gore-Tex, a synthetic material popular in the outerwear industry.
Fur that lines the Wild North coats comes from hunters in Northern communities, a partnership that supports their local economies.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Establishing a foothold in a market dominated by a goliath requires a major marketing push, and Ms. Han feels she’s up to the task. A sizable chunk of the company’s 100-per-cent growth over the past year has gone toward mobilizing street teams to educate consumers about the benefits of purchasing a good quality winter coat.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
For now, Ms. Han has decided to keep her new designs under wraps to minimize the chance they’ll be copied before they hit the racks. So far, counterfeits haven’t hurt the company too badly, but she knows that as Wild North grows, so will the chance of pirated jackets cutting a swath into her potential customer base.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail