Menswear buffs from the True North would be forgiven for singing the anthem with a sigh. An examination of most closets from Saint John to Vancouver would yield a dismal number of homemade pieces, with most of them trading on international trends and traditions anyway. Enter Paige, Meg and Mel, a trio of Ryerson graduates with big values and the guts to carry them out.
During the final year of her fashion design degree in 2009, Meg Sinclair, despite protests from her faculty, designed a line of unisex outerwear. It worked. Her twin, Mel, and Paige Cowan joined her before half a year went by, and Muttonhead was on the map – right in the heart of Toronto.
Muttonhead, in three words: “Ethical, Canadian and minimal,” the trio says. Translated in more technical terms, this means their apparel is manufactured locally, built on previously little-seen Canadiana and composed of functional, timeless pieces. And, because they preferred their brothers’ snowboard clothes to pastel flower dresses, unisex. In other words, Muttonhead is a game-changing trend bucker in today’s sweatshop-heavy fast-fashion world.
The lines, made up of casual jackets, sweatshirts, baseball pants, ski tees and more, are classic and nostalgic, inspired by the freedom of the youth countercultures of yesterday. Practical details abound: the jackets are reversible, the fabrics are anti-bacterial and moisture-wicking, the leather and hemp fabric are recycled. All while exuding an effortless, relaxed cool.
One would expect going their own way in seemingly every possible dimension would make hardened, severe businesswomen of them, but, resilient as they may be, the girls have a surprisingly pragmatic and laid-back view of the business. When pressed to discuss the challenges that come with a refusal to conform or compromise, instead of voicing their behind-the-scenes battles, they jump straight into the one that affects their supporters most: price. “The most obvious challenge would be the price point. The majority of customers want ethically manufactured garments at Joe Fresh prices and it’s just not possible without sacrificing something along the way.”
If Muttonhead pieces are, then, priced somewhat high in comparison with competitors, it is not due to any pretension of high-end branding but to actual high-quality, functionally designed, locally manufactured products. There’s an idea. If anything, the girls actually have a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude with regards to money and keep their promotional activities low-key to make sure the brand doesn’t become inaccessible. “To keep costs down, we have always kept everything in-house, from shooting lookbooks with our friends to designing our own website,” they told us, before noting that one of the main reasons why the brand relies on social media to get the word out is that “it’s free!”
Doing it all themselves does more than keep costs down, though. It means the clothes, the designs, the visuals, the tweets and the blog posts all come from the same crew. The Muttonhead lifestyle, then, is not only consistent – it is also believable. “Authenticity is an essential element in our mix,” Paige states, noting that this authenticity is what keeps their audience interested despite Muttonhead’s “less is more” approach in a “more is more” environment. “Today’s consumers are educated and hyper-stimulated, so transparency and a DIY approach to everything we do help us stand out.”
Their past campaigns prove the point. The graphic design is sleek and minimal, the people are real and look like they wear the attire off-camera, and the soft lighting adds a touch of nostalgia, like memories of last summer. And they’re all set in the misty lakefronts and coniferous forests, rocky beaches and green mountains of the Canadian landscapes that inspire each and every collection.
View all imagesThough the trio has felt compelled to create a brand and lifestyle largely defined by Canadian heritage, they do not feel like it has been poorly represented in the style industry. “As in all creative industries, Canadian companies and brands have always existed and played a valuable role. The quiet yet determined Canadian mentality ensures our role as the unassuming neighbour to the North and that isn’t a bad place to be,” they say, noting that this neutral position allows for any quality work with a strong Canadian personality is sure to take the world by surprise.
Interestingly, it is the rest of the world Muttonhead first took by storm: when the brand first launched, Canadian consumers, not feeling too patriotic, were reluctant to embrace it. Paige, Meg and Mel instead had to earn their keeps internationally, at trade shows and through pop-up shops and collaborations with brands and stores all over the world to catch eyes elsewhere before Canada took notice. This is typical of the Canadian consumer, they say, whose first reflex is to look elsewhere. “Canada isn’t a very large market, number-wise, to start out with, and the average North American consumer is much more price-sensitive and less willing to take a chance than the average European or Asian consumer,” they note. “Starting a brand under such conditions forced us to search outside the homeland for opportunities, “ though that hasn’t kept them from working with Canadian talent from day one.
Thankfully, local audiences are finally turning around, taking notice and getting behind a homegrown brand that is schooling the industry on the place of sustainability, fair trade and time – while reminding us of the strength of Canadiana.
Items from recent collections can be purchased at their online store or their many stockists, listed on their website.
Oh, Canada.
Menswear buffs from the True North would be forgiven for singing the anthem with a sigh. An examination of most closets from Saint John to Vancouver would yield a dismal number of homemade pieces, with most of them trading on international trends and traditions anyway. Enter Paige, Meg and Mel, a trio of Ryerson graduates with big values and the guts to carry them out.
During the final year of her fashion design degree in 2009, Meg Sinclair, despite protests from her faculty, designed a line of unisex outerwear. It worked. Her twin, Mel, and Paige Cowan joined her before half a year went by, and Muttonhead was on the map – right in the heart of Toronto.
Muttonhead, in three words: “Ethical, Canadian and minimal,” the trio says. Translated in more technical terms, this means their apparel is manufactured locally, built on previously little-seen Canadiana and composed of functional, timeless pieces. And, because they preferred their brothers’ snowboard clothes to pastel flower dresses, unisex. In other words, Muttonhead is a game-changing trend bucker in today’s sweatshop-heavy fast-fashion world.
The lines, made up of casual jackets, sweatshirts, baseball pants, ski tees and more, are classic and nostalgic, inspired by the freedom of the youth countercultures of yesterday. Practical details abound: the jackets are reversible, the fabrics are anti-bacterial and moisture-wicking, the leather and hemp fabric are recycled. All while exuding an effortless, relaxed cool.
One would expect going their own way in seemingly every possible dimension would make hardened, severe businesswomen of them, but, resilient as they may be, the girls have a surprisingly pragmatic and laid-back view of the business. When pressed to discuss the challenges that come with a refusal to conform or compromise, instead of voicing their behind-the-scenes battles, they jump straight into the one that affects their supporters most: price. “The most obvious challenge would be the price point. The majority of customers want ethically manufactured garments at Joe Fresh prices and it’s just not possible without sacrificing something along the way.”
If Muttonhead pieces are, then, priced somewhat high in comparison with competitors, it is not due to any pretension of high-end branding but to actual high-quality, functionally designed, locally manufactured products. There’s an idea. If anything, the girls actually have a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude with regards to money and keep their promotional activities low-key to make sure the brand doesn’t become inaccessible. “To keep costs down, we have always kept everything in-house, from shooting lookbooks with our friends to designing our own website,” they told us, before noting that one of the main reasons why the brand relies on social media to get the word out is that “it’s free!”
Doing it all themselves does more than keep costs down, though. It means the clothes, the designs, the visuals, the tweets and the blog posts all come from the same crew. The Muttonhead lifestyle, then, is not only consistent – it is also believable. “Authenticity is an essential element in our mix,” Paige states, noting that this authenticity is what keeps their audience interested despite Muttonhead’s “less is more” approach in a “more is more” environment. “Today’s consumers are educated and hyper-stimulated, so transparency and a DIY approach to everything we do help us stand out.”
Their past campaigns prove the point. The graphic design is sleek and minimal, the people are real and look like they wear the attire off-camera, and the soft lighting adds a touch of nostalgia, like memories of last summer. And they’re all set in the misty lakefronts and coniferous forests, rocky beaches and green mountains of the Canadian landscapes that inspire each and every collection.
View all images
Though the trio has felt compelled to create a brand and lifestyle largely defined by Canadian heritage, they do not feel like it has been poorly represented in the style industry. “As in all creative industries, Canadian companies and brands have always existed and played a valuable role. The quiet yet determined Canadian mentality ensures our role as the unassuming neighbour to the North and that isn’t a bad place to be,” they say, noting that this neutral position allows for any quality work with a strong Canadian personality is sure to take the world by surprise.
Interestingly, it is the rest of the world Muttonhead first took by storm: when the brand first launched, Canadian consumers, not feeling too patriotic, were reluctant to embrace it. Paige, Meg and Mel instead had to earn their keeps internationally, at trade shows and through pop-up shops and collaborations with brands and stores all over the world to catch eyes elsewhere before Canada took notice. This is typical of the Canadian consumer, they say, whose first reflex is to look elsewhere. “Canada isn’t a very large market, number-wise, to start out with, and the average North American consumer is much more price-sensitive and less willing to take a chance than the average European or Asian consumer,” they note. “Starting a brand under such conditions forced us to search outside the homeland for opportunities, “ though that hasn’t kept them from working with Canadian talent from day one.
Thankfully, local audiences are finally turning around, taking notice and getting behind a homegrown brand that is schooling the industry on the place of sustainability, fair trade and time – while reminding us of the strength of Canadiana.
Items from recent collections can be purchased at their online store or their many stockists, listed on their website.