Launched in Calgary in 2008, 442 McAdam leather handbags have been gaining steam in the accessory world. The brand has expanded throughout Canada and now attracts a following of fashionistas and Canadian celebrities alike.

Made of 100% genuine cowhide leather, the line includes oversized bags, travel bags, and clutches, with a design that fuses luxury and practicality.

Sarah Shell, the designer behind 442 McAdam, is a Toronto native and has earned her stripes by working in New York with Club Monaco and Gucci North America as a buyer and merchandiser. She has also worked with designers like Catherine Malandrino, Yigal Azrouel, and BCBG on various projects for a number of seasons of New York Fashion Week shows.

The 442 McAdam line is now available in stores in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Winnipeg. It is also available online through www.442mcadam.com.

Credit: Pimentel (Wireimage)

The beautiful AGO was the setting for the first Spring/Summer show at Toronto’s LG Fashion Week, featuring Project Runway winner Sunny Fong’s Vawk collection, titled Tattoo Hibiscus.

From silk Polynesian dresses in stunning yellow and orange colours to fringes and cut-out leaf textures, the small yet refined collection takes the wearer on a voyage to French Polynesia. Apropos given Vawk was inspired by the 1935 Oscar winning film starring Clark Gable, Mutiny on the Bound. We love the feminine recreation of the Captain’s coat. It’s pure genius.

As a prelude to the beauty of nature, Lisa Greenbaum, designer of Toronto’s Greenbaum Clothing, creates a worldly collection for fall. Inspired by a long drive through the farmlands in North Toronto, the collection favours earthy hues like gold, olive and forest green.

“The corn fields had turned golden and the grass was still green,” recounts Lisa. “The sun was shinning and the air was crisp – the whole day seemed to encompass how Fall feels to me, and even though I have never been to the countryside of Eastern Europe it seemed that this it what it would be like.”

Perfect looks for the working woman, try the Vienna Top and Moscow Skirt, Soho Top and Prague Skirt, Brigid Dress, or Munich Blazer and Warsaw Pant. Stay warm by completing the look with the Berlin Coat.

Thankfully, we don’t have to travel to Europe to shop for this Canadian line! Find out where to buy Greenbaum Clothing at www.greenbaumclothingco.com.

We love labels but hate to be labelled. You might as well open up Pandora’s box because in the fashion industry labels are inevitable. Shawna Robinson and Natalie Sydoruk created Label, so we can finally scrap labels and define ourselves.

And if we had to describe the collection in one word, it would be awesome. The Toronto duo reinvents classics in a modern way. We love the Easy Access bamboo skirt, tencel and lycra YinYing Dress, cotton Hood Cape, and our favourite piece of all? The silk Tent Dress.

Label is in Toronto at Chasse Gardee (chassegardee.com), FINN (finnboutique.com), Model Citizen, and online at See No Label Boutique (www.seenolabelboutique.com).

Photos courtesy of Grassroots.

Grassroots

One of the first green retailers to open shop in the Greater Toronto Area, Grassroots has been loyally serving eco-friendly followers since 1994. Their product offerings are continuously growing, adding to the existing deep product availability of hygiene and personal care products, home décor, household goods, natural cleaners, stationery and office supplies, air and water filters, along with a limited selection of apparel.  Price points for the sustainable products are affordable, ranging from $2.99 for a bar of soap to $359.99 for a solar energy barbeque. There’s truly something for everyone looking to live earthly to the max!

Grassroots: 2831 Danforth & 408 Bloor West, Toronto (www.grassrootsstore.com)

Left Feet

Helping its consumers pave a path to a healthier lifestyle, Left Feet is a vegan friendly retailer that opened for business in 2005. Offering eco-friendly and unique shoes, belts and accessories made from natural rubbers, poly-cottons and nylon, not only is the store sustainable, but it’s affordable with price points ranging from $7 – $150.

Left Feet: 88 Nassau, Toronto (www.leftfeet.ca)

Peaches & Green

At Peaches and Green, they want you to put your trust in their products, trust in their knowledgeable staff, and trust in their offer of fair value. Their goal is to help you to make educated choices so you can live life naturally.  Their product assortment and service offerings include a wide range of vitamins and supplements, personal hygiene products, health assessments, healthy living tips, healthy eating recipes. Most recently, Peaches and Green introduced complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which is a diverse group of healing systems that are not presently considered to be part of mainstream medicine. Peaches and Green has been proudly serving its clientele since 1999, and its list of loyal consumers continues to increase as more individuals seek natural remedies help enhance and retain proper body functions.

Peaches & Green: 1561 Bayview, Toronto (www.peachesandgreen.com)

Credit: Nicole Staffoard

Freedom Clothing is a Toronto based collective (939 Bloor Street West) that strives to offer its consumers sustainable, fashionable and reasonably priced clothing. The designs incorporate recycled fabrics with new materials to produce garments that are not only eco-friendly, but feature bold, eccentric designs that make a powerfully sustainable fashion statement.

GLOSS: What labels do you carry?

Freedom: Fairyesque, Embody by Tara White, Tadaa, Poisson, Lillikoko, and Soy.

GLOSS: How long have you been involved in the fashion industry?

Freedom: We started the store three years ago.

GLOSS: How would you describe your most recent collections?

Freedom: Our most recent collection was filled with cute basics, including shorts, vest, and bubble dress. Yet, to give a new twist to old ideas we utilized recycled fabrics as well as soy and bamboo into our line.

GLOSS: What are your views on sustainable style?

Freedom: Freedom clothing loves sustainable style, it’s fashion without any guilt.  As humans we have to be aware of our ecological footprints and as designers we have to find ways to do what we love, such as make clothes and not harm the earth.  At Freedom we use recycled fabrics and rework vintage, which provides us with plenty of options and allows for us to be creative.

GLOSS: What makes your designs distinctively yours?

Freedom: At freedom we sell clothing with a conscience.  All the clothing we feature in the store is made with love by local artisans who are aware of global issues specifically related to the fashion industry, such as sweat shops and sustainability.  We try to offer a place for smart, intellectual people can shop and get amazing clothing that they love and feel good that their money was not put towards harmful practices.

Myspace http://www.myspace.com/freedom_clothing

Website: freedomclothingcollective.com

Credit: Nicole Staffoard