Today is Canada Day! To celebrate my homeland I figured it would be interesting to put the spotlight on some local brands doing their part to help the planet and to help the industry move towards more ethical and sustainable practices. There are so many of these amazing brands and I wish I could know and feature them all, discovering new ones is my favourite part of writing this blog! But for now, here are 7 Canadian brands I know, love and would recommend:
ELATE COSMETICS
Elate is an absolutely wonderful beauty brand. I've been hearing from them for a while and was finally able to place an order while on holidays here. They create all kinds of makeup all in refillable or recyclable/sustainable packaging. I've been loving their brow pommade and their eyeshadows for the last weeks. One feature that I think is also brilliant is that their single eyeshadows come packaged in a seeded paper envelope, meaning you can plant it after you've used it and something will grow! I can't wait to try it. From what I've tried their makeup works wonders and their ingredients are top notch.
MATT & NAT
MATT & NAT stands for MAT(T)ERIAL + NATURE, they are a vegan brand based in Montreal and available all over the world now. They create mostly bags and shoes out of vegan leather (Mostly PU instead of PVC) and use 100% recycled plastic bottles to make the linings. Their designs are modern and trendy, I own one of their backpacks and despite years worth of use, it doesn't show any sign of damage! They are also available in stores in Canada, the United States, the UK, Japan, Germany and Australia, which is a lot more practical if you prefer to try on shoes before you buy them.
BRAVE SOLES
Brave Soles make trendy shoes at a very decent price, the thing is they're made with recycled tires! Their founder had been working with a community of garbage dump workers and noticed a huge issue with tires being left there. She decided to make something useful out of them and that's a (very brief) summary of the story behind Brave Soles. I love the look they go for in their shoes and I think they have options for pretty much everyone out there.
HARRICANA BY MARIOUCHE
It's no secret that Canada can get pretty cold in the winter, and while fur has its set of controversies, I can say from experience that it is pretty darn warm. Mariouche has been working with recycled furs since 1997 and has since created a brand very well known, at least in the Montreal community where I'm from. They have saved countless animals from the fur industry and saved even more old garments from rotting away in people's old closets. They also have a program where you can bring your own old fur piece and they can make something else out of it for you. It's such a good way to re-use furs that are already out there and to keep ourselves warm.
ENCIRCLED
Encircled is a B Corp clothing company with a great set of values like transparency, good labour conditions and environmental care. 100% of their clothing is cut and sewn in Toronto and when they have to outsource elements like specific fabrics or zippers, they make it a point to choose either local or good sustainable businesses to partner with. All their packaging is recyclable but you can also leave them a note for minimal packaging! Their collection is focused on good quality basics and versatile pieces. They are quite famous for their dressy sweatpants too (pictured in the photo!).
BITE BEAUTY
Bite is a more mainstream brand and is commonly talked about by beauty youtubers so people might not realize, but they're actually a clean beauty brand! They use food-grade ingredients which is a giant plus for products that will be on your lips. They are also cruelty-free and use no parabens, sulfates or phtalates. They have quite an impressive range of shades and finishes, and they are found in Sephoras which is very convenient if shopping online isn't your thing!
RMS BEAUTY
RMS is a well known and well loved brand amongst the green beauty community, but I had no idea they were Canadian! Their products are formulated with raw food-grade ingredients in their natural state for maximum efficiency. Most of their products are also packaged in glass pots with tin lids, which are easily recyclable. I especially love their magic luminizer and their Lip2Cheek in Paradise. What's more, they are known to do the makeup for the Victoria Secret Angels, so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!
