How one parka grew to become thousands.

Born out of a challenge to put our tagline “Ask Anyone Who Knows” to the test, in 2007 we invited two sewers from Pond Inlet, Nunavut – Meeka Atagootak and Rebecca Kiliktee – to our factory in Toronto to help us make a commemorative, one-of-a-kind parka using their traditional Inuit sewing methods.

During their visit, the pair noticed some scrap fabrics left over from production and asked if they could bring it home to make their own jackets for friends and family. Little did they know, they would be kickstarting an idea that would help deliver warmth to thousands of people in Canada’s North. Their simple request turned into a pivotal moment as we were searching for a more meaningful way to give back to the people of the North who inspire us, and also wanted a responsible way to deal with excess materials that would otherwise go to waste.