Canadian athleisure brand
Michi

Under-the-Radar Canadian Athleisure Brands to Know

Get comfy

We’re living in the athleisure age, a time when brands crafting hoodies and leggings are dressing us not just for our off-hours, but our entire lives. The pandemic has only made the adoption of casual-wear more widespread. Here, the under-the-radar Canadian athleisure and loungewear brands to consider adding to your life. 

Twenty Montreal

Twenty Montreal

Billed as an accessible luxury knitwear brand, Twenty’s pieces are cut from cotton milled at the label’s family-owned Montreal factory. The range includes sweats along with performance activewear. Plus, the brand is known for its intricate textures and custom prints. 

Buttercream Clothing

Buttercream Clothing

What started as a custom apron business (hence the name) has quickly grown to include sweatshirts, tie-back tanks and rompers. The ethical, local label makes every piece in Calgary and employs a team of 25. 

Encircled

Encircled

Founded by Kristi Soomer, a former management consultant, Encircled supports sewing studios in Toronto and creates unfussy basics from sustainable blends of Modal, Tencel, Lyocell and bamboo. Aside from their eco credentials, these fabrics are chosen for their drape and soft feel. The brand’s latest, a fairly made jogger set, is available for pre-order with many colours already selling out. 

Michi

Michi

Taking inspiration from superheroes and ’90s European designers, MICHI blends tech-y performance features with cool, easy silhouettes for clothing that can go from the gym to drinks. 

Public

Public Myth

Headquartered in Vancouver, this activewear brand has been manufacturing its pieces—from organic-cotton cropped hoodies to bamboo running shorts—in Canada since 2007.  

Free Label

Free Label

Made in Toronto and Vancouver from locally milled fabrics, Free Label cuts its drape-y T-shirts from weighty Supima cotton and its joggers from Tencel—the ultimate eco-fabric made from sustainably grown eucalyptus. Free Label often sells its size-inclusive pieces on a pre-order basis to cut down waste.

Smash + Tess

Smash + Tess

Started by a pyjama-obsessed mother-daughter-best-friend trio, this brand is best-known for its impossibly soft rayon rompers. But their T-shirt dresses, lounge sets and robes are also worth considering. 

Franc

Franc

Started by apparel industry vet Brandy Mercredi, Franc is a no-nonsense line of basics made with care. The product range is a brightly hued offering of stretchy essentials like circle-skirt dresses, scoop-neck tanks and loose-fitting mock-necks.

TenTree

TenTree

This eco-minded outdoorsy brand’s mission is right in the name. Each purchase equals 10 trees planted. The brand works with tree-planting missions in Canada, Senegal, Brazil, Indonesia and beyond with the goal of planting one billion trees by 2030. As for the clothes, expect fleece-lined sweatshirts, hemp henleys and organic-cotton joggers in neutral shades. 

 

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