FASHION
M
any images come
to mind when I hear
the word “roots”. For me,
one of the first things that
popped into my mind was
the amazing Canadian
company, Roots.
Childhood friends Michael
Budman and Don Green
founded Roots in 1973.
Both of them were originally from Michigan and
became friends when
they met at Camp Tamakwa in Ontario’s Algonquin
Park, about 300km north
of Toronto. Tamakwa is
famous around the world
for its unspoiled wilderness
and natural beauty. Here
they laid the foundation
for what became a lifetime friendship. Inspired
by their affinity for sports
and Canadian beauty,
they set out to develop a
line of Canadian-made
genuine leather products
that promoted a healthy,
active lifestyle and a respect for the environment.
The timeless name “roots”
was chosen after Michael
saw it in a book and immediately
resonated
with it. From there, they
used the famous Canadian beaver in their logo
(what better way to represent Northern Ontario)
and the legend began.
Roots started out making leather shoes in their
Toronto factory. Today,
Roots’s products include
apparel, watches and
home accessories. The
leather products have always been produced in
their Toronto factory.
Today Roots employs approximately 2000 workers.
Roots has more than 120
retail stores in Canada,
and in the United States,
and close to 100 stores in
Asia. Their goal, however,
is not just to produce great
quality clothing. Roots has
made a commitment
towards
environmental
causes. Protecting the
environment is critical to
them. Long before “global warming” became a
commonly known term,
Roots supported a wide
range of eco-friendly initiatives such as the use
of organic cotton (which
they started using in 1989).
Reducing waste in terms
of how they ran their company has always been at
the forefront. Their passion for the environment
is seen in both small and
large ways, whether it’s
the material they use in
their packaging, how
deliveries are made and
the use of hybrid trucks.
Their leather products are
tanned with vegetables
and are are handcrafted
in limited edition quantities. Roots was one of the
first retailers to introduce
reusable shopping bags.
Impressive!
Here is a partial list of organizations that Roots has
supported over the years:
Waterkeeper
Alliance;
Toronto Green Awards;
Environmental Defense;
David Suzuki Foundation;
Tides Canada Foundation; Stop Global Warming
Fund; Centre For Environmental Education (Antioch New England Graduate School), World Wildlife
Fund; Canadian Wildlife
Federation; Jane Goodall
Institute of Canada. To
find out more about this
amazing company, go to
www.roots.com.
Renia Pruchnicki is the owner of a company called Truth where she designs
a line of vegan fashion accessories made in Canada. She also works as a
designer of soft-sided coolers and lunch carriers for a Canadian company
called California Innovations.
For more information on Renia, please visit www.truthbelts.com