Canadian Gift Guide

The dawn of celebrity of product is well upon us. Today it’s not enough to be a mere actor or singer, you must have an entire emporium of branded projects connected to your name. Consider celebrity fashion lines, perfumes, make-up – heck, Cindy Crawford has a furniture line, and Lady Gaga is a creative consultant for Polaroid.

Yet today’s gift guide collaboration is a little more special, and a lot cooler than your typical faux-partnerships. Hipster Canadian author Douglas Coupland (Girlfriend in a Coma, jPod, etc.) has teamed up with Roots for a full range of clothing and accessories.

I happened to stop by a Roots the other day after spotting this fantastic dress in the window, for $68, which I ended up grabbing for myself. While it may be a little pricy for a gift (unless it’s for your best bud, sister or stylish girlfriend), there are plenty of stunning creations to suit all budgets in the Coupland collection that marry bright colours – based on the classic TV test pattern design – and techno wizardry, bringing Roots firmly into the 21st century.

There are also fun accessories included in the collection – snag a notebook, scarf, or cuff (I got a free one with my dress!) for a more subtle piece of fashion pop art.

And the collection extends to men as well, as per this fetching reinvention of the iconic Roots leather jackets that our Olympians once wore.

Clearly the folks at Roots are as buzzed about this collection as I am, dedicating an entire super trippy microsite to the line. It’s unexpected for a traditional Canadian leisure fashion line to partner with a Canadian author, even moreso for them to come out with this sparkling, vibrant collection with a million different incarnations (literally – there are hats, backpacks, shopping totes, socks, leggings and more beyond your standard collection of tees, pants, hoodies, and jackets).

I’m happy to have been able to highlight Roots not once, but twice on this blog so far. I feel like the brand hit a few stumbling blocks over the last decade as their uber casual style of mom & pop leisure wear fell out of style. They’ve managed to pull themselves up by introducing a line of super chic leather bags, and a small collection of consistently simple and stylish clothing items, but I feel like the Coupland X Roots collection is the beginning of a new era for Roots as they showcase stunning, one-of-a-kind lines in partnership with various Canadian talents.

As for gifting? The Coupland collection is obviously geared towards trendsetting teens, twenty, & thirty-somethings. If you’ve got a friend that’s either a Coupland fan or a fashionista, then pop into Roots and see the line for yourself…you will be pleasantly surprised, I promise.