STAFF GUIDE FASHION
Hello Cyanic Community,
It’s Irmak again! I’m very excited to write this blog post since I’ll be sharing my interview with Burch Smith about our new Huskies Collection. In case some of you haven’t heard yet, we officially launched our new Huskies Collection on Friday, March 19! I couldn’t resist but ask Burch how the Huskies Collection came to life and what it represents! Let’s get into the details of our interview and learn more about Cyanic Clothing’s brand-new collection.
Of course, my first question to Burch was the inspiration behind his design. Burch’s ultimate goal with this collection was to reflect the strength and togetherness in Canadian culture. The Huskies Collection tells the story of us, a diverse Canadian family, full of diverse journeys that come from different backgrounds. While the husky in the middle of all three designs represents the strength of Canadian culture, the maple leaf reminds us of the inclusive and friendly side of our country. When I asked Burch to describe this line with a single word, Burch replied “community” and said “This design, for me, bridges all of us together. We, as Canadians, are always known to be inclusive and welcoming. And even at these tough times with the pandemic, we’ve proved to be resilient.”
The most outstanding part of this collection is its manufacturing process. Burch did not only wish to represent Canadian culture but also wanted all new products to be 100% made in Canada as he states, "From the manufacturing to the final design, it was all about Canada."
By prioritizing local manufacturers, Burch wanted to support the Canadian manufacturing industry and give the Cyanic Community the chance to support local businesses with their purchases. The main for this was, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, which even presented many challenges with establishing this Collection. He told me how frustrating it has been to put this Collection together with the delays due to the Stay at Home Order. However, amongst these challenges, he remained positive, affirming how the pandemic "tested our resilience and positivity as a team." Even though it was a tiring process, Burch considered it a golden opportunity to focus on the brand's mission and focus on new ways to connect with Cyanic's community. His positive perspective definitely inspired me when he said, "even though things didn't always go as planned, as a team we looked at these negative times as a blessing. While we wait, we had one question in mind: what can we do better?"
Lastly, I asked Burch if he has a final message to the Cyanic Community, and he said "At a time when we feel distant, fed up and tired with the pandemic, we can still remember that we live in an amazing country and we have so many things to be grateful for. Burch believes that there is a warmness and inclusivity in our culture that has never went away, if anything became stronger, through the COVID-19 pandemic, and this is something to be proud of.
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STAFF GUIDE CULTURE
Hello Cyanic Community! It is Irmak from Cyanic’s Communications Team! It is such a pleasure to have you on this blog! We are so excited to officially launch this, and use this platform to connect with you all and talk more about Cyanic’s vision, Toronto and fashion. Now you’re probably thinking “Okay, what’s this blog for?” Well, during the year, we’ve been endlessly brainstorming ways to educate our community, while keeping it fun. Our thoughts and ideas eventually led us to creating our first Club Cyanic blog where we will be sharing some awesome posts which will include interviews with local bloggers, artists, brands, photographers and more. You will have the exclusive opportunity to read about some amazing people who dedicated their lives to Toronto culture, sustainability, social impact and fashion. It’s only right, that our very first guest be the Founder and CEO of Cyanic Clothing, Burch Smith! Let’s learn more about the story of how Cyanic Clothing came to be!
Burch Smith was born and raised in Brampton. From the day he was introduced to basketball, he fell in love with the game and developed a strong passion for the Toronto Raptors. As he got older this passion turned out to be the motivating push for establishing his clothing brand, Cyanic Clothing. He states that, “this loyalty for the Raptors manifested itself into something much bigger – an intense pride for Toronto, and a longing on how to elevate the city to even greater heights.” With this brand, Burch wanted to establish not just an online clothing brand but a community that has a far deeper purpose: giving back.
One of the first things when we think of the fashion industry, is making profit. We don’t always think of discussing important issues through fashion, but for Burch, fashion shouldn't have to only be about style, profit and popular culture, as he states on the website, Cyanic's mission is to “bridge the gap between fashion and social impact.” When he got into the fashion industry, he realized there could be a different approach to fashion, one that is far more innovative, impactful, and can educate the community while keeping its customers happy with colourful and high-quality products. With this mindset, Burch established Cyanic to be sustainable and
ethical from its core. The mission is to use this brand as a medium to educate while also embracing the city’s culture and capturing that sense of community. The brand will strive to be as transparent as possible with adopting ethical behaviours towards its workers and the environment as well as supporting local businesses within its manufacturing practices.
Burch believes that millennials are more aware than ever, of the environmental damage corporations are causing by promoting fast fashion. Cyanic Clothing has seen such outstanding support on digital platforms with its minimal collection.
The plan is to grow the brand, by educating the community about sustainability and utilizing the brand's resources to combat fast fashion. He believes that we all have a role to play in change within the fashion industry, whether as brands or customers. The challenge is to slowly shift our mindset from endless consumerism to one of mindfulness.
When I asked Burch about the City Collection and the design itself, I got such an inspiring answer from him! The City Collection’s contrasting colours ‘reflect the diversity and personality Toronto’s known for, while embracing the surrounding cities who each also have their own identity’. The Collection is meant to bridge fashion with community, while embracing the uniqueness of our individual paths and stories.
Burch believes that truly representing Toronto is Cyanic’s greatest responsibility. The city’s identity is one layered with inclusivity, social change, and community, and forces Cyanic to constantly reflect upon its values to ensure it is truly reflecting the city he loves. Let's see what's in store for this brand!
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