Publishers
Michael Budman, Don Green
Editor
Robert Sarner
Editorial Assistant
Caroline Iwanowski
Interns
Nadia Malik
Ashley Travassos
Alix Kempf
The Source is published by Roots Canada Ltd. We welcome letters from readers for publication. Please address all correspondence to The Source, Letters to the Editor, Roots Canada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6B 4C4 or by email to thesource@roots.com Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Douglas Coupland's creativity crosses different media
Born December 20, 1961 on a Canadian military base in Germany, Douglas Coupland moved to Vancouver at the age of four, where he currently resides.
He graduated from the Emily Car College of Art & Design and successfully kept his career as a visual artist and designer in tangent with his writing. His arteork has traveled to exhibitions in North America, Europe and Asia. In his solo exhibition, "Mom and Dad," he uses his personal family experience and his decades working within the pop culture arena to compile a set of works that renegotiate his ongoing fascination with Andy Warhol.
He is perhaps best known for coining the term 'Generation X' in his book, Generation X: Tales of an Accelerated Culture. He has also written screenplays for film and television.
Through his creative work, Douglas has redefined the Canadian identity, images and iconography in a contemporary context, making him a cultural authority and a pop culture leader who crosses several forms of media.
Season of sunshine and longer days ushers in new and renovated stores across the country
With the warm weather upon us, flowers are not the only things blooming this spring. Recently, Roots has been busy expanding its retail operations by opening new stores and refreshing older ones.
In mid-April, Roots inaugurated its latest Toronto store with the opening of a new retail location in the Shops at Don Mills. The mall is Ontario’s first outdoor lifestyle centre, making it the perfect fit for Roots. Based on a new design concept, and built with old barn wood reclaimed from Ontario farms, the store features upper visuals of Roots products in the making, such as photographs taken at the leather factory, to give customers a sense of where the merchandise comes from. Many decorative accessories such as lanterns, suitcases and even an old bicycle suspended on the back wall, complete the rustic look.
In other related retail developments, the Polo Park store in Winnipeg and the Masonville store in London, Ontario re-opened in late April, each featuring an open concept. Both stores carry men’s, women’s, leather, yoga and baby.
In southern Ontario, the Newmarket store opened in late March after relocating in the city’s main mall. Designed to have a boutique quality feel,where each department has the feel of a shop within a shop, this location carries leather, women’s, men’s, yoga, baby and shoes, and has a designated fitting room for the men’s department.
The store also features the Family Table, made of large reclaimed wood, placed near the entrance. It’s available for sale for $3,500 and will be featured in many upcoming locations.
Out east in Nova Scotia, a new store opened in the Halifax Shopping Centre in late March. Previously an outlet store, it’s now in a different area of the mall, carrying men’s, women’s and leather.
In early March in Montreal, the Rockland store re-opened after renovations. Modeled like a small boutique, the store carries leather goods and women’s apparel.
New collection of jewelry proves that natural, sustainable products aren't only smart but also stylish
While most customers know Roots for its trademark sweats and leather goods, it’s fast becoming a destination for a wide range of stylish apparel and accessories including jewelry with an international flair.
Launched in May, select stores are carrying a new collection of natural seed jewelry made by artisans in Colombia. The line includes beautiful necklaces, bracelets and earrings created using colourful, polished seeds sourced from the region’s rainforests.
While the collection may be new to most Canadians, artisans in South America have been crafting jewelry from tropical seeds for generations.
In keeping with the core values of Roots, the jewelry is both environmentally and socially sustainable. The tropical seeds are a renewable resource harvested from native trees and shrubs. The use of seeds in jewelry is respectful of nature and fosters financial independence for artisans while helping preserve a traditional craft.
The jewelry’s producers, a group of women in Campohermoso, Colombia, work out of a small facility in the Andes. The jewelry provides them with much-needed income and a sense of empowerment that comes from running their own business.
“Wearing seed jewelry crafted by South American women working for themselves is a symbol of responsible living,” says Russell Trenholme, co-founder of the Campohermoso Handicraft Project. “It sends a message of simplicity, responsibility and oneness with the living world.”
Closer to home, the latest jewelry collection from Toronto-based designer Cathy Belzberg is now in select Roots stores. A long-time friend and collaborator of Roots, Cathy made the line exclusively for the company with its design aesthetic in mind. The necklaces, bracelets and earrings are made of leather and pearl and handcrafted in Toronto, inspired by her travels to Israel, Morocco, Europe and St. Barts. After seeing what the world has to offer, she liked the idea of launching a style of jewelry new to Canada.
“We designed a line that is both natural and fashionable,” says Rebecca Winton of Cathy B Jewelry. “We choose materialswe knew the customer could wear whether in the city or at the cottage.”
Other new additions to the selection of accessories at Roots include a delicate burnished silver collection, perfect for dressing up a simple white T-shirt. Made for summer by Roots licensee the Garbo Group, it includes flower and key motifs which are musthave items this season.
Sharp minds give way to great ideas at annual conference in Toronto of which Roots is a sponsor
Inspired discourse and bright ideas filled the air in Toronto in June when 51 of the planet’s brightest minds came together to converse and provide food for thought. The eclectic gathering was part of the 10th annual Idea City conference, sometimes referred to as ‘Canada’s premiere meeting of the minds,’ where only 700 individuals were privileged to attend.
A longtime sponsor of the three-day event, Roots provided custom designed leather bags for all of the speakers which included Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood; Grammy Award-winning singer Judy Collins; and acclaimed trend expert Faith Popcorn. All the presenters this year were women except for Canadian artist/writer Douglas Coupland, who shed light on his new Canada Goes Electric collection for Roots.
Among the other 47 presenters were artists, adventurers, authors, cosmologists, doctors, designers, entertainers, filmmakers, inventors, magicians, musicians, scientists and technologists.
In keeping with what is now an annual tradition, longtime friend of Roots and media visionary, Moses Znaimer, who launched Idea City in 2000, produced and hosted this year’s conference.
Stylish leather cover for innovative new eReader latest collaboration between Roots and Indigo
Over the years, Roots has designed customized leather products for a wide range of products, including electronic devices. New technologies call for new accessories, and eReaders are no exception. Users of the recently launched Kobo can now cover their eReaders in style.
Roots has designed a sleek leather cover for the device, available in Chapters and Indigo stores across the country. Customers can choose from various colours, including black, turquoise, orange, purple and red. All covers have the Kobo logo embroidered in ecru on the front and the Roots logo hotstamped on the back. Made with Prince leather at the Roots factory in Toronto, the cover has an easy access opening and includes a cushioned lining for added protection.
The Kobo holds up to 1,000 titles, all available at the touch of a button. Unlike traditional computer screens, the devices use an E Ink screen that simulates the appearance of print on paper, minimizing eye strain.
Launched by Indigo in May, the Kobo eReader is sold at Indigo, Chapters, select Coles Bookstores, Walmart and online at chapters.indigo.ca.
Roots wins Rookie of the Year Award for social commerce initiatives
If you’ve visited www.roots.com recently or have Roots as a friend on Facebook or follow it on Twitter, then you already know the company has been doing a lot of work with social commerce. It’s clearly not going unnoticed, as Roots recently received an award for its work in the field.
The industry award, called Rookie of the Year for Retail, highlighted Roots attaining a measurable increase in sales, conversion rates, time on site, and improved ranking in search engine results.
Given out in April, the recognition was part of the Social Commerce Awards hosted by Bazaarvoice, a Texas-based technology company specializing in hosted social commerce applications that are designed to drive sales.
Roots efforts in social commerce with Bazaarvoice began a year ago, when it launched a social commerce platform on its website that enables customers to easily connect and communicate with each other about Roots products and the brand directly on the site.
This allows shoppers to share their experiences, post photos, review their favourite products, and ask questions to other members of the Roots community. Roots is also using customer feedback and experiences to evaluate product design, improve merchandising, and create relevant marketing communications.
“Our customers have a very strong emotional tie to Roots,” says James Connell, Sr. Director, eCommerce, Digital Marketing and New Media at Roots. “We receive hundreds of letters, emails and photos from our customers every day. Social commerce allows us to tap into that passion in a way that can be shared with the broader Roots community, as well as our staff. By creating a place for consumers to chronicle their experiences, we are building a robust community that is strongly engaged with our brand. We are also able to use very specific feedback to improve core business functions like marketing, merchandising, and customer service.”
Other categories and winners of Social Commerce Awards included: Customer Oxygen Award: Dell; Social Commerce Play of the Year: Samsung; Social Commerce Rockstar: Nike; Social Commerce MVP: Best Buy Co., Inc.; and Rookie of the Year: Blue Shield of California.
Easy ways to help the environment
SOMETHING TO CHEW ON: It’s been stuck on the sole of your shoe, under your desk or caught in your hair. Everyone has seen it and, unfortunately, some have stepped in it, or even worse, touched it. Chewing gum, or more specifically discarded chewing gum, is not only a problem for the average person, but is increasingly becoming a problem for the environment.
The main trouble is that it’s non-biodegradable and will stick to a surface for years until treated. Many of the chemicals used to rid a surface of gum travel down the drains and run into our water system.
In addition, chewing gum is not digestible by humans or animals. Birds, especially young ones, sometimes die by eating chewing gum.
Such is the scourge of gum that, second to cigarette butts, it’s the most commonly littered item the in the world. So, think twice before reaching for a stick of gum next time you need to freshen your breath. Try an organic mint, or eat some parsley or fennel seeds. Or, if you just like to chomp down on something, try chewing on licorice root.
• Source: www.gumraps.com/
Flagship store hosts exhibition by Charles Pachter
Museums and art galleries are no longer the sole venue for art lovers. They can now enjoy browsing through fine art while shopping for leather goods and lifestyle apparel at the Roots flagship location in Toronto.
In June, the Bloor Street store brought the worlds of art and fashion together when it exhibited the work of prominent Canadian artist Charles Pachter. Hosted in the Algonquin Lounge on the upper level, the exhibit featured ten paintings, 20 graphics and three metal sculptures that covered Pachter’s 45-year career. Like Roots, Pachter is big on Canada. He’s famous for using Canadian icons as subjects for his art, including moose, the national flag and the country’s head of state Queen Elizabeth.
Applying a humorous,whimsical approach to his art, he has paired Canada’s ballet star Karen Kain, and even a saluting Queen, with a moose. His comical paintings have also lent themselves well to children’s books, such as M is for Moose and Canada Counts, both of which were on sale at the show.
Pachter took part in the official inauguration of the month-long exhibition at an evening reception at the store. The event attracted 150 guests including members of Toronto’s cultural scene.
This year, Pachter designed T-shirts for Toronto’s annual Luminato arts festival, which were also sold at the Bloor Street store.
Based in Toronto, Pachter is also a printmaker, sculptor, designer, historian and lecturer. His paintings hang in the Toronto Stock Exchange and in the Canadian Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. The College subway station in Toronto displays his murals entitled Hockey Knights in Canada.
Yubz Retro Handset makes its debut in Canada
Roots is giving cell phones a whole new twist, and even a whole new look. Beginning in late April, Roots introduced a chic new way to use your mobile phone at home, office and on the street – the Yubz Talk Mobile Retro Handset.
An innovative device for use with mobile phones and USB ports for laptops for internet-based communication, it has a one-touch button to make answering incoming calls easy.
Available in eight colours (including Florida Orange, Sky Blue and Chalk Pink), it reduces radiation emitted from mobile phones by 95%. It also has digital enhancement to decrease background noise and upgrade sound quality. With the mobile phone craze, this gadget is ideal for people who don’t have landlines but want to have the feel of a standard size phone at home or office.
As the exclusive distributor in Canada of the Yubz Talk Mobile Retro Handset, Roots is now selling the gadget in select retail stores and online for $59.95.
Roots celebrates with Conan O'Brien during his recent visit to Toronto as part of his current tour
In keeping with its predilection to entertain and hold special events, it’s little surprise that Roots welcomed comedian and TV talk show host Conan O’Brien to Toronto during his recent visit. As an old friend of Roots, there was all the more reason to help Conan celebrate the successes of his new stage show currently touring in North America.
Held at Sassafraz, in the Yorkville district of Toronto, Roots organized an after party for Conan following his live show at Massy Hall in late May. The performance was part of his 30-city tour called Conan O’Brien: Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television. It was prompted in part by the recent NBC “latenight” war between Conan and Jay Leno that ended the former’s short-lived Late Night with Conan O’Brien TV show.
Many celebrities and friends of Roots attended the after party, including Conan’s cast and crew, Andy Richter, actor/writer; Jian Ghomeshi, National Post columnist; George Stroumboulopoulos, host of CBC’s The Hour; and many others. Aion Clarke and the Soul Providers also performed for the whole group.
The friendship between Roots and Conan dates back many years. In the past, Roots has created customized merchandise for his shows. In February 2004, Conan did a weeklong series of broadcasts from Toronto for which Roots helped organize and host several special events and after parties for Conan and his cast. He also attended a dinner at Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman’s home.
