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Money can’t keep you warm

By Gavin Mercier

From peacoats to colourful snowboard jackets, your outerwear can say a lot about you.  In cold cities like Toronto, a coat is both a necessary and a personal statement. Canada Goose jackets—as seen in advertisements featuring rugged mountaineers and arctic adventurers—are touted as some of the warmest on the market. But with prices starting at $800, a Canada Goose coat raises the bar.

According to Forbes, the company sets the mark  in the financial world with revenues growing 77 per cent since 2015.  But their business practices are controversial—animal activists recently attacked the firm for sourcing coyote fur.

Still, there are cruelty-free and sustainable alternatives available. Canadian company, Frank and Oak, for example, produces outerwear made with both recycled and humane materials. Winter coats are priced between $149 to $350.

Aziz Mohammed, a third-year environmental and urban sustainability student, compared winter jackets to mobile phones: “Some people buy Apple for the name. I think it’s the same thing,” he said.

A 2011 study suggests that luxury brands “prompt favorable treatment in social interactions” leading to financial benefits like jobs and promotions.

For some, however, buying a Canada Goose isn’t a matter of flaunting status but simply a way to beat harsh winters.

“It’s kind of mandatory for a Canadian winter,” said Fernando Saino Michan, a sales associate at Nordstrom. “A lot of people go crazy to have that logo on their shoulder.”

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