A small Toronto coat maker that became a global luxury brand
Canada Goose
Founded in Toronto in 1957 as a small outerwear manufacturer, Canada Goose spent decades supplying Arctic researchers before becoming a globally recognized luxury fashion brand.
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Canada Goose was founded in Toronto in 1957 by Sam Tick as a small outerwear manufacturer, originally producing wool vests and snowmobile suits under the name Metro Sportswear. His son-in-law, David Reiss, later took over the company and steered it toward heavy-duty winter parkas designed to withstand extreme cold, building a reputation among Arctic researchers, film production crews and polar expedition teams who needed genuinely functional cold-weather gear rather than fashion outerwear.
From functional gear to a global brand
Dani Reiss, David's son, became CEO in 2001 and led an aggressive expansion of the brand beyond its functional niche, leaning into the company's "made in Canada" identity and Arctic-tested reputation as a marketing story just as high-end winter outerwear was becoming a fashion category in its own right. Canada Goose parkas became a highly visible status symbol in cities with cold winters worldwide through the 2010s, and the company went public in 2017, growing from a small Toronto manufacturer into an internationally recognized luxury brand while keeping its manufacturing rooted in Canada.
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