Roots

Roots was founded in Toronto in 1973 by Michael Budman and Don Green, two friends from Michigan who had settled in the city and grew frustrated at not being able to find a comfortable, ergonomically designed shoe. They developed a "negative-heel" shoe, designed with the heel lower than the toe to mimic barefoot walking, and opened their first store in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood, building the brand outward from footwear into sweatshirts, leather bags and other casual apparel over the following decades.

A national symbol

Roots became closely associated with Canadian national identity partly through its long-running role outfitting Canadian athletes' opening and closing ceremony uniforms at multiple Olympic Games, most famously its plaid-and-leather "poor boy" caps issued at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, which became a surprise fashion phenomenon well beyond Canada. The company remained privately founded and Toronto-headquartered for decades, building a retail footprint across Canada and, at various points, internationally, while keeping its founding beaver logo and Canadiana branding at the centre of its identity.

Sources

• The Canadian Encyclopedia — Roots Canada
• Wikipedia — Roots (clothing)

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