Saturday, April 14, 2012

Canvasco in Canada!

I have been waiting five years, but Canvasco finally has a retailer in Toronto! While on the beloved 510 a couple weeks ago, I spotted what looked like Canvasco messengers in the window of DeSerres, just south of Richmond. It wasn't until last night that I walked by the shop to confirm that they were indeed Canvasco bags! Awesome!
A German company, Canvasco is mostly known for their accessories made out of sails from boats. They also have a line that uses fur and these look so luxurious. I think I've only spotted one or two Canvasco bags on the streets of Toronto since I've moved back from Europe and I definitely haven't seen them anywhere else in North America. I didn't get a chance to take a look at the price point here in the city, but it's not the cheapest bag in the world. I could see folks who like Frietag products maybe being interested in these bags. The material makes it is a little less 'bike messenger', but I think the fact that they have unique patterns will help. Every time I wear mine, I will get a compliment or at least someone asking about it. The mega-wide strap and intense metal buckle get a lot of attention. The designers clearly put a lot of thought into designing the bag. The pocket in the interior of the flap of the messenger is seemingly upside down, but in fact, is absolutely right side up for when you are wearing the bag and to access the pocket you have to pull the flap open so that it's...upside down. Genius.
The fact that it's being sold through an art supply shop could signal their chosen demographic. I'm interested to see if the brand will do well here in the city.
Anyway, it's quite clear that I love their products. It took me a couple years to 'find' my Canvasco. I hope Torontonians will also be able to find their own Canvasco, and although I'm so happy that they've come to the city, part of me is sad that I have to share this fabulous brand with the rest of the world.
When I bought my Canvasco in Europe, there wasn't any packaging or anything, but in the DeSerres window, they seemed to be placed in Freitag-like cardboard drawers. That was slightly disappointing to see, but I guess they're trying to take advantage of the success of their Swiss counterparts.
Anyway, Toronto is always late on the trends, but I'm still pretty stoked to see a familiar name come to town!

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