Welcoming a New Cohort of Teams to the Fashion Zone!

This summer, we are excited to welcome 9 new amazing teams to the Fashion Zone family, ranging from sustainable one-stop-shops, to 360 degree photo services. Say hello to Calixa, Glo3D Inc, Luxe Collection Bridal, Nayaa, New Leaf Sourcing, Redeem Clothing Recycling Inc, Sadelmager, Shopwise, and The Valle!

To get to know our teams a bit better, we’ve put together a Q&A where we spoke with some of our new founders.

Tell us about your company, Shopwise!

"Shopwise is a one-stop-shop for sustainable and ethical fashion. Our mission is to create a more fair and sustainable fashion industry and we do that by bringing together a variety of purpose-driven brands for you to shop responsibly from, all in one place."

What do you think about your industry needs to be changed or improved?

"As a society, we’ve disconnected ourselves from the things we own and how products are made. As a result, the fashion industry has a detrimental impact on the planet and people who produce our clothing. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, and on average only 2% of garment workers earn a livable wage. Yet, there are so many designers, business owners, and slow-fashion makers that are choosing sustainability and ethics at the core of their business. Shopwise was created through my passion to advocate for a better industry, while making it easier for you to find options that don't further harm the planet or people who make our clothing."

Tell us about New Leaf Sourcing!

"New Leaf Sourcing is an ethical and sustainable sourcing company that offers clothing manufacturing solutions to brands of any size. We offer flexible volumes and competitive pricing to help all businesses bring their projects to life, while giving back to our local communities."

What are you looking forward to most as a new team joining the Fashion Zone?

"We look forward to working alongside so many talented and inspirational entrepreneurs, to not only help them bring their business goals to life; but, to also build a strong sense of community around our beliefs and ambitions. We are always ambitious to learn more and constantly develop ourselves and our business."

Tell us about your company, Luxe Collection Bridal!

"Luxe Collection Bridal is a bridal gown design house based in Toronto, Canada that specializes in creating couture collections of wedding gowns that cater to a wide variety of skin tones (light to dark), and sizes (2-26W).

In addition to the couture line, I developed a sister brand: SPOSA PRONTA, an ethically manufactured and sustainably produced bridal apparel and accessories collection with more of a relaxed feel."

What inspired you to start your company?

"Working in the bridal industry for many years and noticing that there has not yet been any solution to combat how wasteful a traditional wedding dress is from a design & manufacturing perspective."

Calixa is building a next-gen discovery-driven commerce platform for local brands and emerging designers. The future of commerce is unified across channel, personalized to each shopper's taste and values, and enables intuitive discovery experiences. Our small brand's platform helps local fashion and beauty SMEs engage with the right shopper, at the right time and with the right product, using machine learning and visual AI.

View Calixa's Website (external link, opens in new window) !

We want to make the best 360 product photography app for online merchants. With that out of the way, Glo3D is a self-funded Canadian company located in Toronto, Canada Midtown neighbourhood. Our talented team is completely committed and dedicated to our work in making Glo3D the number one solution for fast, easy and affordable 360 product photography.

View Glo3D's Website (external link, opens in new window) !

Luxe Collection Bridal's Sposa Pronta Bridal Boxes were created to revolutionize the way brides have access to attaining their entire bridal outfit and to extend the value of wedding dresses beyond the wedding day. Sposa Pronta Bridal Boxes are the future of sustainable bridal.

View Luxe Collection Bridal's Website (external link, opens in new window) !

Nayaa is a company that uses creative speech and image on clothing to speak to the Somali experience in a western society. The goal of this project is to create a community that allows people of immigrant parents to find a home in a place they may have never felt was for them. Nayaa uses messages to spark dialogue and encourages its consumers to unpack things that have been instilled in our culture. Nayaa focuses on children of immigrants from Somali but hopes to spark that dialogue for everyone to build roots for themselves in whatever location they are in.

View Nayaa's Website (external link, opens in new window) !

New Leaf is Canadian-Dominican proud! As a company, we recognize the value of being sustainable, ethical & ecologically conscious. It is our responsibility to contribute towards the reduction of clothing and textile waste and to be more mindful of the people who make the clothes that we wear. Thanks to our ever-growing network of suppliers & manufacturers; we are able to source hemp and many other sustainable fabrics, provide high quality and consistency, flexible pricing, volumes & lead times. We are currently working towards adding recycled fabrics & plastics to our fabric options. By choosing New Leaf, you are not only choosing to take a path of environmental consciousness; but also impacting the lives of many human beings.

View New Leaf Sourcing's Website (external link, opens in new window) !

Want to make a difference in your environment and planet? Want to recycle your clothes but don't know how Redeem Clothing Recycling is here to help! We specialize in clothing recycling and have a passion to make clothing recycling convenient and rewarding for you.

View Redeem Clothing Rrecycling's Website (external link, opens in new window) !

We are a father-daughter team of leather workers who specialize in handcrafted leather goods. While we are unable to accomodate large scale production (so far), we pride ourselves as artisans. Each item is produced in small batches, starting in a sketchbook, patterned and created by our own hands. This makes each item unique by their make straying from the run-of-the-mill factory product. We can proudly say that every single aspect of production is completed in our small-site facility in Rosemont, Ontario.

View Sadelmager's Website (external link, opens in new window) !

Shopwise is a one-stop-shop for sustainable and ethical fashion, an online place to shop between a variety of purpose-driven fashion brands and small business owners. Our company was created to make it easier for you to find clothing options that don’t further harm the planet or people who make our clothing. Shopwise brings together a diverse range of fashion and accessory brands, with the shared values of sustainability and ethical production.

View Shopewise's Website (external link, opens in new window) !