Canada's local national treasure brand Moose Knuckles was established in 2009, aiming to create "the most refined, toughest and most luxurious" sportswear in the world. Its family history can be traced back to 1921. The company started from a small scale, and has continuously launched thermal clothing with bold designs and high-quality materials during the ten years since its establishment. The market share has risen, and the brand has continued to grow and develop. At the same time, Moose Knuckles continues to strengthen its Canadian identity by setting up a design team in Montreal and manufacturing core products in Canada.
Today, with the wave of globalization sweeping across, Moose Knuckles products are gradually going to the world. How does the brand innovate in this process, and effectively enter the international market while sticking to its original intention as a Canadian brand? What challenges has the global coronavirus pandemic brought to brand development at the end of 2019? "Supreme" magazine interviewed Ayal Twik, co-founder and current chief marketing officer of Moose Knucles, to gain an in-depth understanding of the story behind the brand and look forward to its future development direction.
Zhizun: It seems that any Canadian brand cannot avoid talking about identity issues. What does being a Canadian brand mean to Moose Knuckles? Why is emphasizing this identity important for brands?
Twik: From day one of the brand, our first priority has been to invest in Canada. From our traditional factory, to our passionate design team in Montreal, everything we do has Canada at its heart. We attach great importance to cultivating local talents and skills, and have achieved local innovation and challenges to become an industry leader. The parkas, bombers and other jackets in our core product range are made in Canada from the finest materials sourced in Canada and around the world. Moose Knuckles currently has three factories in Canada, which are responsible for the design, quality maintenance and production of the core outerwear series. We employ nearly 200 Canadians, including 90 skilled technicians. As a local brand, we are proud to support local Canadian manufacturing. That's why we're injecting millions of dollars into the Canadian economy each year while preserving our heritage of Canadian craftsmanship.
In addition to its own identity as a Canadian, the emphasis on Canadian origin also helps define the brand image. Moose Knuckles makes durable, insulated jackets in a country with one of the coldest climates in the world. We make the world's most durable clothing to withstand the harshest climates. It also goes to show that we make jackets that are experts in keeping people warm all over the world.
Zhizun: Since the establishment of the brand, what are your beliefs and brand views?
Twik: Back in 1921, our family was dedicated to protecting Canadians from the severe cold. We started Moose Knuckles Canada in 2009. We focus on making the most refined, toughest and most luxurious sportswear in the world, and we pour Canadian traditional technology and Canadian perseverance into the production of each garment. From fit to garment, down to every stitch and zipper, we stand by impeccable tailoring, ethically sourced materials and quality hardware. While relentlessly adhering to the sophistication that traditional craftsmanship has to offer, we also strive to apply new skills and techniques to our materials to better protect the environment.
We believe in the spirit of the moose, and the name pays homage to the animal that inspires us. We broke out of the tundra, rising to the sun in the steel and concrete of established fashion sportswear and accessories brands. Just like the traces left by moose in the snow, it inspires explorers to endless adventures.
Supreme: What is the biggest challenge Moose Knuckles has faced so far?
Twik: Obviously, Covid is a huge challenge. But there are dangers as well as opportunities, and it helps us accelerate our digital strategy and get closer to our consumers. Moose Knuckles is a brand built on Canadian craft culture. To do this, interaction and communication with customers is particularly important. Covid has forced us to engage with our customers more closely than ever before and I'm proud of our team to be able to do this.
Also, our de facto biggest challenge is keeping up with our growth. Over the past few years, the demand for our products has been so great that it has been difficult for us to maintain inventory and invest in more infrastructure to support our crazy growth. As a Canadian company, we are very proud of how global we are. Our sales are split almost evenly between North America, Europe and Asia (including 6 stores in China). To make this possible, a large support team is indispensable. So expanding the team rapidly is also a challenge.
Supreme: Moose Knuckles has offices in Montreal, New York, Milan and Shanghai. What do you think are the characteristics of the worldwide sales growth of Moose Knuckles in recent years?
Twik: As we all know, everything we have achieved so far started with a product. We make some of our most technical products in style. We source the best materials from around the world and apply them to the outerwear we produce. For example, the zipper on our signature coat is a non-freezing metal zipper developed by the Japanese company YKK. The metal material used for this zipper was inspired by Canadian arctic ships and was originally used only in furniture production. And many other companies are still using plastic zippers. When it comes to our company's well-made products, I could talk for hours about any of them.
I think another part of our brand success is our connection with consumers. We've managed to create an interesting luxury brand with an edge that really speaks to our consumers. A lot of fashion brands take themselves too seriously, but in fact we just create art through fashion, there is no need to be too serious in the sales process.
EXCEPTIONAL: With Victor Luis as CEO, you can focus on what you're most passionate about. What is at the heart of your strategy to drive culture, brand building and drive consumer engagement?
Twik: I love connecting with our consumers. At the end of the day, when consumers choose to wear the Moose Knuckles logo, it actually has something to do with it. What you do, what you care about… enriching that meaning by telling these stories is what really excites me, and it's what lifts me up every day. We have some amazing campaigns and collaborations coming up this year that will be unlike anything our consumers have seen from Moose Knuckles. When the time is right, I will be very happy to share with the groups who care about us.
From left to right, brand co-founder and chief product officer Noah Stern, current CEO Victor Luis, and brand co-founder and chief marketing officer Ayal Twik
Zhizun: How did the brand's social responsibility policy and environmental protection strategy evolve?
Twik: Last year, we launched a global sustainability plan, which includes a series of long-term environmental and social initiatives as we expand our global footprint. Among these initiatives, we have committed to ending the production of all natural fur by the end of 2022. Our number one goal has always been to create exceptional handcrafted items that deliver warmth without sacrificing style. This decision largely reflects our community and our team's ongoing commitment to creating a more sustainable planet. The global plan commits the company to innovation and leadership in six areas, including reducing all carbon emissions by the end of 2025 and completely phasing out traditional cotton, virgin polyester and virgin nylon materials, among others.
We are also proud to be a member of Textile Exchange. Textile Exchange, a not-for-profit organization with sustainability at its core, is a participant in the Corporate Fiber and Materials Benchmarking Program. Participation in this program allows us to benchmark our progress against our industry peers.
Supreme: What difficulties has the epidemic brought to Moose Knuckles, and what impact will it have on the way you operate in the future?
Twik: I think the impact of the new crown has roughly three aspects. First, the supply chain challenge — this is the most obvious one. But Moose Knuckles has had a bigger impact than most. We source the highest quality materials from around the world, with an average Moose Knuckles jacket featuring 65 different qualities. While this manufacturing process produces ultra-high-quality and unique products, it does require a more complex supply chain process. Unlike some other companies, we choose to maintain this complex process to guarantee the quality of our products. We will need to move ahead and take more risk on inventory, while potentially delivering later to customers.
Second, the shift to digital – COVID-19 has driven people to shop online more often, so we've redoubled our efforts to focus on digital. We're improving brands' websites to make online shopping easier and more attractive. We plan to launch Moose Knuckles' own app. The app will provide registered users with tons of exclusive offers and benefits, implement a better return method without contacting customer service, add an improved mobile user experience, and a host of other exciting new features.
Finally, a renewed focus on local customers – Moose Knuckles has a global marketplace, so we've benefited from a lot of travel shopping in the past. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are unable to accommodate these tourists, so we are forced to focus on attracting local consumers. This renewed focus will bring us a lot of long-term benefits.
