By: Arpita Quadir Meet LazyBonesCozy. Like other local handmade brands around the GTA, LazyBonesCozy was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic by Toula Voikos. Prior to establishing her brand, Voikos had a background in Graphic Design and dedicated her time to working and volunteering at the Toronto Humane Society. During the pandemic, she was inspired to switch gears and pursue a new business venture centered around upcycling and producing hand-made goods. Her community was in need of masks, and so she took the opportunity to hand-make them using recycled materials. Studies reveal that the increased demand and supply for face masks...

By Arpita Quadir “What do you think of when you think of the current position of the Indigenous fashion industry?” I think of access, said Caitlin Wemigwans, owner and designer of local streetwear brand Pre&Peri and member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve.  Pre&Peri is an ethical local streetwear brand based in the GTA. The brand features art created by Wemigwans and aims to educate customers about Indigenous issues and culture. Pre and peri are prefixes, meaning before and after. Pre refers to pre-colonial Indigenous heritage, and peri refers to colonial culture, merging the two meanings. A recurring phrase on the designs...

Meet the Maker presents to you She Sells Sanctuary as the first vendor in this ongoing series. Our dedicated partners in the ELM journey deserve a proper introduction and a chance to get to know them as a business dedicated to handcrafting ethically sourced goods. Meet She Sells Sanctuary, a business dedicated to connecting with women from Nepal to create mobiles, puppets, ornaments and hand loomed textiles.

Learn about the ELM journey by viewing one-year anniversary blog post.