I need shoes. I need a new pair of running shoes, and some hiking shoes. By the year’s end, I’ll need some new dress shoes, too. So, before we get started on the subject of investments (for that’s March’s category), I wanted to do some research into footwear.

Pounding the mall pavement got me nowhere. According to their staff, there wasn’t a single shoe in Ronsons, Town Shoes or Aldo’s that was made in Canada.

I did, however, make some progress wielding the aforementioned Google and collecting a few tips on the 1Y1C Facebook page. What did I learn?

• La Canadienne makes women’s shoes in Montreal (they’ve got some nice shots of their manufacturing facility on that page). Unfortunately, I’m disinclined to cross-dress.
• Nor am I particularly butch. If I was, I could consider Viberg’s vast array of boots for dock workers, loggers or just plain stomping around. Along similar lines, I’ve sent a note to Mark’s Work Wearhouse to see if they have any footwear that qualifies.
• Now we’re talking: Roots makes a few lines of men’s shoes in their Toronto factory. In a pinch, I could see myself wearing these.

I also found a number of local manufacturers of Canadian cliches: winter boots and moccasins.

So, not a complete failure, but my feet still aren’t ready for jogging or hiking. I’ll soldier on with worn-out shoes.

UPDATE (March 11, 2011): I heard back from Mark’s Work Wearhouse. They sent me a list of footwear that’s made in Canada–for men it’s all work boots and shoes, nothing in the running, dress or hiking category.

Photo by Emma Jane Hogbin.

We met at the Art Gallery of Calgary, where I shot this video:

Being a rookie video interviewer, I failed to ask where she got her fabrics from. In a follow-up email, she tells me they’re manufactured in Montreal.

This month, courtesy of the good people at Tilley Endurables, I’m giving away a hat. In fact, the winner gets a hat of their choice from the Tilley website. I note, in addition to the traditional out-and-about traveling hats, they’ve got a nice I’m-an-Irish-gentleman-or-hipster cap and even a ball-cap. All their hats are designed and manufactured in Toronto.

How do you win one of these chapeaus? Simply leave a comment answering this question: what is your favourite piece of Canadian clothing?

You can define ‘Canadian clothing’ as broadly as you like–there are no wrong answers. Given that it’s already February 15, I’m going to run this contest through March 10, and then randomly draw a winner.

UPDATE: I had a couple of colleagues randomly choose numbers, and I combined them (for, you know, further randomness). Congratulations to Deryck, who’s won himself a Tilley hat!

In 1850, our nation wasn’t even, well, much of a nation. So how much finished cotton does Canada produce today?

That’s one of the questions I’ll be exploring in this month’s new category, Clothing. Last month’s Household Goods were a good introduction, but now we’re getting serious. The game is definitely afoot.

What am I hoping to learn about Canadian clothing? Let’s see:

• Where do our clothes come from?
• Do we actually manufacture any fabrics or other source materials in Canada?
• Can I buy a suit made from Canadian-made fabric?
• Are there Canadian-made running shoes?
• Is it even possible to create a wardrobe of clothes that are entirely sourced in Canada (without, you know, knitting and sewing them myself)?
• Why has the rest of the world adopted the term ‘toque’?

What in my wardrobe is already Canadian? For years, I’ve been a frequent Stanfield’s customer, underwear made with pride in Truro, Nova Scotia. I also usually get my dress shoes from John Fluevog (certified Satan-resistant, it says so on the sole). Neither products are sourced in Canada, but they’re a small start.

The Rules

I’d like to start from zero clothes in my closet, but that’s not practical. Not only would it be exorbitantly expensive to build an entirely gold-standard Canadian wardrobe, but I suspect that it’s virtually impossible. I also need to remain gainfully employed, and my work requires that I occasionally dress up. I can’t very well wear only Stanfield’s underwear and a Cowichan sweater to a speaking gig, can I?

So, I’m only going to add Canadian-made clothes to my wardrobe for the balance of 2011. As per my Made in Canada rules, I’m going to work as hard as I can to create entire outfits that comprise clothes sourced, manufactured and designed in Canada. Pray to your cold, Canadian gods for me.

I’m going to have to cancel two of my favourite clothes-by-mail services: the Threadless t-shirt a month club and Man Packs, for t-shirts, socks and underwear.

Have you got any recommendations for clothes that are made in Canada?