The Heated Rivalry frenzy keeps growing: what began as a small-budget Crave original show has blown up into an international sensation. No one can get enough of Canada’s queer hockey show, from the stars to the costumes — including one particular Team Canada fleece. Fans are clamouring to get their hands on their own version of the jacket. And now a Toronto brand is joining the movement.
Province of Canada, a made-in-Toronto clothing brand known in particular for their sustainably-made sweatshirts, posted a teaser on social media Thursday of an in-progress fleece that looked quite familiar. “Things are getting heated,” the caption read, noting that the design was a tribute to Heated Rivalry costume designer Hanna Puley’s fleece.
The fleece, worn as Team Canada merch by main character Shane Hollander (Williams) at the 2014 Sochi Olympics during the second episode, may look like official Canadian Olympic gear, but Heated Rivalry costume designer Hanna Puley actually created it herself. “I really wanted to make [O]lympic gear that actually felt wearable and cozy,” she wrote on Instagram.
The white and red zip-up caught the eye of fans, spawning an actual petition to make the fleece into official Team Canada merch. This came after the official Team Canada Instagram account teased the possibility on Threads once enough fans asked about it, writing, “Update HR fans… our boss said maybe,” on Dec. 31. There have since been multiple updates on the Threads account, including a post that the pitch was made on Jan. 5 and an update saying, “Ps: the bosses are circling back tomorrow🫡” the following day. The comments, of course, have filled with Heated Rivalry fans excitedly awaiting any news that they could potentially get their hands on a fleece of their own.
After Province of Canada’s post, fans also flooded the comments, hoping that the brand would be creating a version of the fleece for purchase. “Would buy it immediately. Make it happen, Province of Canada!” one commenter wrote.
But co-founder Jeremy Watt confirmed to Streets of Toronto that Province of Canada doesn’t have plans yet to actually make the fleece. “We were just joining in on the ‘Release the Fleece’ movement on social,” he said.
But Watt noted that the shop would definitely be interested in a collaboration. “We thought if we threw our name in ring, being that we are one of the few Canadian brands that would make a sustainable option, maybe we would get the attention of Crave etc.”
Streets of Toronto reached out to Crave and Team Canada for comment on the potential for a collaboration and merch collection, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Watt also commented on something many Heated Rivalry fans have emphasized in their quest for this fleece: authenticity and quality matters. “The community you’re connecting with can sniff out when what you’ve created isn’t authentic,” he said. “The product has to be the same quality as the story you’re telling.”
With the Winter Olympics coming up in just a few weeks, the fleece would certainly bring some extra attention to Team Canada if the organization secures a collaboration in time. Considering the less-than-enthusiastic response to the official Team Canada merch by Lululemon in this and past years, maybe Heated Rivalry is Canada’s way in to “actually wearable” — in costume designer Puley’s words — merch. And one thing’s for sure: with the international fanbase the show has developed, it would be more than just Canadians wearing our maple leaf!
