Over the Rainbow has been around for a long time. It’s seen many luxury, trendy and time-tested brands come through its Yorkville doors, but owner Joel Carman says there’s something extra special about his latest collaboration, with Italian luxury brand Save the Duck.
“They’re sustainable, and they really stand behind their product, and we want those kinds of partnerships,” Carman says. “More and more, with a lot of the brands that we carry in the store, sustainability is an important part of the business, and we want to move in that direction.”
Save the Duck does exactly what its name suggests — by using vegan materials, including recycled bottles, the brand save ducks and other birds from being killed for their feathers, which are used in parkas and other outerwear as stuffing. At the end of 2023, Save the Duck estimated that it had saved 44 million birds from slaughter and removed 22 million bottles from the waste chain. And the eco-friendly initiative goes even further: 1 per cent of the company’s sales are donated to environmental and humanitarian causes across the globe, ensuring a better planet and a better future. For example, in a recent project, the brand helped build fresh-water wells in a small village in Indonesia.
“I think over the last little while it’s become obvious to all of us that sustainability is very important,” Carman says. “It’s a statement that we all have to make. So this brand came along, and the jacket is warm enough, it’s got beautiful colours, they’re sustainable, and it just felt like a natural fit.”
Of course, it helps that the parkas have an effortless Italian sensibility, too. Made in both bold and classic colours with timeless and trendy cuts alike, they’re made for adults and children of all genders. The price point is attractive, too — with animal-free materials, jackets are priced more competitively than similar brands who aren’t use vegan ingredients. So far, Carman says it has been very popular with his customers.
“We’ve been in business for 50 years, and we have a responsibility to our customers and our community to be sustainable and do something,” Carman says. “But it also helps that the clothes are beautiful. This is a very special product. Italians have flare, they love fashion, and so far, our customer really loves the product.”
On display at the sleek pop-up in store — which features a larger-than-life version of the brand’s logo, a smiling orange duck — is outerwear that ranges from heavy-duty parkas suitable for those bitingly cold winter days in Toronto to a trendy faux fur bomber that wouldn’t look out of place on the runway.
Also driving home the brand’s environmentally-conscious ethos are a series of close-up shots of animals with catchy slogans, such as “Cows not purses” and “Alpacas not sweaters,” emblazoned across them and displayed above the jackets.
The pop-up, located at Over the Rainbow in the Manulife Centre at 55 Bloor St., will run until Dec. 6, though there are plans for another Save the Duck collection launch at the shop for spring in the works.
