Derek Guy is a fashion writer born in Canada and based in San Francisco. Best known as the “men’s wear guy,” he’s amassed over one million followers on X for his expert takes on fashion and sharp social commentary.
Last week, Guy wrote a post suggesting that the looming threat of 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States is “prob going to kill SSENSE,” a luxury fashion retailer headquartered in Montreal. He later followed up with a thread recommending a number of the country’s top stores, brands, and designers to support for folks who want to buy Canadian menswear.
The posts proved extremely popular, racking up thousands of likes and over one million views. They also proved polarizing. While Guy’s handle, dieworkwear, is always a lightning rod for commentary – his quick wit and strong opinions coupled with a massive audience means nearly every post is bombarded with replies – the responses got heated, echoing larger arguments happening right now between Canada and the United States.
The Globe and Mail recently had the opportunity to chat with Guy about his takes on Canadian men’s wear and the ripple effects tariffs could have across the world of fashion.
Earlier this week, you posted about how the 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods might kill Montreal’s SSENSE. For those unfamiliar, can you talk about the importance of SSENSE to the larger fashion scene?
I think when a lot of people – at least on the American side – hear these tariffs are coming, they don’t realize how many Canadian businesses they might already interact with. SSENSE is one of the largest online luxury retailers. They’re also kind of unique in that they pick up many small independent and indie designers. And they’re often a way for a small designer to catch a break and reach a wider audience.
I think of fashion as a kind of hobby. And the ability for people to get into this hobby and discover new brands is really dependent on the structure of the market. SSENSE serves a luxury market but they’re an important player.
I think a lot of folks across the country were excited that you recognized so many Canadian brands. Can you talk to me about who you decided to include in your “buy Canadian” thread and why?
I mainly write about things that are either straight up classic tailoring, heritage casual wear, or things adjacent to heritage casual wear. So I tried to mention things that felt adjacent to that. House of Blanks came to mind because I know a lot of people were looking for an alternative to Aimé Leon Dore sweats.
There are other ones, like Viberg. Viberg is like the shoe for guys who are into workwear. Samuelsohn, if you are interested in tailoring. If you bother to peel back even one or two layers, you’ll find out that many North American suit shops use Samuelsohn for their production. People into men’s wear know these brands, but they may not know they’re Canadian.
One of the things you also highlighted was Canadian brands working with overseas factories. I think a lot of the time when people think of a Canadian brand, they assume something is made entirely in Canada. But the tariff situation has shed a light on how “shopping Canadian” or “shopping American” isn’t always cut and dried.
When you buy a piece of clothing inside, every garment is going to have a label. It’s going to say made in Guatemala, or made in Canada, or made in the United States. But that garment label is highly simplifying a very complex global production chain. That’s the kind of thing you have to keep in mind if you decide to support Canadian businesses.
After your post gained some momentum, a lot of people got mad. Why do you think that is?
It’s weird to me that if someone writes a thread on how to buy Canadian, people freak out. Because how is that different than saying buy American? It sounds like you’ve made up an enemy in your head overnight. I don’t know anyone who was upset at Canadians in October of 2024. But then, all of a sudden, when Trump brings up the tariffs – then brings up this idea of fentanyl coming through the Canadian border – it becomes a talking point.
I don’t think there is actually a large anti-Canadian sentiment in the U.S., or maybe I’m just insulated from it. But it’s crazy that there’s any segment that just parrots these talking points. Who’s really upset about Canadians? The language that Trump uses to Canada. If any other country said that about the United States, the U.S. would bomb them. There would be a war. The government would be overthrown.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
