The Best Canadian Brands for Warm and Stylish Wool Coats
Look to these seven homegrown labels for fine fabrics, cool cuts, and top-notch tailoring.
Smythe
If you’ve lived through a harsh Canadian winter, you know the importance of good outerwear (not to mention a reliable cache of cozy beanies, plush scarves, and warm mittens). While a waterproof parka certainly has its place in a winter wardrobe, a well-made wool coat can go the distance on your average chilly day and take you from the morning commute to weekend errands. But what makes a great wool topper? You’ll want to look at fabric, construction, and details. One hundred per cent wool is ideal but not always realistic, so also look for lush blends like wool-cashmere. A fully lined coat will be your best friend come January, as will details such as roomy pockets and a substantial collar. And consider the silhouette and fit of the coat in relation to your wardrobe—if you’re someone who likes to layer knits when the temperatures drop, a slightly oversized or cocoon-like cut might be for you.
Who better to make a chic wool coat for a cold Canadian winter than a Canadian brand? Here, we round up seven local labels, from iconic to up-and-coming, that will keep you warm and stylish. Canadian winters can be punishing, but wearing your winter coat doesn’t have to be.
It’s no small feat to create instantly recognizable garments, but Sentaler, with its signature ribbed-sleeve detail, has done just that. Founded by Bojana Sentaler and headquartered in Toronto, the luxury outerwear label is celebrating its 16th year and marking the milestone with two new boutiques: one in Toronto’s Yorkdale shopping centre and the other on New York City’s iconic Madison Avenue. The brand is beloved for its lush alpaca-wool fabric, timeless silhouettes, and striking colour palette, like the Suri Alpaca Maxi Notched Collar Wrap Coat in the new Cherry Lacquer hue. Just ask Sentaler’s famous fans, including Emily Blunt, Meghan Markle, Katy Perry, and Colman Domingo.
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The Canadian design duo behind Smythe has been crafting have-them-for-life blazers for more than 20 years. Known for impeccable fits and unmatched quality, co-founders Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe’s brand has grown to include denim, knitwear, a fragrance, and a boutique, which opened in Toronto’s Summerhill neighbourhood in 2022. The Toronto-based brand has been spotted on such celebrities as Kristen Bell and royals like Catherine, Princess of Wales. When it comes to outerwear, Smythe’s classic-meets-trend-conscious codes are evident in its popular styles, like the DB Topcoat, a slightly oversized double-breasted silhouette with bold shoulders and peaked lapels.
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Launched in 2022 by Sasha Jardine, SteMargScot is the antithesis to the monotonous parade of synthetic black puffers that march along Canadian streets come February. Made in Canada of Canadian wool, and free of plastics and metal hardware, the gender-neutral brand is bringing colour and heritage back to the outerwear scene, offering handcrafted 100 per cent wool coats in a rainbow of vibrant hues. Because why go for a navy standard-issue parka when you could wear an electric-chartreuse toggle coat? Jardine, a self-proclaimed “science nerd” with a background in molecular biology, is committed to transparency and sustainability, and uses ethically sourced fabrics that are recyclable and biodegradable—she literally visits the farm outside Toronto where SteMargScot sheep’s wool comes from.
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If made-to-measure is your speed, consider this minimalist Montreal brand founded by French-born designer Elisa C-Rossow. For many pieces, you select a style and the size closest to yours, and the brand contacts you for your exact measurements. Then, each garment is handmade in the Montreal atelier using couture savoire faire that Rossow learned working for a wedding-dress maker in Nice, France. The selection is a tight edit of mostly black wool toppers, like the fully lined Betty maxi coat made with heavy Japanese wool or the Stork trench made with lightweight Italian merino wool, save a sprinkle of cream in the collection. And the responsible made-to-order model means little waste—bonus points for chic sustainability.
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This Montreal brand is one to watch for 100 per cent wool coats (and if there’s anyone you can trust with your outerwear, it’s a Quebecer who knows 30-below winters all too well). Founded in 2013 by Isabelle Deslauriers, Desloups makes and sells its coats in a workshop and boutique in Montreal’s Plateau neighbourhood. On a mission to create outerwear that blends fashion and function, the label makes toppers from wool melton, the tightest wool yarn weave, and lines them with high-tech Thermolite insulation, known for being warm but lightweight. Plus, in 2019 Desloups started offering custom-made coats, so you can choose your style, colour, and modifications like the length of the coat or adding a hood.
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HiSo is the oldest Canadian brand you might not yet know about. Established in 1975 and now a second-generation luxury outerwear business, the brand is headquartered in Toronto and produced in Europe with lush wool-cashmere fabrics. Twin brothers Karl and Mark Matar reinvented the family business, previously named Hide Society, when they took the reins and made it their mission to revive the classic shearling coat and redefine outerwear, which resulted in their expansion into wool coats. Look to silhouettes like the Isabella, a chic and relaxed cognac topper with subtle drop shoulders and enough room for a chunky knit underneath.
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You might have been introduced to Mackage’s coats in the early aughts, when its signature black styles featured a marriage of leather and wool. Founded in 1999, the Montreal brand has expanded from its leather-forward heritage to include performance parkas, skiwear, winter boots, and beautifully draped wool toppers, like the Mai–CN wrap coat, a double-faced wool coat offered in an array of colours such as striking crimson and soft powder blue.
