This Canadian Fashion Brand Wants to Create Equality and Acceptance, One T-Shirt at a Time

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, delivered a tearful apology last week to Canada’s LGBTQ community for past wrongdoings, showcasing the nation’s willingness to include all people. A Canadian fashion brand, Frank And Oak, is echoing that inclusiveness this week with a new clothing line and campaign that embraces everyone.

To introduce the “And*” campaign and new collection to the world, the brand created a touching film that includes a poem by Toronto-based rapper Cadence Weapon. “We prefer to say ‘and’ instead of ‘or,’ as in, we are graceful, and we are polite, and we are thankful, and we apologize, and we are resilient, and we are resistant, and we are passionate …” the poem goes.

As the poem unfolds, the film shows different couples and pairings sharing personal or intimate moments together.

“We’ve always been strong believers in diversity and inclusion, and it’s been at the forefront of many conversations in the media over the past months,” Ethan Song, co-founder and CEO of Frank and Oak, said. “With the And* collection, we’re making a statement through what we do best and hope to inspire people globally to work towards true inclusion by celebrating the differences that unite us as a generation.”

Pieces in the collection include printed t-shirts and embroidered fleece sweaters with the word “And*” stamped on each item. Frank and Oak will donate $5 to foundation Equitas for each purchase from the collection.

“We also wanted to time the launch to fall during the holiday season as people tend to embrace the spirit of giving back and paying it forward more so during this time of year, hopefully, allowing Frank And Oak and the And collection to have greater impact. In the end, it’s most important for our brand to celebrate inclusion on a global level highlighting the beauty of diversity, as one of humanity’s greatest gifts,” Song added.

AND* by Cadence Weapon

Frank and Oak launched in 2012 with the intention of creating affordable, well-made clothing. The brand also set a lofty goal for itself, hoping to reshape the retail shopping experience. Inside the physical store locations the brand includes things like coffee bars and barbershops to entice shoppers to stay a while longer (and spend more money).

Frank And Oak also unveils new men’s and women’s products each week (on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively), and also created a style plan for its customers. The plan takes a shopper’s style, budget and past purchases into account to deliver customized product recommendations in the future.

Katie Richards

@ktjrichards

Katie Richards is a staff writer for Adweek.