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“Is that smoke behind you?” I ask Haider Ackermann, concerned, as he joins our Zoom call. He laughs and turns so I can see what’s behind him: visible through the window is Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, from which steam is rising as the warmth of the turquoise water hits the cold air.
It turns out Ackermann has just landed in Iceland, where — after a dip in the lagoon — he is planning to take a group of close friends on a two-night camping trip to the glaciers, kitted out in Canada Goose’s high-performance parkas. The trip coincides with the unveiling of the designer’s first big project for Canada Goose since he was named creative director in May. “I don’t think there’s a more beautiful gesture to make people understand why I took this [role] than inviting them here to embrace the nature,” he says.
At the end of November, a new collection designed by Ackermann will be released under Canada Goose’s former name, Snow Goose (the rebrand took place in 2000). Snow Goose will sit alongside the Canada Goose main line as its “heritage” label, accompanied by a new logo to help customers differentiate between the two. There will be more than 60 pieces in the Snow Goose Autumn/Winter 2024 collection, including outerwear (parkas, lightweight down, rain, wind), apparel (knitwear, tops and bottoms) and accessories. It is a more elevated range, with prices sitting at a slightly higher price point than the main line (ranging from CA $150 to $2,550).
Ackermann was inspired by Canada Goose’s archive in Toronto. “I looked at all these pieces from back in the ’60s, they were crazy; there was a parka in fluorescent pink. I was like, what the hell guys? Look at all those colours, look at all this energy that you have in the archive and what you have in the shop now is so different. Let’s get back to it.” Images of the Snow Goose AW24 collection are embargoed until launch, but I’m given a tantalising glimpse: the Rider parka (pictured above) is Ackermann’s reimagination of a classic style that was originally created by the brand for officers of Ontario’s Provincial Police force, who often encountered extreme weather while on duty.
Ackermann is also involved in the main line’s evolution, design and creative image, the impact of which will be seen in coming seasons — details of what that will look like are being kept under wraps for now. “What I would like to do is to extend and elevate the brand, and to put a little bit more electricity and a little bit more energy into it,” he says. “The company has done so well for so many years. Now, we can bring it to the next level.”
Canada Goose was founded in 1957 by Sam Tick, and remains family owned and run; Tick’s grandson Dani Reiss has been CEO since 2001. Its parkas and the main line’s distinctive blue, red and white polar ice cap logo have become ubiquitous, worn in cities like New York and London, as much as in snowy terrain. Revenue increased 9 per cent on a constant currency basis to CA $1.33 billion in the year ended 31 March 2024, driven by the direct-to-consumer business (which grew 17 per cent). Wholesale revenue, however, fell 19 per cent. In March, Canada Goose announced that it was laying off around 17 per cent of its head office staff as it sought to streamline its operations and cut costs.
The company is at an inflection point. “We’re doing things differently across several key areas and infusing a new energy into the brand, but in a way that stays true to our heritage,” says Reiss. “Part of doing things differently included creating a role we haven’t had before — a creative director. This role is designed to cement the aesthetic consistency across our product, brand creative and customer touchpoints. We have a more-than-six-decade foundation with so many opportunities to build upon, opportunities that Haider and I agree on. He isn’t compromising who we are or trying to make us something we aren’t. He wants to evolve the brand, not reinvent it. That concept was really important to me.”
Ackermann, in turn, was attracted by the “adventure”. A designer that is hard to pigeonhole, his CV includes a long stretch at the helm of his eponymous brand, a three-season stint as creative director of LVMH-owned Berluti, a guest slot designing Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture as part of its rotating designer programme, a red-hot collaboration with Fila, and an unexpected tie-up with beauty brand Augustinus Bader (on a reimagined container for its cult product The Cream).
“When [Canada Goose] approached me I was surprised,” he says. “But it’s always interesting to take the road that one does not expect. It’s challenging and it makes your heart beat faster. You want to learn. I’ve been very niche for so many years. Dressing many people on the street is thrilling for me.”
He adds that there was an appeal to Canada itself. “There’s so much peace and quietness about it.” This was reflected in the role: “They didn’t want to do a whole rebrand, which I was very seduced by.” He smiles and adds: “My life is a bit different now.”
It’s the only time during the interview that he subtly acknowledges his “other job”. In September, it was announced that Ackermann had joined Tom Ford as creative director with immediate effect, replacing Peter Hawkings, who held the role for less than a year. There is no indication that he will relinquish the Canada Goose position. He has some experience in working across two brands: the Jean Paul Gaultier and Fila opportunities overlapped, so each week, he would split his time between each. His first collection for Tom Ford will be presented during Paris Fashion Week in March. “I’m juggling again,” he says of his new dual role, but declines to say more.
Looking ahead, he has an eye on the opportunities for further category expansion and how to develop Canada Goose’s Spring/Summer offering; the brand recently introduced more lightweight styles suited for wetter and warmer climates, as well as foraying into footwear with a rain boot. “Canada Goose is very related to the winter, how do you make it relevant in summer? So there’s work to be done,” he says.
For now though, the focus is on the AW24 Snow Goose collection, which will be available online and in 20 Canada Goose stores globally.
Reiss describes Ackermann as a “true visionary”. “He has taken what Canada Goose is known for — authenticity, craftsmanship, performance — and expressed that in new and unexpected ways, all while still paying homage to the identity we’ve built over the last six decades.”
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