Inside Canada Goose’s High-Fashion Migration

Today marks the first of three initial drops from Snow Goose, a capsule encompassing more than 60 items ranging from $125 socks to a $2,395 parka. Under Ackermann’s watch, Snow Goose will operate separately from the Canada Goose main line, complete with its own logo—a sinuous stroke that evokes a bird in flight. Ackermann chose the new moniker—which was a name previously used by Canada Goose in the 1970s—because he liked that it referenced the environment, had a peaceful energy, wasn’t pegged to a single location, and was connected to the brand’s history.

“There was a poetry about Snow Goose,” he says. “I’m known as this romantic, nomadic guy, and you’re asking me to be more anchored in reality. It’s a more mass product, dressing people on the street, and I’ve always been niche. That was interesting to me—to dress people, on the street, in their lives.”

Courtesy of Canada Goose

All this is a marked shift for Canada Goose, which was founded in Toronto in 1957 as Metro Sportswear Ltd. and remains family-owned today. The company spent its early years known primarily for dressing actual mountain explorers, before later developing a reputation as a celebrity favorite—in part through a savvy sponsorship of the Sundance Film Festival, where A-listers were often spotted trudging through the snowy streets of Park City, Utah, in the brand’s hardy wares. While Canada Goose’s outerwear was already held in high regard in both style and outdoorsy circles alike, Ackermann’s appointment sprinkles an extra bit of fashion magic on top that allows the label to better compete with luxury players such as Moncler.