January/February 2015

ALBERTA CALLINGJasper, say you will. Roots hits higher ground in the Rockiesfor the holiday season

A window into the world of Roots Issue 119 • January - February 2015

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Issue 119 • January/February 2015 The Source • 3

IMPORTANT TREATMENTOn behalf of the clients, fami-lies, staff and Board of Direc-tors of the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre (AARC), we would like to thank Roots for its generous donation to our auction as part of our 17th annual gala benefit dinner in Calgary.

AARC is a treatment pro-gram unlike any other in Cana-da. It’s built on a solid founda-tion of research augmented by clinical expertise. It’s available to all regardless of financial means. Today, over 90 per cent of our families receive a subsidy for a part of their treatment fees. Funds from our benefit dinner help ensure that no one in need of AARC’s intensive treatment is turned away for financial rea-sons. We’re extremely grateful for your kind donation.Donna EdwardsDirector of Development, AARCCalgary, Alberta

A GOOD INVESTMENTOn behalf of Dignitas International, I extend our sincere gratitude for your contribution to our recent luncheon event. I’m pleased to report that it proved a great success. The room was full and our guests very much enjoyed hearing from our speakers. Having your gift to use as a

prize was a real bonus. Putting HIV+ women on treatment is essential to prevent the spread of HIV from mother to child. Dignitas has tested 150,000 mothers for HIV and put over 30,000 mothers on treatment in Malawi. Your gift helps us get one step closer to an AIDS-free generation by protecting the health of mothers and their babies. Thanks again for investing in our work.Marilyn McHargPresident and CEO, DignitasToronto

FOR A BETTER FUTUREI recently had the profound pleasure of attending an evening with David Suzuki as part of his just-concluded Blue Dot Tour. A few of us at Roots were invited to attend as representatives of our terrific company, one of the sponsors of the tour.

The program included speak-ers who were most eloquent, planting the seeds of a vision of a future where all can breathe clean air, drink fresh and pure water and consume nutritious foods grown from lush soil.But no one brought this message to us so clearly as Dr. Suzuki. He spoke of our connectedness to Mother Earth and that we are “embedded in our environment; everything on this little blue

planet is held together and con-nected by Mother Earth.” Clean air and fresh water should be at the top of everyone’s must-have list, since without them, we will simply cease to exist. Such basic requirements underline the need for an amendment in Canada’s constitution.

He quoted Edgar Mitchell, who after returning from the Apollo 14 space mission, said, “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people connec-tion, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world and a compulsion to do something about it.” The evening with Dr. Suzuki became my very own Apollo mission.

Though our carbon footprint may be in Roots boots, we must all strive for a more conscious awareness, and shoulder the responsibility for a sustainable environment and live with cour-age and conviction for a brighter future together.Jacqueline DoubletStore Mgr. (Mayfield Common)Edmonton, Alberta

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ONLINEFor the online version of this issue and previous issues of The Source,

visit issuu.com/rootscanada or roots.com

PublishersMICHAEL BUDMAN, DON GREEN

EditorROBERT SARNER

InternsPARISIMA BAHA

ERIN MACDONALDALISSA RANDALL

NATHANIEL SUMMERSThe Source is publ ished by Roots Canada Ltd. We welcome letters from readers for publication. Please address all correspondence to The Source, Letters to the Editor, Roots Canada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6B 4C4 or by email to [email protected]. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Each issue of The Source is also available at http://issuu.com/rootscanada

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A selection of recent letters from the world of Roots

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Roots staff celebrate the holidays at Bloor Street store cocktail party in Toronto

MEET THE MAKERS .............Celebrating people behind the scenes at the leather factory

WORTH THE WAIT .................Custom jackets for Canadian singer The Weeknd a big hit

A ROYAL FIT ...........................Calgary Stampede ambas-sadors proudly wear custom jackets

HAND KNIT FASHION ............ Teaming up with Mary Maxim to bring back knitted sweaters

FROM CHICAGO WITH LOVECollection with renowned Horween Leather Company reaches new level

OFF THE ICE IN STYLE .........Former Oilers players don custom jackets at reunion

STRONG CONNECTIONS ......A glimpse into the role of social media at Roots

HEALTH TIP ...........................Simple ways to reduce sitting’s harmful effects

LEAVE IT TO BEAVER...........Roots mascot receives new recognition

ON THE TOP ...........................Spotlighting Roots stores that surpassed sales goals

ROOTS TV ...............................Latest segment in behind the scenes video series

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY .....A guide to just-launched Roots products

KNOCK KNOCK .....................Taking stock of celebrities who recently visited Roots stores

MUSICAL ROOTS ..................A look at Canadian reggae fusion band Magic!

CHEF’S CORNER .................. A festive, healthy recipe for pumpkin-apple soup

4 • The Source Issue 119 • January/February 2015

ROOTS IN THE MAKINGCampaign brings into focus people behind the scenes at leather factory

Manufacturing has always played an essential role at Roots. Since

the brand’s inception in 1973, its leather goods factory has been a source of great pride and inspiration to company employees.

While some of the equipment and products made at the facility have evolved over the past 41 years, the human factor remains indispensable. At least 40 people are involved in the process of making each leather

bag, jacket and pair of shoes. In early November, Roots launched a special campaign, “We Are Makers,” to celebrate those behind the scenes who manufacture the products.

As part of the initiative, Roots introduced several of the factory’s 200 workers who come from a broad range of ethnic and work backgrounds. Portraits of employees appeared on over 50 billboards and transit shelter posters in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, in addition to a full-

page ad in The Globe and Mail. Related photos and a one-and-a-half minute video of the factory, shot by Art Director Ilich Mejia, figured prominently on the Roots website and social media.

At the same time, as part of the campaign, the brand ran a national retail leather week event and hosted an InstaMeet, a social media gathering, to spotlight its leather business. Customers who made leather purchases received a Euro Pouch and 10 email subscribers to Roots

won a custom Banff Bag. The InstaMeet involved 10 bloggers and Instagrammers who toured the leather factory. Roots later featured the photos that the guests took on its Instagram and Tumblr pages.

More projects are in the works as follow-up to the initiative, including the possibility of “We Are Makers” tissue wrappers and stickers. Next year, a new set of faces from the factory may appear in the campaign.

MariaSilva

Leo Ciccone

MarianaSuarez

’TIS THE SEASONSitting down with Santa

Guelph Store Manager Joy Henke-Paxton, (left), and her Assistant Manager Noel Mastine spreading holiday cheer in their Roots Gingerbread Sweaters.

SHOP TALK AT THE BOARD OF TRADERoots Co-Founder Michael Budman headlines at Toronto speaker series

The Toronto Region Board of Trade

connects over 250,000 business professionals and influencers in Canada’s financial, cultural and entertainment hub. As part of this pursuit, it hosts the Distinguished Speaker Series featuring successful business leaders in a lecture or panel discussion format.

In early fall, Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman was the keynote speaker at the Board of Trade headquarters in downtown Toronto. Introduced by Diane Brisebois, President and

CEO of the Retail Council of Canada, and interviewed by the CBC’s Senior Business Correspondent Amanda Lang, Michael explained the importance of leadership, passion and commitment in creating a cohesive, successful brand.

During the talk, titled

Michael Budman and Amanda Lang, (right), at Toronto Board of Trade event

“Unorthodox Retailing – How Roots Canada Leads with Relevance,” Michael and Amanda touched on various highlights and anecdotes of Roots before an audience of 150 people. Topics ranged from how to use relevance as a competitive asset

to sustain growth, how to stay true to founding values in the face of modern retail challenges, the inspiration behind Roots and the growing appeal of Canada among international consumers. Following the Q&A session, Michael answered questions from the audience.


GOING THE DISTANCEDevoted fan of The Weeknd travels 550 km to purchase XO x Roots Jacket

For many devoted music fans, there’s almost no limit to what they’ll do in adula-

tion for their favourite stars. When New York-based law enforcement professional Fran-cisco Tejada first saw the XO x Roots Jacket in the music video for Canadian alternative R&B singer The Weeknd’s single, “Often,” he knew he had to have it. After he heard it would be available for purchase in Toronto in late September, he quickly booked a flight.

Francisco (who goes by the name Cisco Rock) arrived at his hotel in Toronto around midnight and slept for only a few hours before heading to the Bloor Street flagship store at around 5 a.m. To his surprise, he found himself first in line, 13 hours before he’d be able to buy the Limited Edition XO x Roots Jacket.

“I felt really good because I knew that I was getting some-thing I really wanted,” says Cisco, 34. “Buying the jacket became more than getting a piece of clothing. It became a reminder that if you want some-thing badly enough, you can get it.”

When the doors opened for the event at 6 p.m., only the first 20 people in the line-up were admitted into the store. On the second floor of the store, a photoshoot set-up had been put in place. The Weeknd’s music played while fans mingled in-side, waiting for a sales associ-ate to help them select the right jacket size.

Only 100 lucky fans be-came owners of the jacket made famous by Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd’s birth name) and his XO crew. The day after the release, the XO x Roots jacket was reportedly posted on Kijiji for $5,000 and sold out in two hours. The jacket is now listed on Kijiji for as high as $2,000 and on eBay for $3,465.

Cisco received more than a jacket that day. He discovered Roots and met The Weeknd, both for the first time. People in line had no idea that The Weeknd was going to be making a personal appearance until the

doors opened. As The Weeknd walked in, fans began screaming things like, “we love you, Abel!”

“Abel is very laid back and down to earth,” says Cisco. “I thought it was cool that I got the opportunity to speak to him

and take a photo with him. The whole experience of going in first, trying out the jacket and getting V.I.P treatment made the trip even more worth it.”

What made the long wait even more worthwhile were the people he met. Cisco became friends with four other men in

line with whom he later hung out in Toronto. While waiting, he spoke to others about the Roots brand. Not only were they fans of The Weeknd, but devotees of Roots as well. They expressed pride that Roots makes quality

Canadian-made products and that they’re able to connect with youth.

“From the first look at the jacket, you can tell it’s high grade,” says Cisco. “I own a couple of bomber jackets and the Roots XO Jacket is the best quality.”

Roots often collaborates with Canadian artists, like The Weeknd, to whom they were introduced by prominent Toronto rapper Drake and his OVO (Oc-tober’s Very Own) team. Cash and Martin Wong (a.k.a. Drop) from the XO team came to Roots with the initial design for the jacket. Leather Product Devel-oper Leo Ciccone took Drop’s mock-up of the jacket and then tweaked it from there.

“They wanted a true ‘Roots’ touch in terms of customization and that classic Award Jacket look,” says Leo about what the XO team requested. For Leo, who was also involved in the design of the OVO x Roots Tour Jacket last February, working with other artists inspires new ideas and perspectives on his own work.

For fans, wearing an item from their favourite musician’s clothing line is often more than a way for them to show their love for the artist. For Cisco, wear-ing XO clothing, like the XO x Roots jacket, is a way for him to become part of a larger com-munity.

“I love how The Weeknd fans recognize each other by wearing XO clothing,” says Cisco. “Every time I wear XO gear, I get someone saying, ‘I love The Weeknd.’ That’s an easy way to get to know people. Having an appreciation for The Weeknd makes it easy to break the ice with a total stranger.”

After receiving the jacket, Cisco went to 65 Spencer Avenue in Toronto, where Abel used to live and where his debut mixtape House of Balloons was recorded, to take a picture with his new XO jacket. In recogni-tion of the house’s significance in The Weeknd’s beginnings, the jacket highlights the number 65 on the sleeve patch in roman numerals.

The city of birth for both Roots and The Weeknd made a big impact on Cisco who looks forward to his next visit to Toronto.

“I was in a foreign country enjoying myself to the fullest,” says Cisco. “It really made me feel like I found a gem.”

Michael Budman and Diane Bald greeting Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) at the flagship store in Toronto

Cisco Rock, (right), meets The Weeknd after buying his XO x Roots Jacket


In Alberta, as part of a decades-old tradition, the

Calgary Stampede appoints a queen and two princesses every year to serve as ambassadors for the annual summer event. A princess is also selected to represent the Indian Village, a First Nations cultural attraction that has long been part of the Stampede.

The four crowned ladies, known officially as the Calgary Stampede Royalty, represent the city at local and international events. Through various duties, they also have the opportunity to develop their public speaking, historical understanding, horsemanship

and proper etiquette.Since the 10-day local ro-

deo’s 100th anniversary in 2012, Roots has designed the Calgary Stampede Royalty’s official uni-form jackets. In late November, at the Grey Cup in Vancouver, the women made their first high profile appearance wearing their leather Award Jackets.

“As the jackets proved a hot commodity during our centenni-al celebrations in 2012, Royalty officials decided that they should be a ‘must-have’ for the girls,” says Kathryn Konoff, Manager of Corporate Communications at the Stampede. “When the Royalty are glammed up, they spend a lot of time outdoors at

There aren’t many people who would spend two months travelling across the

country in an eco-friendly bus on a mission to protect the en-vironmental rights of Canadians – but that’s just what renowned scientist and environmental ac-tivist David Suzuki recently did.

Referring to it as his “last stand,” the 78-year-old went from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Vancouver on what he chris-tened the Blue Dot Tour, with the goal of enshrining the right to a healthy environment in the Constitution’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Supported by the David Suzuki Foundation, along with local and national sponsors, like Roots, Suzuki brought his message to 20 cities from coast-to-coast – including a talk at the Roots Bloor St. flagship store in Toronto.

“I have lived an entire life, and if there is one unwavering truth I have learned, it is that things change,” says Suzuki. “Rights change. Our concept of who we are and what we hold our highest values to be change.

But they don’t change on their own. It takes a million different people committed to a single, beautiful ideal, over a long pe-riod of time to make real change

happen.”At each stop of the tour,

the Blue Dot team stressed the importance of making fresh air, healthy food and clean

water legally recognized rights. Demonstrating their talent and support, celebrity guests joined in along the way. Musicians Neil Young and Barenaked Ladies, author Margaret Atwood, poet Shane Koyczan and many other Canadian luminaries added their voices to the movement.

“It’s not about the environ-ment, it’s about the way we’re living and the values that matter to us,” says Suzuki. “And people are excited about it. It’s caught their attention.”

This is especially true in The Pas in Manitoba, Richmond in Vancouver and the Montreal borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, where municipal officials recently signed declarations recognizing the right to a healthy environment.

As the official supplier of merchandise for the tour, Roots made and donated custom-designed Blue Dot hoodies, T-shirts and toques that were sold at the venues. The items are available online and in select stores, with proceeds going to the David Suzuki Foundation.

A TOUR FOR CHANGEDavid Suzuki completes major coast-to-coast endeavour in defense of the environment

STYLE FIT FOR ROYALTYRoots provides custom designed jackets for Calgary Stampede queen and princesses

(L-R): Stampede Princess Haley Peckham, Indian Princess Maya Many Grey Horses, Queen Mick Plemel and Princess Kimberly Stewart at the Grey Cup in Vancouver

(L-R): Michael Budman, David Suzuki and Don Green in Toronto

events and riding their horses, so they require something that not only looks great but is durable. When the girls are together in their jackets, it makes a statement and they are easily recognized at events.”

The annual tradi-tion of the Stampede Royalty attending the Canadian Football League’s annual cham-pionship game dates

back to 1948 when the Calgary Stampeders won their first Grey Cup. Their presence there cre-ated great excitement and inter-est. Since then, it’s considered an important occasion and as such, a Calgary-based commit-tee organizes appearances of the Royalty every year at the Grey Cup and related events.


This winter, Roots takes a trip down memory lane by bringing back an iconic,

much-loved fashion trend that dates back 60 years.The brand collaborated with renowned Ca-nadian knitting-pattern company Mary Maxim to create a line of hand-knit sweaters and acces-sories. What were popularly known in decades past as “curl-ing sweaters,” and famously worn at “Ugly Sweater” Christ-mas parties, are making a stylish comeback.

The idea to do such a collec-tion came last year, when Roots Senior Director of Merchandise Syd Beder read an article in the Toronto Star about the popular-ity of Mary Maxim’s knitted sweaters in vintage clothing stores. The appeal and cachet of these sweaters come from their

handmade nature.“This has been one of the

most rewarding projects I’ve worked on in my eight years at Roots,” says Stephanie Holden, Creative Director. “Mary Maxim is a great family-owned opera-tion with a Canadian spirit that makes their team an ideal part-ner for Roots for such a warm and cozy Holiday collection. Their hand-knit sweaters are a symbol of another era in Canada, associated with a nostalgic style that makes you feel at home.”

Founded in 1954 in Sifton, Manitoba, Mary Maxim started as a small yarn shop. It now sells around 12 million catalogues a year from its current offices in Paris, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. Aside from being Canadian, Mary Maxim shares the same outdoors influences as

Roots. Both brands also value the practice of handcrafted cloth-ing and accessories.

Roots and Mary Maxim have kits available for knitters to make their own items. The Roots kit comes with a canvas carrying bag, knitting needles, an instruc-tion booklet with a how-to knit section and yarn needed to make a cabin sock scarf. The Mary Maxim kits include the yarn and pattern required to make the sweaters and accessories.

Knitting has grown in popularity in recent years for younger generations, as many grandmothers are teaching their grandchildren how to knit.

“What goes around comes around,” says Carol Steed, Ex-ecutive Vice-President of Mary Maxim. “The Canadian econo-my hasn’t been extremely strong

VINTAGE COMFORTHoliday collaboration adds new dimension to classic handmade fashion

and when that happens, people tend to go back to their old familiar comfort level, such as this kind of vintage knit sweater. Also, I think fashion is what we make of it. Freedom to create your own image to show your personality is a great thing.”

Carol has noticed that people of all ages now knit. Many post-secondary schools have knitting groups. Grown men now knit as well, from dominant knitting designer Kaffe Fassett to Ca-nadian actor Ryan Gosling who knits for relaxation.

“If I had to design my perfect day, that would be it,” Ryan told GQ Australia last year about the day he learned how to knit when filming a scene for the comedy-drama Lars and the Real Girl. “You get something out of it at the end. You get a nice present.”

For non-knitters or those who want the homemade fin-ished product, there are ready-made knit sweaters, mittens and hats available at Roots stores. The design behind the line is a combined inspiration of Mary Maxim archives (reindeer, hockey, bear, tree, snowflake, beaver and maple leaf motifs) and Roots Cabin Sock details. The adult collection includes reindeer and hockey-themed sweaters, both with matching hats and mittens. There are also kids, toddler and baby-sized sweaters with matching hats that include different designs, such as the snowflake and polar bear. These hand-knit items are sourced with 50 per cent wool, 30 per cent acrylic and 20 per cent nylon yarn.

In celebration of Mary Maxim’s 60th anniversary, an additional adult item is included in the collection – a Limited Edition Mary Maxim Beaver Sweater, hand-knit in Canada with 100 per cent wool. It’s also fully lined, featuring Thinsulate, a brand of synthetic fiber used in clothing to provide extra heat. Only 60 are available for purchase and are individually numbered one to 60, with a retail price of $398.

All the sweaters are made to fit loose, making them ideal for layering. Their festive, knitted winter designs are made to take us to a familiar place Roots calls “Home for the Holidays.”

Mary Maxim collection, including mittens, hat, sweater and scarf


Ayear ago, when – in a test of the market – Roots first introduced Horween

leather to Canada as part of its leather bag collection, it was im-mediately well-received. Since then, the company has made the US-produced leather increasing-ly more prominent in its leather goods program.

In early December, respond-ing to the growing popularity of the Roots Horween exclusive collection, the company greatly expanded the number of stores (from five to 24) where the prod-ucts are sold, while also increas-ing bag, colour and accessory options. It’s the largest collabo-ration that the Horween Leather Company has done in Canada.

In their continuous quest to find exemplary suppliers for Roots products, Co-Founders Michael Budman and Don Green first teamed up with the Chicago-based Horween to develop a proprietary line of leather goods at their state-of-the-art factory in Toronto.

The quality and craftsman-ship of Horween exemplifies what Roots strives for in its merchandise. Horween leather sets itself apart through its high-grade material, old-world tanning process and modern finishes. It’s an expensive but tough-wearing material that lasts for years.

In early November, Roots celebrated the expanded partner-ship with Horween by hosting two events in Toronto at its flagship store on Bloor Street. The first, a public showing, introduced Horween CEO Skip Horween, who was visiting from Chicago. The second was a trunk show for fashion media featuring a sneak peek of the upcoming leather collection at which Skip also participated.

“In the 41 years of Roots, we’ve purchased a lot of leather and I’ve never seen anything quite like what Horween pro-duces,” says Michael. “It has the most beautiful colour, texture and feel I’ve ever seen when it comes to leather. We’ve elevated our product by using Horween.”

The shows at Bloor Street featured Roots bags, travel lug-

gage and accessories in Horween leather in the latest colours – spice, black, cognac, ink and burgundy. Large samples of leather hides in different colours were also on display.

Michael, along with Karl Kowalewski, Vice-President of Roots Leather Operations, joined Skip as they introduced custom-ers to the expanded collection.

“Everybody that I’ve ever dealt with at Roots is really pas-sionate about putting this beauti-ful product together,” says Skip. “It’s a well-made product and it’s great that the company wants to build quality into each piece. We hope that’s what people think about when they see what

we do.”The Horween material that

Roots uses is a vegetable-tanned leather made with old-fashioned tanning liquors. Its durability, softness and rich feel are the result of an enriched mix of oils blended into the leather during tanning. Aging gracefully like wine, the longer it’s used, the more it softens and darkens.

“With Roots, we’re both trying to make something a little bit special,” says Skip. “There are certain places that you go to where you feel a palpable energy and certainly Roots is one of those places.”

Founded in 1905, the privately-owned Horween

Leather Company is a family-operated heritage brand and one of the oldest, most environmen-tally friendly tanneries in North America. It uses a variety of animal skins, antique machinery and handcrafting techniques to attain different looks and textures. It’s famous for produc-ing high-end leather for luxury goods such as footwear, jackets, apparel, bags and accessories, and provides the leather for the National Football League’s of-ficial footballs.

Skip is the fourth of five gen-erations of Horweens to run the venerable business that his great-grandfather founded. Skip’s son, Nick Horween, is also part of operations as Director and Qual-ity Manager.

Horween’s signature leathers include Shell Cordovan, a horse-hide, and Chromexcel, a rich and versatile cowhide. The company is one of the world’s last re-maining suppliers of cordovan leather. The durable leather de-rived from horse rumps is used for shoemaking and has helped make the tannery renowned both nationally and internationally.

Just like family members before him, Skip learned the tan-ning business from the ground up. He’s maintaining the strong tradition of running the busi-ness with its time-honoured core values and techniques, such as a commitment to quality, no matter how long and detailed the process may require.

“We’ve stuck to what we’re good at and that’s to provide something that’s a little differ-ent, interesting and special,” says Skip. “Not that we don’t evaluate new or modern or effi-cient production techniques, but it needs to be better somehow. For us, better isn’t necessarily defined by faster and cheaper.”

He also shares something else with Roots, a passion for hockey. While in town, Skip was invited by Michael to a game be-tween the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks, Skip’s favourite NHL team. He attends most of their games in Chicago.· To view the Roots Horween collec-tion, visit www.roots.com

FROM CHICAGO WITH LOVERoots expands its collaboration with venerable, high-quality Horween Leather Company

(Left to right): Michael Budman, Skip Horween and Karl Kowalewski examining Horween’s Cobalt (blue) leather hide at the Roots factory

Horween bags on display in spice colour


Popular among athletes and celebrities for decades, varsity leather jackets

never seem to go out of style. Last summer, when planning to commemorate a historic win, the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers knew where to turn to for special jackets. Roots has long been the ideal place for sports teams interested in order-ing custom designed leather jackets.

In mid-October, the Oilers marked the 30th anniversary of their 1984 Stanley Cup vic-tory by hosting a reunion of the fabled team at a sold-out, fan-packed event at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

Members of the vintage Oilers team – players, coaches, trainers and others – scored cus-tom Roots Award Jackets as part of the celebration.

Thousands of die-hard fans filled the arena as the team took centre stage for an evening of telling stories, exchanging jokes and sharing memories.

In 1984, in what would be the first of five Stanley Cup championships in a seven-year

span, the Oilers won the Cup final over the then four-time defending champion, the New York Islanders.

The reunion event also raised funds for the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation in sup-

port of the Stollery Children’s Hospital, for the creation of a new pediatric ambulatory clinic.

“The jackets were well received and got a lot of wear,” says Nick Wilson, the team’s Director of New Business De-velopment who coordinated the event.

“The Oilers have a history with Roots, so it was a natural place to start,” says Wilson. He added that some of the players, such as NHL legend and former Oilers member Wayne Gretzky, have a personal relationship with

the owners of Roots, Michael Budman and Don Green. Gretzky had a role in the look and design of the anniversary jackets as well.

Notable players from that era in attendance included Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson

and Glen Sather.In September, Wilson

worked with Patricia MacInnis, Manager of Licensing and B2B at Roots, for the special order of about 100 custom anniversary Award Jackets.

The jackets feature a black melton wool body and black leather sleeves, with the reunion anniversary logo on the back and a picture of an Oilers Stanley Cup. They were designed and made in the Roots factory in Toronto with the names of ev-eryone on the 1983-1984 Oilers roster embroidered on the inside of the jacket.

Roots also provided various gifts for the team and special guests such as leather bags embossed with the event logo, shaving kits and purses for the players’ wives.

The Oilers Entertainment Group has worked with Roots before, purchasing custom merchandise for members of its junior hockey team, the Edmon-ton Oil Kings. In 2003, Roots supplied products for the NHL Heritage Classic outdoor game in Edmonton.

PACK YOUR BAGSNHL’s Dallas Stars broadcast crew scores custom leather bags for their travels

For millions of avid hockey fans, the sport is every-thing. They are united by a

boundless passion for the game. The same can be said for Roots Co-Founders Michael Bud-man and Don Green, both of whom have been playing hockey for decades and are longtime devotees of the NHL (National Hockey League). Little surprise then that Roots has long had an extensive relationship with the world of hockey, from support-ing local teams and community initiatives to custom making quality leather jackets and bags for wholesale clients.

The broadcast group for the NHL’s Dallas Stars is now sporting custom leather bags for their lengthy travels with the team, thanks to Roots.

“Roots and the NHL have had a great partnership for decades,” says Jason Walsh,

Vice-President for Broadcast and Production for the Texas-based Dallas Stars. “I wanted to make sure that our business went to someone who is as passionate about hockey as we are.”

In the late summer, Walsh along with Shae Bryan, Produc-tion Coordinator for the Dallas

Stars, worked with Mary Jane Carlesso, Account Manager in Wholesale and B2B at Roots, for the special order of 10 bags.

Walsh wanted to honour the team’s announcers and produc-ers with custom leather bags, embellished with the Dallas Stars logo.

He says that since they travel a lot with the Stars throughout the season – about 80,500 km (50,000 miles) each year – Walsh wanted a durable, attractive and versatile bag for their travels. With Roots bags being a popular item due to their longetivity, he felt they were the perfect choice.

Delivered in September, the large Colorado Bags feature an adjustable shoulder strap, carry-ing handles and an identification tag holder, and are embossed with the official Stars logo.

Walsh said he recalls earlier days in his career when it was considered a tradition for all NHL players to carry a Roots bag with them.

“All the players carried Roots luggage,” he says. “It was like a membership badge at the time. If you had a piece of Roots luggage, you were in the NHL.”

TRIUMPHANT STYLEEdmonton Oilers order custom jackets for 30th anniversary reunion event

Logo of the NHL’s Dallas Stars

Wayne Gretzky addresses media at Oilers event


In a time not so long ago, people’s days didn’t revolve around a string of tweets, status updates, video clips

and filtered photographs. There was no Facebook or Twitter to check in the morning, no Insta-gram or Tumblr to peruse in the afternoon, and no Pinterest or YouTube to wind down with in the evening. That was less than 10 years ago.

During the last decade, the field of social media has changed from a passing fad for the tech savvy and chatty to a popular com-munication tool for people and businesses alike. Its introduction fundamentally altered how the world communicates, giving in-dividuals opportunities to share content and voice opinions like never before. At the same time, the business world has come to embrace the era of online expression and engagement.

It’s a brave new reality. Within seconds, social media can connect you with hundreds of thousands of people, reach-ing a huge audience at no cost. Mega brands like Apple had 1.4 million Twitter interactions in a three-month period this year, and when Roots recently unveiled images from its Jasper

photo shoot of the current winter collection, each photo posted received between 1,200 to 2,000 likes on Instagram.

While the introduction of so-cial media is relatively recent on the business scene, it has quickly become an integral component of market-ing and consumer interaction. In order to secure a place in the traditional and digital market-place, busi-nesses must have an accessible and well-managed presence on social media. The era of single, traditional websites is over and the days of multi-pronged, re-sponsive social media platforms are among us.

“The most important reason to have a presence on social media is to allow brands to manage their reputation by addressing customer concerns and comments,” says James Connell, Roots Vice-President of E-Commerce and Marketing.

“By participating, a brand can shape and better man-age how the audi-ence perceives it.

By turning a blind eye to these platforms, you could be ignoring a significant conversation about your company and not have any input in the resulting outcome.”

For most companies, the past few years have been about building social communities and

strength-ening brand loyalty through social media channels. With the revolution-ized world

of the Internet, websites have morphed from controlled places for branding to essential revenue drivers, while social media

transforms fans of brands into advocates for brands.

The Roots foray into social

media began in 2005, by way of a MySpace page. Since then, its presence has expanded and strengthened on Twitter, Insta-gram, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest, with a secondary focus on Google+, YouTube and Yelp.

“Although the platforms have changed and the tactics that we use on each platform have

changed,” says James, “we’ve always had the overarching goal of creating an authentic com-munity where we can engage with and address each individual user to make them feel valued by Roots.”

Having many such platforms means brands now have op-portunities to at-tract and engage

customers like never before. It also means that there are many areas where fresh, varied content is necessary on a regular basis.

As Jessica Fantauzzo, Roots Social Media Coordinator, ex-plains, “content is very depen-dent on what platform it’s being developed for, not only because of demographic differences, but consumer behaviour.”

A prime example of this is the ongoing Jasper contest that Roots is doing with Travel Alberta that wraps up in January. While the contest is being wide-ly promoted, there is a focus on Twitter as participants vying to win a Rocky Mountain vacation to Jasper earn one bonus entry by tweeting about the contest to their followers.

In the dynamic, often fickle environment of social media, where trends quickly arrive and disappear, fostering dialogue and

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUTFrom Facebook to Tumblr, from Twitter to Instagram, Roots is now, more than ever,

making its mark in the world of social media. By ERIN MACDONALD


creating a sense of community is vital for success. This means fashioning creative posts that have some sort of call-to-action for the consumer, often encour-aging dialogue or delivering important messages the online community wants to hear about first.

“It’s incredibly important for us to stay current with the types of media that millenials are consuming,” says Amanda Rotstein, Roots Digital Fash-ion Editor. “There are over 300 million monthly active users on Instagram with 25 per cent

of all users hailing from North America. Two-thirds of consumers say images carry

more weight than product con-sumer ratings and 58 per cent of millenial Instagram users report being more likely to remember a great brand on Instagram over a brand’s TV commercials.”

For businesses, one of social media’s most interesting aspects is the voice that it allows brands. To be effective, this voice needs to be authentic, building on the company’s culture and reflecting its character and what it stands for.

In the case of Roots, explains Jessica – who engages with customers on a daily basis on the Roots Facebook page and Twit-ter feed – “the majority of the conversations we lead, how we respond to things and the differ-ent kind of content we post – it’s all grounded in a serious love for Canada and the outdoors. I

would describe it as playful but not cheeky, confident, helpful and always friendly.”

Adapting to the increasingly social media driven market, re-

cent campaigns have boasted a noticeable integration of social initia-tives, creating

a conversation with customers where there used to be a one-way outpouring of content. This allows for greater insight into what’s important to customers and helps with the planning of future marketing initiatives, like the Sweat Style campaign last summer featuring stylemakers sporting their favourite Roots sweats.

“It’s probably the most inte-grated campaign we’ve done to date where the primary message was our hashtag #sweatstyle that appeared throughout all of our marketing (traditional and non-traditional),” says James. “We’re working with bloggers, promi-nent Instagrammers and others that have a large following for these campaigns where these

types of roles either barely or didn’t exist 10 years ago.”

Other recent social media-

geared initiatives include the InstaMeets hosted at the Roots leather factory in Toronto this past November, where popular Instagrammers were invited to tour the facility. The photos they snapped along the way were posted on the Roots Instagram

and Tumblr, and also appeared on the Instagrammers’ personal feeds.

“Recognizing the power of the platform helps us engage with a younger demographic that have enormous purchasing power,” says Amanda. “There’s also a ‘cool’ factor we have to consider, and continue to align our brand with influencers that have a highly engaged audi-ence.”

Social media continues to evolve, transforming the ways people communicate and, as a result, increasing levels of engagement between businesses and consumers. Presently, it’s a tool most effective for spread-

ing awareness and assisting with customer service, but experts in the field believe

that over time social media will have more influence on in-store and online sales.

“Currently, while social me-dia presence and select platforms have increased search engine optimization [the visibility of a website in online search re-sults] for a number of Canadian brands, most social media in Canada functions as a vehicle for awareness and customer service rather than online sales,” says Lee Kaufman, Vice-President of Digital Strategy for Hooplah Inc., a Toronto-based social media, digital and Internet mar-keting agency. “While contests are great tools for acquiring a larger audience and promotions certainly help build awareness

and even increase the size of a customer’s purchasing basket, customer service fuels loyalty. For a brand like Roots, loyalty is increasing in importance.”

Understandably, with its many platforms and constant accessibility, the world of social

media isn’t with-out challenges. While it gives brands the ability to interact with the public like

never before, it also demands diligent maintenance. The 24/7 nature of the many channels requires focus, resources and engaging content.

“Luckily, Roots has a pretty die-hard community of fans, so it’s not out of the ordinary for them to start a dialogue with us,” says Jessica. “Again, it comes back to our overall point-of-view, which is thankfully one that I think a lot of people across the world have an affinity for, which is the Canadian lifestyle.”

CROWD SCENE

As a social media-savvy brand, Roots has an ac-

tive presence on the most popular platforms. The already formidable numbers, which are growing daily, are a sure sign that the company is doing something right. As of mid-December (2014), here’s the size of audience that some platforms have attracted:

Facebook likes: 174,286 Twitter followers: 59,982 Instagram followers: 31,538

The reach of social media

Behind the scenes at the Sweat Style photo shoot which appeared across various social media platforms Recent Roots Instagram page at instagram.com/rootscanada

CAPTURED UP ON HIGHRoots takes to the Rockies for holiday campaign

As they debated the concept for the winter marketing campaign, the Roots

visual team came up with a plan. And the snow-capped Rocky Mountains of Alberta’s Jasper National Park fit the bill perfectly. In early November, arriving after a four-hour drive from Edmonton and a four-hour flight from Toronto, Patrick Davis, Manager of Visual Presentation, and Ilich Mejia, Senior Art Director, began scouting locations to showcase the Roots holiday collection. Over the next several days, the team moved site-to-site, hauling equipment and apparel, creating various styles for the two models and shooting thousands of photos in harsh winter conditions.

While the origins of Roots are linked to the picturesque landscape of Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park, few locations typify Canada more than the iconic Jasper National Park. To capture the essence

CAPTURED UP ON HIGHRoots takes to the Rockies for holiday campaign

of an athletic and outdoor lifestyle and highlight apparel for the 2014 Holiday Gift Guide, Patrick, Ilich and stylist Marcia Facey explored the region’s varied landscapes and attractions. Looking to demonstrate the practicality of the collection, the team sought to show the styles in some of the most natural settings possible. The crew took to the mountains and the Athabasca Glacier for a week-long shoot, spotlighting the diversity of the collection and the brand’s Canadian heritage.

Shot on location, in temperatures as low as –15º C and at various altitudes up to 9,000 feet, the photos artfully display the new holiday items. From the cozy and timeless Cabin Cardigans to the durable Business Bag in tribe leather, the products proved their presence and versatility against the beauty and rigours of the Canadian outdoors.


A decade ago, people wouldn’t have imagined that sitting for

long periods of time is undermin-ing their health. Today, such are the recent findings of doctors and other medical researchers, who now often refer to sitting as “the new smoking.”

According to research at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, sitting – as many of us do for both work and pleasure – is bad for your health. Spending more than six hours a day sitting raises blood pres-sure and heightens the risk for diabetes, obesity, depression and some types of cancer. People who already have chronic illnesses may see an increase in their symptoms.

Here are ways to reduce sit-ting’s long-term, harmful effects:

· Walk and talk: Whenever possible, find ways to turn busi-ness and social gatherings into walking meetings, especially one-on-one: Take a stroll in the park or around the block. You’ll move more and probably even think better.

· Take a microbreak: Main-taining good posture at a desk is tough because your ligaments and other soft tissues start to deform after about 20 minutes in the same position, gradually giving your body a permanently chair-shaped appearance. Prevent this through one to five-minute breaks every 20 minutes you’re sitting. Stretch, breathe deeply and focus your eyes on a distant object.

· Miss your stop…on pur-pose: When using transit, get off a stop before or a stop after the one near your destination. This helps squeeze in 10 to 15 minutes of walking to counteract the long periods you spent sitting on the bus, on the couch or at work.

· Steal a workout: Sneak in mini-workouts whenever you can. Park your car further away from a store or mall so you can walk to your destination. Take the stairs, not the elevator. Stay off the conveyer belt when you’re at the airport before you’re due for a flight and even after the flight.

· Leverage your TV/com-puter time: While watching TV or surfing the Internet, do some stretching, Pilates and yoga postures. Restorative postures are great, especially if you’re winding down before bed. You’ll sleep bet-ter and burn a few calories.·Sources: www.mindbodygreen.com; The Exercise Cure by Jor-dan D. Metzl

HEALTH TIP

DON’T SIT ON IT

A voyage back in time to a vintage moment from the pages of The SourceDÉJÀ VU

ADDING TO A GOOD THINGNew and favourite pieces from past collections hit store shelves this holiday

Much more than just creating desirable merchandise, Roots packs a lot into a year. From community-related projects to

partnerships with musicians and athletes, hosting special events, and supporting health, wellness and environmental initiatives, the company is nothing if not engaged with the world at large. In 2006, Roots was especially prolific, as reflected in the special year-end edition of The Source.

Issue 63 showcased many of the highlights from the previous 12 months. Among these were outfitting Team USA at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, and the special FIFA World Cup collection of soccer jackets, jerseys and T-shirts representing the best teams competing in the tournament in Germany.

The year also saw Roots participating in endeavors involving major charities and other organizations. The Source spotlighted the Roots-organized Motown musical event in Detroit, sponsorship of the Green Toronto Environmental Awards and the company’s role as official outfitter for an international AIDS conference in Toronto.

It was also a banner year for Roots in the world of entertainment. The brand designed merchandise for NBC Television’s hit show The Office, and customized goods for the high-profile tours of Madonna, U2, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

Success is a great motivator and often a catalyst for in-novation. In the late spring

and summer, in celebration of its 41st anniversary, Roots created the Tom Thomson, NFB (Na-tional Film Board) and XL lines, true to its values, heri-tage and sources of in-spiration. They proved highly successful and are now returning for the holiday season with new pieces.

The Tom Thom-son holiday collec-tion includes five men’s styles: a short sleeve and long sleeve T-shirt, Henley shirt, hoody and sweatpant. Roots collaborated with Stanfield’s, a well-established Ca-nadian brand in Nova Scotia known as “The Underwear Company,” to produce the Island Tuxedo Henley, made with 65 per cent cotton and 35 per cent polyester in the Roots signature salt and pepper colour scheme.

The vision for the collec-tion came from Tom Thomson’s outdoors lifestyle in Algonquin Park and his legacy as a graphic designer and artist.

“One photo in particular of him fly fishing at Tea Lake Dam was referenced for the overall

fit and styling of the holiday collection,” says Men’s Designer Dylan Anderson who went through century-old photos of Thomson in Algonquin Park.

For the NFB holiday line, there’s a new men’s T-shirt with

an image from the animated short, The Sweater. The three men’s T-shirts from the fall collection with the bestselling designs from Log Driver’s Waltz and The Sweater are back on sale as well. The T-shirts are made from 100 per cent cotton jersey.

The NFB fall line, which only included menswear, now includes pieces for women, kids and toddlers. The women’s line

has two T-shirts made from 100 per cent cotton soft hand jersey. One is the medium grey mix featuring the bestselling Log Driver’s Waltz graphic and the other, a new image exclusive to the women’s collection in the

vintage white colour-way.

Roots has part-nered with polar fleece company Polartec for the XL holiday collection to enhance its sweat styles with newly improved fabrics.

“Our second gen-eration of the Roots XL Premium Col-lection is a peek into the future of fleece,” says Special Collec-tions Designer Adrian Aitcheson. “By com-bining the rich heritage

of Roots in sweats with advanced technical fabric and an ergonomic fit, we’ve created the most functional and versatile sweats that we’ve ever offered.”

The XL collection includes a men’s and women’s hoody and pants.

As these special collections – Tom Thomson, NFB and XL – celebrate aspects of Canadian culture through their designs, it’s all the more fitting that they are made in Canada.

Screenshot from animated NFB short, The Sweater


BEAVER TALESAnimal dear to Roots receives newfound recognition as an eco-hero

These are interesting times for one of Canada’s most beloved animals. Best

known for its buck teeth and large tail, the beaver is enjoying an upsurge in public apprecia-tion, with no less than the es-teemed New York Times paying tribute to the mammal’s impor-tant and underrated ecological role.

Of course, if there’s a crea-ture near and dear to the heart of Roots, it’s the beaver. As the company’s logo for 41 years and one of Canada’s official national symbols, it’s an integral part of Roots culture. Interestingly, it was also the emblem of Camp Tamakwa in Ontario’s Algon-quin Park, where Co-Founders and Detroit natives Michael Budman and Don Green fell in love with Canada in their youth. As such, The Source is glad to report on meaningful new developments involving the noble animal with the ungainly waddle.

Praising the iconic beaver as an environmental white knight, saving trees and wildlife while conserving water, the recent

Times article is titled “New Love for Varmint of the Past.” The piece refers to the beaver as an “ecosystem engineer,” and states: “Once routinely trapped and shot as varmints, their dams obliterated by dynamite and bulldozers, beavers are get-ting new respect.”

Across North America, the animal once considered a pesky nuisance is now being celebrated as an environmental saviour for the many benefits it brings to its habi-tats. Recent studies show that in our increas-ingly warm climate, beavers are a defense against withering weather effects.

“As a species that has survived global climate changes over millions of years, the beaver is perhaps just the ally we need,” says Dr. Glynnis Hood, professor at the Univer-sity of Alberta and author of The Beaver Manifesto: In Defence of

Tenacity. Through her research, Hood has found that beavers increase the presence of open water, improve biodiversity and recharge groundwater reserves.

Thanks to their dams, the in-troduction of beavers to an area

can raise the water table alongside a stream,

helping with the growth of trees

and plants and aiding with the stabiliza-tion of banks and erosion prevention.

Through this, they improve

fish and wildlife habitats and promote

new, rich soil.While most people know the

animal for its prominence on the Canadian nickel, the beaver was a lucrative asset long before the coin was created in 1922. The beaver hat was at the peak of fashion in the early 1700s, with 100,000 pelts shipped from Can-ada to Europe each year to fuel the fur hat frenzy. Thankfully, when the beaver was in danger

of extinction, the silk hat trend began and the demand for pelts disappeared. Since then, their population in North America has rebounded to an estimated six million.

In 2011, the mammal faced a new foe in the form of Sena-tor Karen Eaton, who tried to dethrone it as one of Canada’s national symbols in favour of the polar bear. Roots jumped to the beleaguered beaver’s defense with an online petition, calling on Canadians to protect its hal-lowed place. Eventually, Eaton relented and the beaver’s posi-tion in Canada was reaffirmed.

Even famed environmen-tal activist David Suzuki has highlighted the beaver’s ecologi-cal role. On his CBC television show, The Nature of Things, Suzuki featured a documentary titled The Beaver Whisperers, spotlighting the everyday lives of the often misunderstood animal. As Suzuki explains, “A growing number of scientists, conservationists and grass-roots environmentalists see the beaver as a much overlooked tool when it comes to reversing the disastrous effects of global warming and world-wide water shortages.”

From gracing the country’s first postage stamp in 1851, to officially becoming a na-tional emblem in 1975, to being celebrated as an environmental hero today, the resilient beaver has earned its cherished place in Canada. As longtime fans of the creature, we’re delighted the hard-working mammal is now getting the respect it deserves. And, as a proudly Canadian company, there could be no bet-ter symbol for Roots.

RENDEZVOUS IN MONTREALIn October, managers of Roots stores in Quebec met in Montreal at the com-pany’s Westmount loca-tion for a regional meeting coordinated by Quebec District Manager Ginette Fillion. The main focus was on plans and preparations for the holiday season in the province’s eight stores.

Store Managers (left to right): Jeff Beaulieu (Centreville), Carolyne Dupras (Mont Tremblant), Josée Taillon (Bois-brand), Doris Lamoureux (Québec), Cindy Lafortune (Rockland), Tamar Abaiov (Vaudreuil), Kathya Videla (Bros-sard), Linda Dehbi (Westmount), Ginette Fillion (District Manager)


Here are some recent sightings of Roots in newspapers, magazines and on TV and websites:

GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAILSpotlighting the top performing Roots stores based on their sales results

· New York Post: Nov. 27. Leighton Sweater included in Black Friday Steals and Deals section.· La Presse: Nov. 25. Roxi Bag in Black Kalahari leather highlighted in holiday gift guide.· Vancouver Sun: Nov. 21. Women’s Cabin Onesie included in round-up of holiday pajamas.· Huffington Post: Nov. 13. Featur-ing a variety of items in its holiday gift guide such as the Banff Bag in Cognac.· Toronto Star: Nov. 12. Profiled Roots Mary Maxim collection.· Marilyn Denis Show: Nov. 10. Holiday Cabin Collection show-cased and given as gifts to music group Lady Antebellum.· Canadian Living: Nov. 4. Cabin Cardigan appeared in holiday gift guide.· Glow: Nov. Parisian Saddle in Horween featured in style section.· Family Circle: Nov. Chunky Cabin Infinity Scarf in Potent Purple in holiday gift guide.· Best Health: Nov. Featuring many items as holiday gift suggestions, highlighting the Matty Moto Leather Jacket.· Self: Nov. Paddle Ball Set cited in holiday gift guide.· Canadian Living: Nov. Winter Equestrian Boots for women in-cluded in style spread.· Calgary Herald: Oct. 21. Spotlight on Roots Mary Maxim collection.· DobernationLoves: Oct. 5. Hi Moc Tribe shoes featured in foot-wear article on blog.· Globe and Mail: Oct. 3. Roots Sweater T-shirt from NFB collection featured in style section.· Best Health: Oct. Suede Eques-trian boots featured in fall style section.· Post City Papers: Oct. Roots Moto 2.0 Vest in deerskin leather cited online.· Among Men: Oct. Blue Dot Tour Collection featured online in Men’s Fashion section.· Mountain Life: Fall. Canoe Lake Hoody from Tom Thomson collec-tion featured.· Flare: Oct. Nordic Boot included in winter style section.· Glow: Oct. Hippy Bag in the Africa colour included in list of style trends.· Post City Magazine: Oct. Roxi Bag included in fall’s top trends section.· The Kit: Sept. 18. Bags featured in story on Roots leather, such as the Isabel Bag in Africa, Chelsea Bag in Dark Navy, Madison Bag in the Grey Rock colour and Dee Dee Case in Black.

THROUGH FRESH EYESYoung student looks to rebrand the Roots logo, at a price

COVERAGE OF ROOTS IN THE MEDIA

FINE PRINT

For some people, the old adage ‘when something works, stick with it,’

doesn’t always ring true. That certainly holds for 10-year-old Averie Bentley, who despite her young age is not shy about telling a well-established, suc-cessful company how it should freshen its image.

Averie is a Grade Five student at Amherstview Public School in Ernestown, Ontario, a small town near Kingston. Recently, in her French Immersion class, teacher Nico-laos Manolakas gave his students a cross-curricular Visual Arts and Language Arts assignment to redesign a company’s existing logo and then submit it to the business along with a letter explaining the rebranding.

“Me and my friend Delaney thought of different companies for our project,” says Averie. “In the end, I chose Roots because I love their clothes.”

Averie contends that al-though the iconic beaver symbol has served Roots well since its inception in 1973, it’s time to change. In her handwritten letter, in French, sent to the company’s Head Office in early November,

Averie included artwork for her proposed new logo, which features a tree and an added apostrophe (see above).

Averie is nothing if not direct in making her case.

“There are three reasons you should do what I recommend,” she writes. “Number one, my logo makes the most sense. Number two, everyone likes mine best. Number three, on a scale of one to 10, my logo is a 10…and your logo is a six.”

If Roots were to translate Averie’s idea into reality, it wouldn’t come cheap. She has

Logo consultant Averie Bentley

Shortly before this issue of The Source went to press, we received

the final sales figures for Roots stores in recent months. Topping the pack (for percentage over sales target) in terms of company stores in November and October, the Roots Home Store in Toronto claimed the top spot. As for the Roots 73/Outlet category, the Milton, Ontario store won the November spot and the Trinity Common store in Bramp-ton, Ontario took first place in October.

Congratulations to Donna Sved, Manager of the Roots Home Store; Angye Meza, Manager of the Milton store; Jaime Oliveira, Manager of the Trinity Common store and to their respective teams for their winning performances.

Hats off to all of the other stores that surpassed their sales goals in November and October.

Employees at the Trinity Common store in Brampton, (L-R): Ashley Arruda, Leila Khali, Inmolak Gill, Jaime Oliveira (Store Manager)

offered her logo for a cool one million dollars. Later, The Source asked her how she ar-rived at the price and what she would do with such a windfall.

“I wasn’t really expecting a million dollars as I wasn’t sure I’d even get a response from Roots,” says Averie. “But if I were to get that amount, I’d buy things from Roots for me and my mom, dad, sister and proba-bly my friends, too. I’d use some

of the money to buy a dog, pay my parents’ house off and put some money away for school.”

Although Averie would have loved to cre-ate a logo for a company like Roots, she remains

quite philosophical about her first attempt at corporate re-branding.

“I won’t be upset if Roots doesn’t buy my logo,” says Averie. “It would just be a bit of a bummer. I appreciate that Roots at least showed interest in my idea. Even if they don’t take it, it’s still pretty cool that they responded to what I sent them.”· Postscript: In the aftermath of her school project and with the publica-tion of this article, Roots is send-ing Averie a gift in appreciation of her submission and interest in the company.


Video series goes behind the scenes with the IT DepartmentROOTS TV: THE LATEST EDITION

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(Narration): In today’s technology-driven, inter-connected world, it’s little surprise the IT Department at Roots has be-come such an important part of the company. IT of course stands for Information Technology, two words that sum up two essential components of modern business.

Based at the Head Office in Toronto, the IT team keeps Roots connected, literally. From computers, monitors and printers to cell phones and the Head Office phone system and

audio-visual equipment, from store registers to security cam-eras, the IT team has its hands full.

Today, it’s paramount that the company’s growing electron-ic and digital infrastructure is operating smoothly and securely.

Sergio Gomez, Director of IT Dept.: “We support a lot of devices and processes that touch every part of the company, of course the retail stores, the Head Office to distribution to the Finance Dept.”

In total, the IT Dept. is responsible for some 2,500 devices, all of them tools critical to the company’s internal and external communication and the continuous flow of data, images and other material.

Aaron Drever, Manager of Technical Services: “IT is very important because it’s kind of the backbone of how informa-tion is delivered to each one of us, to vendors, to store staff, everybody.”

The 13-member team is nothing if not resourceful. Michael Zaakir, Technical Support Analyst: “This room here is for building computers for new users, people who get hired, if there’s anything wrong with the PCs, we bring them here, open them up, test them out, put new components in.”

The team faces the dual challenge of staying on top of con-stantly evolving technology and then introducing new innova-tions and processes to employees.

Jeannot Turcotte, Manager, Application Services: “The biggest challenge we face is often the resistance to change when we introduce new business processes or new technol-ogy. It’s always a challenge even though we see the end benefit.”

Ultimately, the IT team sees its mandate as providing employees with technology that will help enable each person to do his or her job as efficiently as possible. As part of that process, IT consults with all the departments in the company to find out their respective requirements and then seek the

best solutions to meet the needs of each area of the business.Robert Sarner, Roots TV: “When Roots began in 1973,

the very notion of an IT Dept would have seemed almost like science fiction. But today, technology that was unthinkable 41 years ago, plays a critical role in virtually all aspects of the company. So critical in fact that the business could not func-tion without it. This is Robert Sarner for Roots Television in Toronto.”· To watch this segment online, visit http://youtu.be/EX_sVSy-HQGc.


A guide to just-launched Roots productsNEW & NOTEWORTHY

Photography, layout: Stephanie Holden and Natalie Fagen

(Clockwise, starting top left): Roots Cabin Cardigan $98 / Fontaine Shirt $78 / Alexa Pom Pom Toque $30 / Get Cozy Gift Kit for Her $25 / Tala Woven Infinity Scarf $40 / Chunky Cabin Snood $38 / 5-Pocket Ponte Pant $78 / Maple Syrup Travel Candle $9.95 / Homespun Sock $20 / High Tops $228 / Raiders Pack Horween $538 / Zip Tassel Pouch Coventry $68 / Tom Thomson Pencil Roll $65 / Fair Isle Bateau Top $74


A guide to just-launched Roots productsNEW & NOTEWORTHY

(Clockwise, starting top left): New Algonquin Flannel Shirt $78 / Caramels $14.95 /Soft Cuff Toque $20 / Roots Cabin Shawl Sweater $92 / Stuart Stripe Scarf $36 / Pocket Original Sweatpant $68 / Tuffer Boot $218 / Log Cabin Sock $28/3-pack / Rink Sock $18.50 / Heritage Sweatshirt $78 / Get Cozy Gift Kit for Him $25 / City Country Glove $78


Celebrities have long made a point of shopping at Roots and developing friendly ties

with the brand. Here are the latest sightings of prominent figures from the entertainment industry and sports world who recently visited the company’s stores, Head Office, factory or were seen wearing Roots. (Stores listed alphabetically) · Beverly Hills, CA – Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie dropped by and took a photo with Store Manager Charlene McAnoy; Film actress Jodie Foster visited the store to pick up a wallet; Actress Shay Mitchell from the hit TV show Pretty Little Liars stopped by to buy a onesie and placed a special order for an Awards Jacket. · Burlington, ON – Two mem-bers of Canadian indie-rock band Walk off the Earth visited the Mapleview Centre location.· Calgary, AB – Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi did some shop-ping and took photos with staff at the 17th Avenue store.· Niagara Falls, ON – Enter-tainment Tonight Canada host Cheryl Hickey shopped at the Fallsview store for Cabin apparel and took photos with staff; For-mer NHL player Steve Ludzik – now a broadcaster at The Score – dropped by the Fallsview store and took photos with employees.· Oakville, ON – Former Hockey Night in Canada presenter Ron MacLean, now a host for the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour, stopped by the Oakville Place store, picking up the Stuart Stripe Scarf to go with his Roots Awards Jacket.

· Toronto – Canadian actress Kelly Rowan, best known for her role on the popular TV series The O.C., shopped at the Rose-dale store, purchasing pillows and a blanket, a dog bed and a Horween leather bag; Hockey Night in Canada host George Stroumboulopoulos and NBA Toronto Raptors player Kyle Lowry – wearing Black Pocket Original Sweatpants – toured the Roots leather factory with Co-Founders Michael Bud-man and Don Green; Co-host of CTV’S The Social and news anchor Melissa Grelo shopped at the Sherway Gardens store, buying the Five Pocket Ponte Pants in all three colours; Ca-nadian environmentalist David Suzuki was at the Bloor St. flagship store, showing a T-shirt from his Blue Dot Tour collec-tion; Toronto Raptors player Amir Johnson stopped by the Roots Central store in the Eaton Centre to do some shopping and took a photo with store associate Juvelyn Marquez; Canadian art-ist Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, visited the Bloor St. flagship store to promote his XO Award Jacket collaborative collection with Roots and took photos with staff and fans.· Whistler, BC – Film actor Leonardo DiCaprio visited the store, and purchased various items and walked out wearing the Men’s Cabin Long Johns.· Winnipeg, MB – Mark Stuart of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets shopped at the Polo Park Shop-ping Centre store and posed for a photo with Store Manager Courtney Boles.

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED INTaking attendance of special guests visiting Roots

Most people are familiar with the environmental mantra of

reduce, reuse, recycle, but there’s a new trend catching on called upcycling. The idea is simple: give old products new value by taking something destined for the trash and making good use out of it. This process converts aged or neglected materials into items with renewed purpose and economic value.

While some people upcycle for thrift or aesthetic purposes, one of the biggest motivators behind the activity is its positive environmental impact. Recycling products requires energy or water to break down materials, but upcycling reduces energy usage, air and water pollution, and even greenhouse gas emissions.

Taking something old and making it new again may sound challenging, but there are simple projects you can undertake to ease into upcycling, such as:

·Use mason jars to carry your lunchtime salad to work. Just pop the dressing at the bot-tom and stack the ingredients in, with the lettuce on top so that it doesn’t get soggy.

·Take old picture frames you have lying around and use them as serving trays. This will eliminate clutter and waste, and will become a conversation piece next time you have guests over.

·Turn your empty Kleenex box into a plastic bag dis-penser. Even if you bring a reusable bag everywhere, you still somehow end up with plastic bags. Your old Kleenex box is the perfect spot for them until you can find another use.

· Save old utensils that have been sitting in the attic and use them as nifty wall hooks in your kitchen. By giving them a little bend in the handle (making them resemble a ‘J’) that discarded cutlery becomes useful wall art.

· Gather the toilet paper rolls that are usually tossed into recycling and use them to organize your cables and chords. By winding the chords into the shape of a ‘0’ and slid-ing that into the tube, you can avoid the headache of having to untangle them later.• Sources: hipcycle.com, twisted-sifter.com

GREEN TIP

UPCYCLING OVER RECYCLING

Gwendoline Christie, (left), and Charlene McAnoy

Amir Johnson, (left), and Juvelyn Marquez

Courtney Boles and Mark Stuart, (right)

(Left to right) Shannon May, Travis Anderson, Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Harman Sidhu, Matthew Suzuki and Nareena Kurji

(Left to right) Michael Budman, George Stroumbou-lopoulos, Kyle Lowry and Don Green


STARTING LINEUPIntroducing the people who make it happen at Roots stores

SPEAK TO MY AGENT

SALUTING THOSE WHOGO THE DISTANCE

STAYING POWER

Little – and not so little – customers show their Roots

As part of our continuing series of retail team pictures, this issue spotlights the Don Mills store in Toronto.Left to right (top row): Alexis Joseph, Krista Deda, Erik Ramirez, Alice Piotrowska, Laila Augusto, Ilda Laze, Valerie Seretis. (Middle row): Pauline Sulit, Dina Blazic, Nora Phommavong. (Bottom row): Kimberly Burias, Maria-Josee Lopez, Eve Kielak, Gayane Ghazaryan.

NEW APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONSYulan Ha, Accounting Analyst, Head OfficeRachel Khelawan, Technician, Mens, Head OfficeSeungeun Aris Lee, Product Techni-cian, Head OfficeMikhail Moudrakovski, Sourcing Coordinator, Head OfficeJennifer Ottenhof, Designer, Head OfficeMegan Shepherd, Associate Designer, Head OfficeSusan Young, District Manager, Head Office

Xiang Lin, Leather Stitcher, Factory, 25 yearsLaurinda Silva, Leather Stitcher, Fac-tory, 25 yearsFranco Abate, Leather Stitcher, Fac-tory, 20 yearsKhanh Hoang, Leather Stitcher, Fac-tory, 20 yearsRubina Mian, Leather Stitcher, Factory, 20 yearsMaria Nobrega, Leather Stitcher, Fac-tory, 20 yearsJocelyn Lemaire, Keyholder, Montreal, 15 yearsSevi Ramraj, Premium Incentive Coor-dinator, Head Office, 15 yearsDebra Richards, Keyholder, Newmar-ket, ON, 15 yearsPhurbu Sinphuk, Material Handler, Factory, 15 yearsTamara Thompson, Buyer, Men’s, Head Office, 15 yearsSalvador Valenzuela, Loss Prevention Admin, Head Office, 15 yearsRachel Roos, District Manager, Head Office, 10 yearsGeorgina Agyeman, Sales Associate, Brampton, ON, 5 yearsStefan Cheung, Sales Associate, Markham, ON, 5 yearsHao Thu Chu, Sewing Machine Opera-tor, Factory, 5 yearsFatima Ferreira, Sewing Machine Operator, Factory, 5 yearsShireen Holmes, Store Manager, Scarborough, ON, 5 yearsGui Jiang, Sewing Machine Operator, Factory, 5 yearsJoy Johnston, Allocator, Leather, Head Office, 5 yearsChandrani Karran, Leather Table Work, Factory, 5 yearsRoy Lee, Keyholder, Thornhill, ON, 5 yearsMaria Lizano, Sewing Machine Opera-tor, Factory, 5 yearsKazi Nahar, Leather Table Work, Fac-tory, 5 yearsJaime Oliveira, Store Manager, Brampton, ON, 5 yearsLina Osorio, Leather Stitcher, Factory, 5 yearsJustin Rondeau, Sales Associate, Mis-sissauga, ON, 5 yearsJulia Tynkaluk, Keyholder, Oshawa, ON, 5 yearsYana Vorontsov, Keyholder, Vaughan, ON, 5 years

We often receive unsolicited photos from people eager

to show us pictures of them-selves, their family members and even their pets, wearing Roots.

Sometimes the senders ask if we could use the photos in a future advertising campaign for Roots. While we can’t promise that, we are happy to publish them in The Source. Over the years, Speak To My Agent has

become one of the most popu-lar items in our magazine.

Everyone is welcome to submit their favourite shots to be considered for publication. Please send your pictures to [email protected].

Be sure to include the name and age of each person or pet in the photo, place of residence and a sentence stating that you agree for the photo to be used in The Source.

ON THE MOVECarter Garrett, 1, Brampton, ON

Bethany Auber (keyholder at Guelph store) and dog Bella

Derek, 29, Tanya, 29, and Harrision Dean, 1, Orillia, ON

Gibson, 5, and Jerilyn Lakins, 4, Kingston, ON

In recent months, various em-ployees celebrated benchmark

anniversaries with the company. Congratulations to the following people for their huge contribution and enduring loyalty to Roots:


MUSICAL ROOTS

CHEF’S CORNER

Spotlighting Canadian reggae fusion band Magic!

Roots-friendly recipes that promote a healthy diet and bring pleasure to your palate

Typically, sunny, island reg-gae music isn’t associated with Toronto musicians, but

Magic! isn’t a typical Canadian band. With an unusual blend of pop, R&B and reggae, the four musicians set themselves apart on the music scene, which might help explain the rapid success and fan-follow-ing they’re enjoying.

Composed of outgoing front man and lead vocalist Nasri Atweh, guitarist Mark Pellizzer, bassist Ben Spivak and drummer Alex Tanas, Magic! formed in 2012 and has been delivering catchy, up-tempo beats ever since.

No stranger to suc-cess, Atweh first made a name for himself as half of the songwriting duo The Messengers, crafting hits for musi-cal heavy weights like Pitbull, Justin Bieber, Christina Aguilera and Iggy Azalea. With a diverse portfolio of work, Atweh was ready to form his own band when he met Pellizzer, a fellow songwriter. The two recruited Spivak and Tanas and the rest, as they say, is magic.

“We’re all from Toronto

originally,” explains Atweh on the band’s website. “We know the same streets, and we grew up on the same music. It’s the real thing.”

With inspiration from the Sting-fronted 1980s band, The Police, and insight on how to

make a hit song, the band re-leased its debut track “Rude” in October 2013. The song reached number six on the Canadian Hot 100 list and gained the band international success, topping music charts in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The reggae-flavoured song was number one on iTunes and made Magic! the first Canadian band in a decade to take the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.

In the wake of that success, the group dropped their debut

album, Don’t Kill the Magic, last June. The lineup of songs echoes the feel-good vibes of “Rude,” with a blend of relaxed reggae tunes and lighthearted pop songs with memorable hooks.

“It’s a stressful time out there and people are struggling to find hope in balance,” says Atweh.

“This music is meant to put you in a good mood. We want to bring people together to have a good time. It’s not about us. It’s about the music. We want you to be a part of that energy and a positive musical world.”

In October, the group’s smash hit “Rude” was nominated for Single of the Year for the Ameri-can Music Awards. At the mid-November awards show, the band took the stage with hip-hop veteran Wyclef Jean for a performance. Opening with Jean and transitioning to Magic!, the reggae-pop infused mash up was a hit with the audience, who were on their feet dancing.

Currently based in Los Angeles, Magic! is now touring across North America, with performances in Canada slated for March. The band will be travelling

until next summer, when their tour wraps up in Europe.· Magic! can be heard on regular rotation on Roots Radio in stores. Their album, Don’t Kill the Magic, is available for download on iTunes. For more information, visit www.ourna-meismagic.com/.

PUMPKIN-APPLE SOUPSoups are ideal for keeping warm in the cold winter. This recipe includes seasonal ingredients like pumpkin and squash, and festive flavours like apples and hazel-nuts. As many like to indulge during the holiday season, this cholesterol-free, low-calorie soup

packed with vitamins A and C and potassium is a healthy, guilt-free meal.Makes: 12 servingsActive time: 30 minutesTotal time: 1 hour & 10 minutesIngredients:4 pounds pie pumpkin or butter-nut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks (see Tips)4 large sweet-tart apples, unpeeled, cored and cut into eighths¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil1 ¼ teaspoons salt, divided¼ teaspoon freshly ground pep-per1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth⅓ cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted (see Tip)2 tablespoons hazelnut oil

Preparation:1. Preheat oven to 450°F.2. Toss pumpkin (or squash), apples, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, for 30 minutes. Stir in sage and continue roasting until very tender and starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.3. Transfer about one-third of the pumpkin (or squash) and apples to a blender along with 2 cups broth. Puree until smooth. Trans-fer to a Dutch oven and repeat for two more batches. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and heat through over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent splattering, for about 6 minutes. Serve each portion and top with hazelnuts and a drizzle

of hazelnut oil.Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave on High, covered, stirring frequently, or on the stovetop over medium heat.Tips: Make it easier to cut a pumpkin, acorn squash or other winter squash: pierce in several places with a fork; microwave on High for 45 to 60 seconds. Use a large sharp knife to cut in half. Remove the seeds and stringy fibers with a spoon.To toast chopped nuts, small nuts and seeds, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

·Source: www.eatingwell.com

(Left to right) Alex Tanas, Mark Pellizzer, Nasri Atweh and Ben Spivak from the band Magic!

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