Vancouver Magazine
5 Board Game Cafes to Hit Up in Metro Vancouver
20+ Vancouver Restaurants Offering Valentine’s Day Specials in 2023
Best Thing I Ate All Week: (Gluten-Free!) Fried Chicken from Maxine’s Cafe and Bar
A Radical Idea: Celebrate Robbie Burns With These 3 Made-in-BC Single Malts
Wine Collab of the Week: A Red Wine for Overthinkers Who Love Curry
Dry January Mocktail Recipe: Archer’s Rhubarb Sour
Vanmag’s 2023 Power 50 List
Protected: LaSalle College Vancouver: For Those Who Dream of Design
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (January 30- February 5)
Explore the Rockies by Rail with Rocky Mountaineer
The Ultimate Winter Staycation Guide 2023: 6 Great Places to Explore in B.C.
B.C. Winter Staycation Guide 2023: 48 Hours in Tofino
7 Weekender Bags to Travel the World With in 2023
Protected: The Future of Beauty: How One Medical Aesthetics Clinic is Changing the Game
5 Super-Affordable Wedding Venues in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
Sponsored Content
A period-ready swimsuit, super-chic schoolbag and more of the best in Vancouver-made style.
Watch out, runway: the winners of Vancouver magazine’s fourth annual Made in Vancouver Awards have arrived. Dress your best with looks from our city’s most fashion-forward makers. But hey, it’s not all about looks: this year’s #1 award in style went to a brand that’s changing period stigma, one sustainable swimsuit at a time.
It’s an exciting thing to see innovation happen in your lifetime. When it came onto the scene earlier this decade, period underwear was a true game-changer for the menstruating citizens of planet earth. What’s even more exciting, though, is when a technology enters the stage of refinement, and the market introduces competitors who tweak a great idea to an even more elevated realm. All of which is to say: yes, Rosaseven Lingerie certainly didn’t invent the idea of flow-absorbing garments, but the Squamish-based lingerie brand has taken the idea to new heights with its flattering, beautifully cut Alice period bathing suit.
It’s swimwear with a surprising social impact. For the three-quarters of people who avoid swimming while they’re on their period, the Alice provides reassurance in a chic package. “Our bathing suit gives menstruators back the freedom to do whatever they want on their periods,” says Rosaseven co-founder Delphine Veilleux.
And while the Alice keeps pads and tampons out of the landfill, this isn’t the design’s only claim to sustainability: the one-piece is also made from recycled polyester and spandex.$169, rosaseven.com
The design is old school—literally. Atelier Eli’s Josephine satchel is inspired by schoolbags of the ’40s and ’50s. The methodology is similarly (and admirably) old-fashioned: designer Maggie Li cuts out each piece of full-grain Italian leather by hand and personally stitches it all together into something beautiful.$450, ateliereli.shop
HD Russell’s designs are the opposite of fast fashion, and we’re here for it. Each pair of bespoke handmade leather boots is crafted from raw material in the brand’s East Van workshop, and sized to fit just right. These are shoes meant to last a lifetime: a pair of these chelseas can last 20-plus years with proper care.$870, hdrussellboots.com
Is it a magic trick or pure craftsmanship that designer Amy Slosky manages to create oxfords from a single piece of ultra-soft calfskin leather? Can’t it be both? Hand-punched brogue details and elegantly chiselled toes complete the too-lovely-to-be-believed effect.$1,300, amyslosky.com
READ MORE: Meet the Winners of Vanmag‘s 2022 Made in Vancouver Awards