You’ve seen his work before, now this Kelowna designer is taking on Canadiana
KELOWNA – Three years ago Markku Luopa was a Kelowna it-man, having created a line of clothing that made being an Okanaganite a lifestyle statement.
It was seemingly as the brand became a staple that his career segued into something new. He re-focused his efforts on everything from Tourism Kelowna’s swag to a line of personally drawn greeting cards.
Now, however, he’s back and taking on a much bigger audience.
Last week Luopa launched CDN, an apparel line that’s aimed at taking a simpler, perhaps more West Coast, approach to Canadiana.
His CDN clothing line, which can already be found at Man+Woman at Orchard Park mall and Tourism Kelowna’s gift shop among other locations, is a Canadian concept with thoroughly Canuck trim.
“With CDN, we want to be Canada’s new brand,” said Luopa. “We believe in supporting local and what that means for Canadians and this is a fully Canadian apparel line, made, designed and embroidered in Canada.”
Luopa came up with the idea while he was travelling and realized the Canadian brands he saw didn’t resonate.
“When you see what’s at the supermarket and airport, it’s so over the top Canadian and it’s not even made here,” he said.
“So we want to create a line of product that supports Canadians and can become a favourite T-shirt or sweater, with minimalistic elegance.”
Luopa prides himself on using top quality material that could transition from work to casual wear and that each item has a simple CDN stitched in, subtly making a statement.
“It’s like saying I’m Canadian, I’m proud to wear it, but I’m not yelling in your face about it,” he said. “It’s uncomplicated branded product … Something that fits well and will last a long time.”
While he’s confident in the product and what it represents he's also pleased to hear that it's resonating with others.
"The feedback has been great. We got it into five retail locations right off the bat, which is a great sign and vote of confidence — it's not just I believe that this is what people want, they believe it, too."
To learn more about Luopa and CDN check out his website here.
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