As major international retailers retreat from the Canadian market, Toronto’s Gotstyle is doubling down on domestic fashion with a bold strategy: eliminating American brands entirely and transforming its retail model to showcase Canadian designers.
“We stopped carrying American brands about a year ago,” said Melissa Austria, founder of the award-winning menswear and womenswear retailer, during an interview at her 3,000-square-foot location in The Well development. “Now we’re educating our customers that it’s either Canadian brands made in Canada or European brands made in Europe.”
This decisive shift toward Canadian fashion comes as Gotstyle celebrates both its first anniversary at The Well and its upcoming 20th year in business. The move reflects a dramatic reversal in consumer perception of domestic manufacturing, according to Austria.
“When I opened up 20 years ago, if you said something was made in Canada, it was a bad thing. It had such a negative connotation,” she explained. “It’s completely switched now.”
The growing Buy Canadian movement represents a significant opportunity for local designers, though Austria notes that many domestic manufacturers disappeared during the decades when offshore production dominated. “A lot of Canadian manufacturers have gone by the wayside because no one supported Buy Canada. But it’s definitely coming back big time.”
Gotstyle’s commitment to Canadian fashion extends beyond simply stocking domestic brands. The retailer is implementing an innovative consignment and pop-up model that provides crucial retail exposure for emerging Canadian designers who might otherwise be limited to online sales.
“For women’s wear specifically, we really just want to do Canadian brands,” Austria said. “We’re only going to be doing pop-ups, showcasing new up-and-coming Canadian brands that need retail space.”
This approach addresses a fundamental challenge for independent designers: the need for customers to physically experience their products. “Everything’s online, but you need to see, feel, and try on new designers,” Austria noted. “This is a showcase for them that they can have their customers and get new customers.”
The strategy represents a radical departure from traditional retail buying, where stores must commit to inventory months in advance. “The concept that retailers have to pre-commit to goods six months in advance, and then pay for the goods before they’re sold, to me is archaic,” Austria said, describing the model as particularly problematic for women’s fashion.
“For womens, I’m not pre-buying ever again. It’s impossible to,” she stated confidently. The consignment model reduces financial risk for Gotstyle while simultaneously supporting Canadian designers who lack the infrastructure and capital of international fashion conglomerates.
Austria’s Buy Canadian strategy particularly targets what she identifies as an underserved demographic: fashion-conscious women in their 40s and 50s who find mainstream retail offerings either too young or too matronly.
“The customer that we are finding that is getting ignored completely is women in their late forties, fifties,” Austria observed. “When they go to a regular mall, everything is geared towards the young. And then everything that is geared towards them is too missy and too old.”
Canadian designers like Amanda Maria, who recently showed at Gotstyle, offer precisely the sophisticated yet comfortable clothing this demographic seeks, according to Austria.
Despite growing interest in supporting local businesses, Austria questions whether consumers’ stated preferences align with their purchasing behavior. “The customer is like, ‘I want to shop local,’ but at the same time is still shopping at Shein and Temu,” she noted, referencing ultra-fast-fashion e-commerce platforms.
“They say they want to shop local and support, but are they willing to make the changes to pay for it?” Austria asked. “We’ve got to get over just consumption and think how guys think: I’m going to have this item in my closet for 10 years. So the cost per wear is going to be worth it.”
Gotstyle’s community-building extends to digital initiatives like its Wednesday night live shopping events. “The models that we have on the show are people in the neighbourhood that you should know – our favourite bartenders, favourite restaurant owners. We’re trying to make it as community-driven as possible.”
This emphasis on local connections comes as major international retailers struggle in the Canadian market. Hudson’s Bay Company continues closing flagship locations while Quebec-based Simons expands its downtown footprint.
“If you want your local stores, your local restaurants to survive, then you’ve got to go out and support them. It can’t just be lip service,” Austria emphasized.
As The Well location marks its first anniversary and Gotstyle approaches two decades in business, Austria’s commitment to Canadian fashion demonstrates how independent retailers can differentiate themselves from international competitors while simultaneously supporting domestic design talent and manufacturing.
Dustin Fuhs is the Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication. He has over 20 years of experience in the retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality industries, including with The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, Starbucks and Blockbuster.
Dustin was named as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024 and 2025.