{"id":1602793,"date":"2020-10-13T11:09:05","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T15:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/?p=1602793"},"modified":"2020-10-13T11:13:46","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T15:13:46","slug":"behind-the-seams-with-woodpeckers-will-poho","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/behind-the-seams-with-woodpeckers-will-poho\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Seams with Woodpecker\u2019s Will Poho"},"content":{"rendered":"

Behind the Seams gives you insight into some of our favourite fashion brands<\/a>. \u00a0You will learn about \u00a0the brand story, meet the designer and learn what goes into creating a collection.\u00a0 First up is Woodpecker<\/a>, launched by Moose Knuckles founder, Will Poho in 2019.\u00a0 Poho really understands the outerwear business.\u00a0 When he decided to launch Woodpecker, he wasn\u2019t looking to see the brand everywhere.\u00a0 He has a targeted consumer.\u00a0 While the branding is fun and irreverent, the designs are solid and really take winter coats back to when they were more stylish.<\/p>\n

\"Woodpecker:<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago, people didn\u2019t just wear black parkas \u2013 there were colours and stripes. according to Poho:<\/p>\n

\u201cWho wants a rainbow with only one colour? Woodpecker believes that diversity is what makes the world such a magical place. It takes every size, shape, colour and gender to make this planet what it is. Whoever you are, whatever you identify to be. Woodpecker welcomes you with open wings and open paws.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Woodpecker is also vegan and cruelty-free, something that Poho is passionate about, proving that you can make a beautiful warm winter jacket ethically.\u00a0 We spoke to the designer recently to learn more:<\/p>\n

\"Woodpecker:<\/p>\n

Why did you decide to launch a new coat brand?<\/h2>\n

For a multitude of reasons.\u00a0 One was unfinished business.\u00a0 I really enjoy the opportunity to communicate with my customer.\u00a0 With Woodpecker being a satirical brand, it\u2019s a two way dialogue [with my consumer].\u00a0 I\u2019m not done with that dialogue, I guess. Simply, I\u2019m a Canadian coat maker.\u00a0 That is what I have done for a long time and that is what I shall continue to do.<\/p>\n

I also just like keeping people warm.\u00a0 I take great pride in what I do and what I do defines me, I suppose.\u00a0 I\u2019m back in it because this is me. This is what I want to do. This is who I am.\u00a0 I am a coat designer \u2013 it\u2019s my skill set.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like to brag but frankly, I\u2019m good at it.<\/p>\n

\"Short
WOMEN’S MEDIUM WEIGHT ROBIN COAT – SILVER EGG $475.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why was it important for you to have a cruelty-free, vegan parka line this time?<\/h2>\n

It was important because the world is changing for the better and I want to be part of that ethical movement.\u00a0 There is now an alternative to down and feathers, that in my opinion and most people\u2019s opinion, is better at keeping you warm.\u00a0 Why would you take feathers from a bird and harm that animal when you have an alternative that is better and will keep your customer warmer?<\/p>\n

As for the fur trade, or the commercial fashion trade, let\u2019s put it this way.\u00a0 If somebody needs to wear fur because it\u2019s their only source of warmth, I\u2019m not going to judge them.\u00a0 If it\u2019s fur, just for fashion, I do have a problem with that and I\u2019d like to steer people away from wearing it because it\u2019s cruel.\u00a0 After so many years of buying fur, I really saw how harmful the industry is.\u00a0 The animals aren\u2019t always killed ethically, even with the certification that comes with some furs.\u00a0 I\u2019m a little emotionally scarred after what I have seen.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to be part of that, and if I can steer people in a different direction by providing an alternative to fur and feathers, well, here it is.<\/p>\n

Fur really helped define the parka trend that is in right now.\u00a0 If you see a coat with a beautiful fur, that is what defines the coat and makes it a luxurious product.\u00a0 That is why brands are using the fur.\u00a0 It\u2019s more of a fashion thing.\u00a0 If I use a shiny fabric, with jewelry on the sleeve and matching shiny metal zippers, that also makes it luxurious.\u00a0 I don\u2019t need fur because I have these other elements that accomplish the same thing without hurting the animals.\u00a0 That\u2019s something that I\u2019ve figured out.\u00a0 It is a way that I can contribute to this industry that will hopefully bring about change by showing people a different way.<\/p>\n

\"Red
WOMEN’S BUMNESTER 3\/4 COAT – ALL WET RED – $765.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Woodpecker parkas<\/a> are made with Sustans Fiber.\u00a0 Explain what this is and why it’s so innovative?<\/h2>\n

Traditionally polyester is like a plastic.\u00a0 It\u2019s made from petroleum products with oil as the base, then it goes through a chemical process and turns into a polymer.\u00a0 That polymer is spun into polyester fabric.\u00a0 With Sustans<\/a>, you start with a renewable base like a plant based product made through an emulsion of plants.\u00a0 It is similar to how you make paper from trees.\u00a0 Then it goes through a biological process and it comes out with the same polymer.\u00a0 This polymer is created from plants as opposed to oil.\u00a0 It\u2019s really as simple as that.<\/p>\n

\"Parka\"
WOMEN’S PENGUIN LONG COAT – BLUE STEEL – $775.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Simply from a technical perspective \u2013 how will your coats keep people warm?<\/h2>\n

You have your layer of insulation and you have your shell fabric.\u00a0 The shell fabric is designed to stop the wind and block it from penetrating and disrupting the insulation that is keeping the warm air in there.\u00a0 Down has always been superior to feathers because of it\u2019s loftiness.\u00a0 It does a really great job of trapping in heat and it was hard to replicate that. You get into synthetic fibres, but they just didn\u2019t do the same job.\u00a0 Now, they have been really good at making the synthetic insulation layers and there is actually a big advantage.\u00a0 When you want to wash a down jacket, the water gets into the down and it clumps it.\u00a0 It never really bounces back to its original loftiness.\u00a0 You lose a lot of its technical properties over time as you care for the garment by washing it.<\/p>\n

With Sustans, that doesn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 It has an equivalent heat rating where it will trap as much heat as down, but it will never lose it\u2019s loftiness.\u00a0 It will stay in the same condition that you bought it in.\u00a0 It has a longer shelf life and that is my argument for it being technically superior.\u00a0 When you combine wind-proof fabric with a thick layer of insulation it keeps you warm.<\/p>\n

\"woodpecker:
KIDS’ UNISEX CHICKADEE COAT – SILVER – $375.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The coats are stylish and the women\u2019s coats in particular seem more fitted for a woman\u2019s proportions. Walk us through your design process.<\/h2>\n

The parka trend was basically taking a utilitarian garment and turning it into a fashion item.\u00a0 Canada Goose is one of the pioneers in doing that, especially in North America.\u00a0 With anyone getting into the game, we can all agree that these utilitarian parkas are now fashion items.\u00a0 One way to take it to the next level as a fashion item is to tailor it to fit the contours of a woman\u2019s body.\u00a0 It\u2019s a dichotomy \u2013 it\u2019s a contrast between a utilitarian piece and a couture piece.\u00a0 This is marrying that together.<\/p>\n

I can tell you that as a designer, Mackage did an excellent job with their parkas by putting shape in the torso.\u00a0 I like to not only put shape in the torso, but to include longer arms.\u00a0 From a mass market perspective, you want to fit as many people in your jacket as possible. When you try to sell to people that care about fashion, you have a smaller marketplace.\u00a0 You can be more focused on fitting the jackets on a certain body type.\u00a0 The traditional fit for this [fashion] is slender in the waist and longer in the arms.\u00a0 I chose to make the jacket more tailored and not be a traditional mass market brand.<\/p>\n

\"Short
WOMEN’S WOODY BOMBER JACKET – BLUE STEEL – $750.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is the best way to care for a Woodpecker coat?<\/h2>\n

The best way to look after it is with a wet, soapy cloth and run it over the shell of your fabric.\u00a0 If you are wearing it close to your body without layers between you and the coat, then you need dry cleaning to remove the oils.\u00a0 You can also throw it into a gentle wash cycle.<\/p>\n

\"woodpecker
WOMEN’S BUMNESTER 3\/4 COAT – SILVER EGG – $765.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You said in 2014 the meaning of life has 4 stages: 1) Learn something; 2) Apply what you learned; 3) Feel good about it; and 4) Repeat.\u00a0\u00a0 Is this something that you still believe in and how does it apply to Woodpecker?<\/h2>\n

Certainly, although the last stage should be modified from repeat to do it better in every way possible. I\u2019ve learned something [creating cruelty-free vegan parkas] and I get to apply what I\u2019ve learned to something that allows me to feel good.\u00a0 Once I\u2019ve done that, people ask what do you do next?\u00a0 Well, not just repeat, but do it better so I\u2019m going to bring in my best work, my best jacket, my best design.\u00a0 I\u2019m upping my game and going vegan is a big part of that because it\u2019s just a better way to do things in my opinion.\u00a0 I fully believe in and live by that.<\/p>\n

\"\"
KIDS’ UNISEX CHICKADEE COAT – EGG – $375.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is on the horizon for 2021?<\/h2>\n

More global expansion for sure.\u00a0 We already have stores in Korea and in Europe, and we want to bring on more countries in Asia and Europe.\u00a0 I am also working on a larger collection with a greater assortment of products.<\/p>\n

\"\"
WOMEN’S BIRD OF PARADISE COAT – $1,195.00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, where can we buy Woodpecker coats in Canada?<\/h2>\n

Due West carries my whole collection \u2013 literally every jacket that I make.\u00a0 I have 36 pieces in my collection and they carry every size in those.\u00a0 I can also announce that I will be in Holt Renfrew<\/a> Yorkdale and Yorkville locations for a pop up on November 6th<\/sup>, 7th<\/sup> and 8th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Behind the Seams gives you insight into some of our favourite fashion brands. \u00a0You will learn about \u00a0the brand story, meet the designer and learn what goes into creating a…<\/div>\n
View Post<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1602804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[361,8181,275,6082,157,587,363,8177,8176,8179,8183,868,8182,6080,8180,8184,8178],"powerkit_post_featured":[3],"class_list":{"0":"post-1602793","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"tag-canada-goose","9":"tag-canadian-brands","10":"tag-coats","11":"tag-cruelty-free-fashion","12":"tag-fashion","13":"tag-fashion-designers","14":"tag-jackets","15":"tag-mackage","16":"tag-moose-knuckles","17":"tag-outwear","18":"tag-parka-jacket","19":"tag-parkas","20":"tag-parkas-canada","21":"tag-vegan-fashion","22":"tag-womens-outerwear","23":"tag-womens-parkas-canada","24":"tag-woodpecker"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1602793"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1602826,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602793\/revisions\/1602826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1602804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1602793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1602793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1602793"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=1602793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}