Dylan Lynch stands with coats and fabrics at his store Kluane Mountaineering, where they have been making custom-made high quality parkas and sleeping bags since the 1970s, in Edmonton, on Dec. 6. Lynch took over the company in March 2023, and his products have since caught the eye of menswear influencers.Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
From a basement workshop in Edmonton, the small team at Kluane Mountaineering sews down-filled parkas and sleeping bags that are used in the world’s harshest environments, from the Canadian Arctic to the peak of Mount Everest.
But in January, the company’s gear will venture to an unfamiliar place: the men’s edition of Paris Fashion Week.
Kluane and the luxury brands that appear at high-fashion events may seem like strange bedfellows. But the company’s long-term commitment to bespoke production – its garments are largely made to order by a grand total of three people – is highly valued by the outdoor set and, more recently, by men’s-wear geeks who clamour for a unique piece of handmade outerwear.
In Paris, Kluane will be displaying its garments in a showroom with several other brands, allowing it to rub shoulders with overseas retailers.
Mr. Lynch assembles a coat at his store Kluane Mountaineering. The company is preparing for an appearance at the men’s edition of Paris Fashion Week in January.Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
Dylan Lynch, an employee who took over as owner in March, isn’t trying to create the next Canadian giant in outerwear, à la Canada Goose or Arc’teryx. He is, however, trying to spread the word about Kluane, which has mostly toiled in anonymous fashion over its five-plus decades in business.
“It’s always been an ‘if you know, you know’ kind of place,” Mr. Lynch said. “There’s a ton of charm in that. But I think the story of Kluane deserves to have a wider audience.”
The company was started in 1970 by two law students who couldn’t afford top-notch sleeping bags. They sold a couple of bags, and that snowballed into more orders, with parkas later added to the product mix. The company amassed a solid clientele of explorers, oil patch workers and dogsledders.
Kluane Mountaineering was formed in 1970 out of a basement workshop in Edmonton. The brand has become highly valued by the outdoor set and people looking for a unique piece of handmade outerwear.
Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
Mr. Lynch was a customer, too. About a decade ago, he started getting into winter camping, and in looking for a quality sleeping bag that could keep him toasty in harsh Alberta winters, he learned about Kluane – just a nine-minute drive from his home.
Mr. Lynch was immediately smitten with the company, which has been based out of the same location on Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue for 37 years. He joined the company in 2021 and spent a couple of years being groomed to take it over. The previous owner, Betty Squires, had worked at Kluane for roughly four decades, up until her retirement in 2024.
“It was a pretty slow store before I came on. They didn’t even have a sign for the shop,” Mr. Lynch said. “When I found out about it, I was like, I can’t believe this exists.”
As most of the apparel-manufacturing industry has moved overseas, Kluane has remained distinctly local. Its three employees are involved in all facets of production, from cutting fabric to sewing the down garments. Even as owner, Mr. Lynch spends about half his time sewing.
Kluane sells relatively few products: various jackets, a vest and sleeping bags. It’s mostly a direct-to-consumer business, and buyers are able to customize their purchases to a large degree. The inner parka – a standard “puffer” jacket – starts at $600. (Kluane also makes some wholesale shipments to Asia.)
Mr. Lynch has brought some modern touches to the business, such as revamping the website and starting an Instagram page this past spring. As a result, Kluane has started to get attention from men’s-wear influencers, such as Nolan Daniel White, a Montreal-based content creator and consultant. Mr. White recently did a giveaway of a Kluane jacket through his TikTok and Instagram pages, which combined have more than 500,000 followers.
“It’s got this almost romantic, but inherently Canadian feel to it,” Mr. White said of Kluane. “I really got the impression, off the bat, that this brand started out of necessity, out of a love for good gear.”
Adrian Luwohy of Calgary bought two sleeping bags from Kluane around 30 years ago. He would often use both simultaneously for winter camping in bitter-cold conditions. The “sleeping-bag system,” as he calls it, is still going strong.
Mr. Lynch lays out a panel to cut at Kluane Mountaineering's Edmonton workshop.Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
Kluane started to get attention from men’s-wear influencers after revamping the company's website and starting an Instagram page this past spring.Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
“I’m milking this for everything it’s worth,” he said. “It’s definitely in great shape. I’m not anticipating needing a new bag myself.”
With few people on staff, it’s easy to get overloaded with orders. Mr. Lynch used to advertise lead times for production of eight to 10 weeks, but that’s recently stretched out to 12 to 14 weeks. Kluane will bring on a fourth employee early in 2025, and it will also take on practicum students from the University of Alberta’s textiles program, which Mr. Lynch attended. With those moves, Kluane is hoping to keep up with demand.
But even with those pressures, Mr. Lynch said, the overwhelming focus is on quality and preserving what’s made the company special over decades.
“It’s very clear that there are opportunities to grow significantly and quickly,” he said. “But that’s not really the way that I want to do this. I’m really trying to be slow and steady. Quality is still virtually the only priority for us.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated to clarify that Kluane Mountaineering was scheduled to participate in Paris men's fashion week in January, 2025, and that the company's previous owner retired in 2024. Incorrect information was introduced in the editing process.