26 April 2009
Caninja- A Retrospective

Filed under caninja + for fashion's sake

My fashion illustrator friend Danielle over at Final Fashion included Caninja in a Globe and Mail illustrated article about green fashion this past Wednesday.  Lucky Caninja.

 

 

 

 

 

There it is- #6, the beautiful scarf made of recycled materials. 

What the H-E double hockeysticks is a Caninja? People ask this question all the time.  I suppose it’s not that self explanatory- since I invented it and then made up the name.

Voila- a tutorial on the history of Caninja.

Caninja is the Canadian Ninja, a superhero of sorts who is also known as the  Canadian Climate Fighter.

The original Caninja is best described as a hooded-scarf-hat. I know! It’s everything in one. I made the very first in the winter of 2003-2004, but I don’t remember where the idea came from.  It was an exceptionally snowy winter that year, and I had a pretty long walk to my job at a belt factory. The Caninja was the answer to all my prayers- it transforms to the point where just your eyes are showing, it’s very, very warm, and it’s an irresponsible humans dream- less to lose because it’s a many-in-one.  I actually like winter, but only if I am dressed for it- I think that’s the Winnipeg in me. I rocked that head sock all winter, and it became obvious I was on to something. People liked it.  So the next winter I made a few more, and the rest was history.

Caninjas are made with cut up sweaters on the outside, and lined with polar fleece. I used sweaters because knitted fabric is really hard to find, and the variety of unwanted sweaters out there is amaaazing. I am often into things that are a little on the ugly side, and thrift stores were filled with enormous possibilites- Cosby sweaters, Gem sweaters, etc, etc. Back then, being green was not the phenomenon it is today, but it certainly wasn’t a bad thing! Using recycled materials is more time consuming than people think, and was far more work than using a new fabric would be. I would wash each sweater, ’strategically’ cut it in order to use the sweaters pattern in an interesting way, and then I would shave all the cut pieces with a handheld electric shaver to remove the pills. The shaving was the icing on the cake- it made the sweaters look brand new, but was incredibly time consuming. Dom can attest to that as he has shaved more than a few Caninjas, as have many other kind friends.

My old roommate Andy Belanger drew the logo above and also these little how to’s below.  Dom and I happened to run into him yesterday after not seeing him for a long time, and he just got a year long contract drawing for DC Comics! Seriously! He works super hard at what he does, and he’s got mad skills. Way to go Andy! He deserves all his success.

So- as an official Canadian Climate Fighting Ninja, you’ve got three ways to battle old man winter-

Wear the Caninja around your neck to keep toasty. Great for snowy errands, and balmy winter days.  Keep it on indoors to fight the chill.

Wear the Caninja the same way you would a hood- over your jacket or under, both will ward off the cold.

Undo the zippers (to create extra length) and snap up the snaps.

 

Now you’re a serious Canadian Climate Fighting Ninja!

 Caninja was sold for a few winters mainly at Magic Pony, also at a few other Toronto stores, and in Montreal and Winnipeg. It had a small loyal fanbase, and enjoyed moderate success. It’s first press was in Maclean’s in the winter of 2005- that’s my Dad in his Caninja after an hour long walk to the mail box in -30 degrees.  No complaints from him!

I threw a couple Caninja parties, and recruited members for ‘Team Caninja’. Here are a few old pictures of Canadian Climate Fighters  in their one of a kind finery.

The brand evolved, and I developed a few more climate fighting ‘inventions’.

The Caninja Gypsy- so called because, “She’s all over the place!”

The Gypsy is a looped scarf with a permanent bow slider that transforms it into a multitude of different variations. She’s the prettiest member of the Climate Fighting Team.

The Finninja- The Finnish Ninja

My Nana is Finnish, and this Caninja is based on the traditional Finnish Laplander bonnet- shown below. The Finninja is similar in that it is a hood with a ‘bun/ponytail sack’ on the back. I almost always wear my hear up- and having a big bulge at the back of your head when you wear a hood is pretty annoying. Those smart Finns have got it all figured out. It was my Nana’s 80th birthday this past January, and her and all her daughters and daughters-in-law are going to Finland next month to celebrate. She hasn’t been back since 1955 or something like that. Lucky ladies! I am thinking that maybe if I play my cards right someone will bring me an authentic Laplander bonnet as a souvenir. Just a thought. (Maybe my Mom is reading this. Mom??)

 The Caninja Mini- for kids!

I initially thought that the snaps and zipper contraptions of the Caninja Original was beyond a 5 year old, so I used a soft jersey insert to cover the face instead. It could be easily tucked under the chin. The next season I decided to lose the insert and added snaps like the grown up version- since most five year olds are generally accompanied by adults who make all the decisions on warmth for them anyhow.

HIYAHH!!

Caninja Mitts- Cuffed elbow length mittens, lined with fleece.

 A few others on the roster are the “Caninja Performance’ which is a windproof/wicking  Caninja that is thin enough to wear under a helmet,  and the ‘Caninja Cloche’, a more delicate version of the Caninja Original.

So what happened to Caninja? Well, the women’s wear part of my designing  kind of took over, and I haven’t had any time to devote to Caninja for a couple seasons. I need a business partner. Or a Joseph Mimran. I think as a brand- Caninja still has a lot of potential! I love it for it’s funny-punny taglines, smart multifunctional designs, and how it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A good friend to have in an occasionally brutal winter climate.  It isn’t dead- just temporarily on the back burner. You can still buy a few Caninja products on my webstore.  The Canadian winter is just a short 6 months away!  Haha. Might as well embrace it with preparation.

 Love, The Caninja Mistress

2009-04-26  ::  adrienne