Gift Giving

It's always good to see a gift you've given put to good use. Like in this new video "My Sweetie" from Wale, who's rocking the STOLEN RICHES' exclusive colourway Jays fitted I gave him last Halloween when Blueprint III came to Toronto. (If you're blind, the hat makes its first appearance at 0:31) Keep up the good work Wale...

"Bigger and better in 2010"

2009 has come to an end and I have to say that I'm going to miss it. In terms of FORT Apparel as a brand, we introduced some popular new designs, made huge strides in product quality and introduced hoodies into the mix, all in 2009. In terms of FORT Apparel as an experience, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of extremely talented people and was granted access to some amazing moments I never thought I'd witness firsthand.

Nonetheless, as good as 2009 was, Cabbie Richards said it best to me over the holidays: "Bigger and better in 2010." Cabbie has it right and we're on board; stay tuned for much bigger and much better from FORT Apparel in the new year.

In line with those plans, we're making some changes behind the scenes to the FORT Apparel online store. While we work on the shop, we've decided to join in on the huge sale running at STOLEN RICHES. To make it interesting, and match the huge savings they're offering on kicks, all FORT Apparel will be on sale with significant savings. You can pickup Summer 2009 tees for $20, Fall 2009 tees for $25 and best of all, our hoodies for $65!

Wale, J. Cole, Drake, Pharrell, Memphis and Jay.

I'm going to summarize this post as follows: Saturday night was the most exciting night in the history of FORT Apparel.

Washington, DC artist Wale and his band are big supporters of the local artist. Starting out locally themselves in the US Capital, they're on top of the world right now: Wale is about to drop his debut album, "Attention Deficit", on November 10th and opening up for none other then the legendary Shawn Carter, aka Hova, aka Jay-Z's Blueprint III tour.

With all this going on, his team still made the time to arrange for the experience of a lifetime for FORT Apparel on Saturday night. Not only did they bring FORT Apparel onstage/backstage and everywhere in between, but they also made sure to showcase both colourways of the "Courtside" 416 Tee to the packed audience of the ACC during their set (they'll also be showcasing the rest of Fall 2009 and some exclusive STOLEN RICHES caps to match the next time they're on a stage in the 416.)

This excitement was compounded by the amazing show that was the Blueprint III experience. Wale, J. Cole, NERD and Jay-Z had the entire Air Canada Center on it's feet from beginning to end. I can't forget to mention the "successful" cameo by Toronto's very own rising star, Drake. I also have to thank Drake for putting on an afterparty party that I'll never forget. Up close and interactive with the likes of Wale, J. Cole, Drake and Jay-Z till 4AM (more here via 1LOVETO) was not how I expected to spend my Halloween and just about as surreal an experience as I'll probably ever have. Special thanks go out to Wale, Walter for making it all possible and Rashad and Stanley for the support.

Since this is one of my longest posts yet, I'm going to have to cut it here and take the rest of the details to our Facebook Page. There you can find all my pics from the night and the play by play of the entire experience. And if you're wondering... yes, I made sure Jay-Z left with his very own "Official" Tee on Black.

FORT Apparel Fall 2009 is Here!

Fall 2009 is releasing this Saturday, October 24th, online and in-store at STOLEN RICHES and North Trooper. We're happy to announce the introduction of high quality hoodies to the line and several brand new designs and colourways. Check them out below and then head downtown on Saturday to grab some Fall 2009.

"Official" Tee

Available in White, Black Tees and Black Hoodie. (Both stockists will also have their own limited edition in-store colourway while quantities last.)

"Courtside" 416 Tee

High density print available in White, Red Tees and Black Hoodie

"Big Smoke" Tee

Double sided print available in White Tee

"Sneaker" 416 Tee

High density print available on White Tee and Black Hoodie

FORT Apparel hits Yorkville

We're happy to announce that North Trooper, located at 69 Yorkville Avenue, will now be stocking FORT Apparel. Introduced to us recently by our friends over at STOLEN RICHES, we decided the time was right to expand the FORT Apparel family.

Just like STOLEN RICHES, North Trooper is a great place to pick up a pair of kicks while you grab your newest piece of FORT Apparel. And while STOLEN RICHES should be your spot in Toronto to grab new sneaker releases, North Trooper is where you'll find your vintage, rare and impossible-to-find old favourites in stock. They're a really unique Toronto spot and FORT Apparel is thrilled to have them start stocking our gear. Check them out today!

Talib Kweli x FORT Apparel at Manifesto 2009

Thank you to everyone who came out to join us yesterday at Manifesto 2009. The event was crazy and we got the chance to meet a lot of great people, including the legendary Talib Kweli. He's a huge supporter of local brands and he gave FORT Apparel access to the full backstage experience.

The Manifesto crowd went crazy throughout Reflection Eternal's entire set. Talib and Hi-Tek played material from their upcoming album Revolutions Per Minute but they also dropped a few classics from both of their extensive libraries. The experience was amazing and FORT Apparel was thrilled to spend an evening with a legendary duo.

Naturally, you can be sure both of them went home well stocked with Summer 2009 for their next show in Toronto. Shout out to the organizational skills of Craig, Taurean, Che and the army of volunteers who made The Manifesto 2009 go down without a hitch.

Freshest Goods Market at Manifesto on Sunday

Please come join us this Sunday in Nathan Phillips Square for the Manifesto Festival 2009! Sunday is The Main Event, headlined by Talib Kweli and HiTek and featuring a huge variety of local and international artists, and we'll be there hosting a table in the Freshest Goods Market starting at noon. Fall is just around the corner, so come out and enjoy The Manifesto Festival and take advantage of your last chance to grab Summer 2009.

The Hour Swag Lounge at TIFF 2009

Even though the Toronto International Film Festival is almost over, we thought we should tell you about the awesome 'Made in Canada' Swag Lounge put together for TIFF by George Stroumboulopoulos. Hosting a marathon of A-List interviews for his upcoming season of The Hour, George took it upon himself to invite FORT Apparel and a few other local companies to provide some true Canadian swag for the stars to take home to Hollywood. Everyone from Ed Norton to Snoop Dogg passed through for an interview, so make sure you check out the new episodes when they start airing September 28th on the CBC. (You can catch our cameo in the video above at 1:50!)

Back to School Sale!

We know all our school bound supporters are starting to think about looking good in the new year, so we've decided to make it easier with a sale on all Summer 2009 items! The sale will run right until September 1st, but make sure to give us some time to deliver if you're going out of town for your learning. Get yourself some FORT Apparel today!

FORT Apparel interview on BlogTO.com!

Check out our full length interview in the fashion section of BlogTO.com! The interview was a great opportunity to explain who we are and what we're about. After you've had a read, join us on Facebook and let us know what you think!

A message from Cabbie on Summer

I was walking downtown and realized that today was one of the nicest days so far this summer. Considering all the cold and wet days we've been having, I thought it might be the best time to share this candid appreciation for all things summer from FORT Apparel supporter and star of Cabbie Unlimited, Cabbie Richards. (Cameo appearance by "Home Field Advantage" on Red. )

1LoveTo.com Contest

Our friends over at 1loveto.com are running a contest and giving away some of the "One Year Anniversary" 416 Tees! Take a look around their great Toronto-centric site and be sure to participate in the contest before it closes on Friday!

One Year Anniversary and a Whole Lot of Thanks

FORT Apparel is happy to announce that we are celebrating our one year anniversary today! We're very thankful for all the local, national and international support we've received from the start. Special thanks go out to our friends over at spacing.ca, thinkcontra.com, formatmag.com, urbanebloc.com and new friends 1loveto.com and eighteensixtyseven.com for helping us get the word out. We also need to throw some strong appreciation towards day one supporters George Stroumboulopoulos, Cabbie Richards, 4Korners and Russell Peters.

Thanks is also due to our partners in crime over at STOLEN RICHES who have embraced the brand and made us a part of the family. Not mentioned by name but still owed great appreciation are all those behind the scenes people who have shown tremendous generosity from the start in the sharing of both their guidance and experience.

Last but not certainly not least are all of you awesome people out there with a piece of FORT Apparel in your closet. We couldn't have done it without you, so please keep doing what you're doing because we really appreciate it.

Before I forget, I should also mention that we're releasing a special new tee to celebrate the occasion! Updating the popular original "1992-1993" 416 tee with the new and improved print quality and labeling is the "One Year Anniversary" 416 tee! Maintaining the original colourway you all know and love, this new tee is available in two appropriate Jays colours(Royal Blue and Retro Blue) and available as you read this online and in store at STOLEN RICHES.

Thank you (again!).

Home Field Advantage on Purple

By popular demand, Home Field Advantage is now available on Purple! Not sure if everyone just has Lakers on the mind or what, but you've been asking and now we've answered.

Also, thanks to everyone that came out to Rolly's Garage for the Meet and Greet.

Stay tuned for an exciting release to celebrate FORT Apparel's One Year Anniversary on Wednesday, July 15!

FORT Apparel Meet and Greet at Rolly's Garage

Come out and join FORT Apparel at Rolly's Garage's "July Market" this coming Sunday. Converting a longstanding Ossington street autobody shop, the people behind Rolly's (124 Ossington Avenue) have created a full-fledged downtown venue where they host musical events, exhibit art and screen films. Following up on the success of their Night Market held June 27th, Rolly's is at it again this Sunday.

FORT Apparel will be on hand to take part in the festivities with many other local artists and talent. We're looking forward to meeting our supporters and will of course have some of the Summer 2009 on hand for sale for those who still haven't picked theirs up yet.

See you Sunday!

Happy Canada Day!

To celebrate Canada Day, we are offering free shipping on any Summer 2009 orders made between now and midnight tomorrow. No special steps necessary, FORT Apparel's Online Store will automatically eliminate the shipping charges for all orders of Summer 2009 going to Canadian addresses until midnight Canada Day.

Enjoy the holiday!

Forget publicity, this is just cool

Growing up in Canada, it goes without saying that playing hockey and idolizing the NHL was a big part of my childhood. So while having a photo of Cabbie wearing "Home Field Advantage" in Red is pretty cool on it's own, having one with him doing so while standing next to GORDIE HOWE is on a whole other level of cool. Photographs like this are the real bonus to the experience that has been FORT Apparel.

While Cabbie wasn't busy exchanging elbows with legends of the game, he used his spare time to conduct some quality NHL playoff interviews in typical Cabbie style in Cabbie's Journey to the Cup. One championship wasn't enough though, since he also made it out to Orlando to interview NBA Champion and MVP Kobe Bryant minutes after the victory. Cabbie Richards is like some kind of interviewing superhero.

Spreading the Word

Summer 2009 is getting some serious attention and I just wanted to take a moment to recognize our supporters out there. First off, thank you to everyone that has taken the time to join our brand new Facebook Page. It's the best spot for up to the minute info on FORT Apparel appearances, promotions and direct interaction with those of us behind the brand.

Secondly, I wanted to thank all our friends online who took the time to introduce FORT Apparel and Summer 2009 to the world:

• Format Magazine
• 1LOVETO
• CONTRA Blog
• urbanebloc
• Toronto Styles

Summer 2009 and FORTApparel.com v2.0

It would be easier to list what hasn't changed then what has here at FORT Apparel. We've put a lot of time and effort into improving the site every way we could possibly think of, so take a long look around! You can also now follow FORT Apparel on our brand new Facebook Page where you'll find exclusive content, members only promotions and up to the minute updates on FORT Apparel.

The improvements don't stop there! Summer 2009, now fully stocked in the Online Shop and at our exclusive stockist STOLEN RICHES, showcases dramatic improvement in our production process. Maintaining the perfect fit you've come to expect, we've begun using higher quality material, improved screenprints and brand new FORT Apparel labeling on all our Summer 2009 pieces.

You can find Summer 2009 hanging on the racks at STOLEN RICHES right now. In addition, only there will you find the exclusive, limited edition (1 of 100) FORT Apparel x STOLEN RICHES collaboration tees. We put together this one of a kind, sneaker inspired tee to celebrate the brand new exclusive home for FORT Apparel in Toronto. This limited edition 416 Tee is sure to sell out fast, so don't miss out.

Storytelling...

We've all had a story so far fetched that we don't even bother telling, mostly because we know that no one will believe us without proof. Such was the case when we sold a couple of 'bubblegum' tees to Toronto Mayor David Miller at the Spacing Magazine's 5th Anniversary party. Thinking no one would believe us, we'd decided to keep the story to ourselves ... until yesterday. The story became a lot more believable when Mayor Miller wore his shirt on national television.