We heard from John Jay in the Fall. He was in touch to tell us about the very groovy new lapel pins he and a few friends dreamed up and launched out of Leslieville late last year. They are already taking Toronto by storm and making sure guys and gals all over town are styling. We were happy to have local writer, Jennifer Smith Gray hop on board to tell their story with style. We wish Hook and Furl the best of luck with their business and hope to see many of you sporting their avant garde lapel pins soon!
On a computer, the story pdf is at righ. On a browser? Here’s the copy…
FROM QUEEN STREET EAST TO THE RED CARPET, HOOK AND FURL IS RUFFLING FEATHERS IN MEN’S FASHION – IN A GOOD WAY. THE TORONTO COMPANY USES FEATHERS, BUTTONS AND BRIGHT THREAD TO MAKE UNIQUE LAPEL PINS FOR MEN WHO WANT TO SHOW SOME FLARE AND INDIVIDUALITY IN THEIR ATTIRE.
A partnership of four, actor John Fitzgerald Jay, fashion school graduate Lindsay Batemen, PhD student Mark Abraham, and marketing guru Jeff Kent (who has since moved away from the business), Hook and Furl got its start in Leslieville, where Jeff, John, and Lindsay initially connected at local hotspots. Later, John was officiating at a wedding where he met Mark, who was wearing one of the pins. “I said ‘Man, that’s great.’ and he said ‘I made it today to wear tonight.’,” explains John. “I offered him $50 for it. He refused, but I got his name and number.”
After that, Mark joined the other three and they brainstormed. “This strange project with this group of people came together,” says Lindsay. Soon they had an order due in a week, but no company name and no idea of how to make the pins. They hunkered down for a weekend at Jeff’s, tried a variety of techniques, and refined the product and sewed together their first 60 pins.
Gotstyle in the Distillery District stocked that first batch, and now, in just under four months, Hook and Furl is in eight Toronto boutiques. The pins resemble fly fishing hooks and use some of the same assembly techniques and materials. Men, and their stylists, are taking the bait. Television host Ben Mulroney wore the Ess model to the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards in February, and Canadian musician Aion Clarke owns the Sage. Record producer David Foster recently acquired a model exclusive to local tailor Garrison Bespoke.
These accessories are not just for celebrities though. “They’re perfect for the older businessman in a suit or sports coat, but also for the twenty-something in a jean jacket or a leather coat. We like the idea of the range,” says Lindsay. They’ve made a point of keeping them affordable to accommodate that range, at $45 – $60 each.
“We’re online too. We have an Etsy shop,” says John. “This completes another piece of our strategy.” John notes that there are tens of thousands of lapel pins for sale in the online marketplace Etsy, but they are not fazed. They feel their unique materials and design set Hook and Furl apart.
They continue to fashion the products by hand, using found or locally sourced materials. “My mom lives in the country and collects feathers. She gave us a whole bunch,” says Lindsay. “It’s nice, because we know where they came from; they’re naturally found, and more beautiful than ones found in the stores.” They also raid Lindsay’s aunt’s button collection, scavenge at markets, and visit local suppliers.
The shops selling the lapel pins are located throughout Toronto, but the team values their east-end roots and the support they have received there. From first encounters at Leslieville bars and brainstorming sessions at the Dark Horse Coffee House, to kitchen assembly lines and impromptu sales with holiday shoppers in the area, Queen Street East is home for Hook and Furl. “It’s how we connected” says John. “It is fostering our growth.” If you want your own lovely local lapel pin, keep your eyes open locally or visit www.hookandfurl.com.
