Shared
82A Bathurst St. 
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Phone: 647.348.3374
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Shared got no love for years in Canada, but the super-soft tees have finally come home, with the local line opening a wee shop on Bathurst.
There, people can pick up tees, cardigans, and hoodies spun from Shared's prized Supima cotton, which is the highest grade available in the United States. It's shipped to Toronto, where it's knitted, dyed, washed, dried, cut, and sewn. "We want to really control the whole process," said co-owner Carlo Colacci.
But people weren't so hot on Toronto-made tees at first. "We've been wholesale for five years now. People didn't want local before, so we sold in New York, Los Angeles, and Japan. Canadian customers are kind-of conservative and followers," says Colacci.
But once the trend for local wares started, Colacci and his partner Joyce Lo thought it might be time for a TO try-out. After a pop-up shop next to The Drake was successful, the two stuffed their new permanent space with a half-and-half mix of men's and women's shirts.
Tees start at $38, tanks at $30, sweatshirts at $88, and cardigans at $85.
The palette will change with the seasons, although neutrals will always be on-hand. My favourites were the slouchy teal tank, and the white tees with that perfect worn-in feel (without the unsightly stains). It's practically Shared's trademark--according to Colacci, they want people to buy tees that feel like you've already worn it forever. Success? Yes.
I really dug the prints that the pair use on some of their tees: slogans include "Old Flames Are Dead Matches" and "Less Make-up, More Make-Out," and there was a lovely, spare math table gracing a few pieces. Shared hopes to start collaborating with local designers in the spring for some new designs. (Maybe you can pair 'em with the Ksubi jeans and Generic Surplus shoes also on sale here.)
But the best part? A full 50% of profits go toward charity. And when you buy something, you can write down your charity suggestion for where the cash should go.
Now that's sharing.
Photos by Eugen Sakhnenko.
Comments (30)
Half of the profits go to a charity, so really the t-shirt is 19 bucks... which isn't bad at all.
I don't think it's that Canadians are followers so much as Canadians don't want to spend $38 on a plain white tee. Giving half the profits to charity (and how much profit is that, really - net or gross?) is nice but a sustainable business model that offers Torontonians a Toronto-made product at a competitive price would, in the long-term, be better for the local economy.
Yes, but what constitutes "profit"? I'm sure the profit margin is no more than 50% with these locally-made shirts, so it's really about $28.50 for a t-shirt, with about $9.50 going to charity. Though $19 is still pretty steep in my books.
Kwil on November 3, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Half of the profits go to a charity, so really the t-shirt is 19 bucks... which isn't bad at all.
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The profit is not 38 bucks.
The price is 38 bucks.
The profit is the mark up on whatever the shirt cost.
So no, 19 bucks do not go to charity.
And yes, 38 bucks for a t shirt is still a bit ludicrous, since there's no way on earth one of these fuzzy wuzzy t shirts cost more than 6 or 7 or 8 bucks to make.
You are forgetting to factor in the rent these dudes are paying for the store. Unless they are hocking their shirts from the trunk of a car then that must be factored into the cost of everything they sell.
Um, Le_jenk, that isn't the slightest bit the beginning of a business plan behind these guys. At the end of the day, fixed or variable costs involved, slightly south of $40 for a tshirt is outrageous. Similar businesses selling shirts I've found in Toronto can go for $5 or less. Every store downtown or otherwise, either owns their location or pays rent.
Yes but, are those $5 shirts made in Canada, with Canadian minimum wage? Are they made of organic cotton, reducing pesticide poisoning to both workers and wearers of the shirts? Just like food, clothing has a "real" cost. Next time you buy a $5 shirt, ask yourself who made it, how much they were paid, and how many chemicals both of you are absorbing into your skin.
On the one hand, even American Apparel, which has high-rent locations all over the city, charges only about $20 for a made-in-the-USA t-shirt. On the other hand, Canada's clothing manufacturing industry is all but dead, and the capacity to make clothes for a reasonable price locally just doesn't really exist in Toronto. Regardless of that, what Shared is selling is not a t-shirt, but a status symbol. Nice fabric, nice box, and the warm fuzzies you get from supporting charity. If you want cheap, Canadian-made t-shirts, go to the Bay and buy a 2-pack of Stanfields (made in Nova Scotia).
Nothing says we have to use Canadian anything. Nor organic. Nor cotton. Clothing has a cost, regardless of where it's from or how it's made. Our economy is based upon importation of items from countries that have little respect of the aspects you mention. The low cost of these items makes them affordable to many.
Next time you see a $5 shirt, ask who is buying it and if they actually need clothing. I, have 3 biology degrees with an MBA. I've pretty much studied this most my academic lifetime, and I own companies that put stuff on the market. I've done nothing but ask myself these questions, and several you've never even thought about. Raising the cost of a tshirt to $40 isn't an option for a lot of people.
And tshirts don't necessarily have to be manufactured. Ever know how much second hand clothing is actually available? You know how many old tshirts are actually out there, not owned by individuals? You'd be amazed.
Yes, but you probably think nothing of blowing through $40 worth of pints on a Saturday night, or a weeks' worth of Starbucks.
To me, $38 to support a local with 50% going to charity is great value on many levels. I would totally check out their shop and buy a tee.
ps: Stanfields is great for wearing UNDER things.
Starbucks no, but beer, quite often. Tshirts are tshirts. I don't buy fluffy toilet paper either. My ass has never complained. %50% of profits. You don't know how their numbers are structured. As they say, "Statistics lie".
See you at the pub, Jane!
Rico do we need to attach our CV's now with our comments?
Obviously you are a true "expert" and "business man".
No, but having perspective always helps. To condemn or support something like this 100% is so Western thinking.
Also if you don't like input, the Internet might not be for you.
Supposed to? No, it's a discussion. Comments. You can have your opinions, but it's helpful to know all options before making a decision.
Is everybody supposed to take your approach to things? This all started with someone making a comment that $38 was too much for a tshirt. I think that's a pretty valid approach considering we're in a recession, don't you think?
I definately agree with you luke,
Also american apparel is now a worldwide brand who sells everywhere.
Its called economies of scale, 20 T-Shirts vs. 200 000 T-Shirts.
Do the math...
Just Reading through, and how many crazy people purchase those 500$ + Fendi, LV, Gucci Bags, that are made in china and cost only like 20 bucks.
Some people buy it cause they like it irrelevant of cost.
Really? There's no way that knitting, dyeing, cutting, and sewing a garment from raw cotton could take someone more than an hour?
if it's too expensive go somewhere else. seriously why are people still bitching like anyone cares what they think?
I'm so excited for this place! how soft are these tshirts exactly? I hope they have creative graphic art.
I'm so excited for this place! excited to see how soft these tshirts are exactly. hope they have good graphic t's.
Ugh...Torontonians are so cheap. It is for this reason and for lack of general style that when you walk around Toronto, if you're lucky, you'll find one person amongst a plethora of people who are atrociously dressed that has put together a decent outfit. $38 for a tee is an EXTREMELY reasonable price. Go to New York or Paris and you'll see that the independent designers are selling their tees for upwards of $90. If $38 is unreasonable to you, don't buy it. Simple as that...and it'll show. You wonder why there are maybe two good stores in Toronto? It's because almost nobody here is willing to pay the money for the good stuff.
That or most people here aren't as pretentious.
If a fancy t-shirt is your idea of being "cool and hip" the more power to you. Thankfully 99.9% of the population here see a bit more clearer on such things.
Clown.
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