Victoria-based Basecamp Repairs was born when Alex and Nic met working for a national outdoor equipment retailer and realized many products were being returned or thrown away when they could be easily repaired. They had already been repairing their own gear for years, so why couldn’t they help others as well? The Basecamp mission is to reduce waste by extending the lifespan of outdoor equipment through repairs and maintenance.

Shyne Eyewear is a student-run social enterprise from the University of Ottawa that aims to build a community of change makers who can move fashion forward into a sustainable future.

Up Pet is a Canadian brand, creating upcycled accessories for pets and their humans. Up Pet officially began in 2019, while founder Clavia Castilhos was doing her post grad in sustainable fashion production at George Brown. She already had 10+ years experience working in the fashion industry in Brazil, and understood the nature of the industry’s challenges, especially textile waste. She was excited to learn about the Salvation Army challenge encouraging designers to upcycle post-consumer textiles, particularly home textiles and linens, to divert them from landfills. Being a lifelong pet lover, Clavia had also noticed a gap in the market for sustainable pet accessories. And so Up Pet was born!