HBX City Guide: Montréal with Saintwoods
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Based out of Montréal, Saintwoods is a lot more than just a streetwear label. When the brand started in 2006 it was at the forefront of the nightlife scene, introducing cutting edge electronic and hip hop acts to Montréal. It was a multifaceted project where the founders threw parties, produced merchandise and even ran a music blog, before it slowly moved further into a streetwear label. Today, this multifacetedness is still in the blood of Saintwoods, operating the bar Apt. 200, the nightclub École Privée, and the restaurant SUWU.
With such a strong presence in the cultural development of the city, founders Zach Macklovitch and Nathan Gannage take us on a tour around Montréal, telling us their favorite spots and about the origins of Saintwoods.
HBX: What is the story behind Saintwoods and how is it related to Montréal?
SW: Named after an intersection in Toronto (St. Clair W. and Oakwood), the brand was first started when Nate was back in University. “We met while we were both working in the Montreal nightlife scene and it was through a desire to offer the city something different that we really connected.” says Zach, “When we started throwing parties together the scene in the city was borderline culturally segregated. And our goal was to always break that down, to create environments where young people from every background, every language, every income level, could just come together and have a good time."
HBX: How did you guys go from throwing parties to designing clothes?
SW: Saintwoods has always been a multi-faceted brand and clothing was always something we offered. That being said once we started framing the drops a bit more, doing look books and pop-ups, then it really started expanding to be its own thing. Our goal with it now is just to continue the growth, make sure the clothes keep getting better, that we offer more and more options and that the drops become more consistent. The clothing, like the events, or the hospitality properties, or even the vodka is just meant to be an extension of the overall lifestyle.
HBX: What does a first-time visitor need to check out when they’re in Montreal?
SW: I mean I think we’re definitely biased here but anyone visiting needs to come on Saint-Laurent. It’s the street where you’ll find our restaurant Suwu, bar Apt.200, and club École Privée but you can also find the DIME flagship store as well as the newest OTH location. It’s also the street where we have the art festival MURAL, we’ve been working as the music directors for them for about 5 years now and have done free block parties with artists ranging from Cam’ron to Pusha T to Post Malone.
HBX: What is your favourite hidden gem?
SW: Montreal’s filled with hidden gems so it’s hard to say. Both of us love a Wilensky’s Special, it’s a bologna sandwich that hasn’t changed in something like 80 years (my grandfather used to eat there as a kid). Other great hidden gems would be Kazu or Bremner; although I don’t know if it’s fair to call Bremner hidden anymore I just need to plug them somewhere because they’re family and the food’s amazing… I’m also just going to throw Candide and Omnivore in here too as I don’t think either spot gets nearly enough shine.
Check out the photos for a look at the Montréal City Guide by Zach and Nathan from Saintwoods, scroll below to shop the latest products from the brand.