On the cusp of Julia losing her (what was supposed to be) dream job, and just before Connor graduated from design school, grays was born as a pivot towards purpose. 

Founded in pursuit of a deeper connection to their community, and fuelled by Julia’s search for a tailored blazer that would fit her petite frame, we started looking at the possibilities of creating in our home province of Ontario. 

With no fashion or patternmaking experience, Julia relied on her wine education background to become the blueprint for her approach to design. Like any good wine will tell you, everything starts with place.

In a sense, the grays story is no different. It begins with the discovery of 100% Ontario wool— farmed regeneratively, washed, spun, and woven locally.

Inspired by the possibilities of natural fibres, we began drawing on lessons learned from wine to develop our pieces, honing in on the benefits of sourcing for and from Ontario’s climate (our favourite wines are hybrid grapes, made with grapes designed for Ontario’s soil and that locals should recognize).

Rethinking design standards as an outsider, privileging function and natural qualities over current conventions. Over the course of two years, we sought out partners who cared as deeply for the textile and shared our desire to bring our designs to life. 

With a story too important to only live online, we opened a space where it could be shared and experienced by our community, alongside the work of other designers also in pursuit of possibilities of natural materials, local production and quality-made garments.

From their small shop in Toronto’s Little Portugal, Julia and Connor are committed to pushing the possibilities of local production and discovering new textiles that can be grown close to home into the ever-evolving world of grays.