Winner
Sandon Automatic Wristwatch by Barrington Griffiths Watch Company
Made in Calgary
$580
bgwatch.com
This premium, mechanical watch was inspired by the Canadian railway and pays homage to early railroad pocket watches in its design. Mark Barrington Griffiths, an industrial designer by trade, has been making watches since 2010 and created the first Sandon concept in November 2021. “I’ve always had this desire to design interesting products and I have collected watches over my lifetime,” he says.
Griffiths restores his own collectable watches, as well as motorcycles and vehicles like a 1984 Volkswagen van. He first started laying down the foundation of what would become the Sandon about a decade ago, by converting an old pocket watch into a wristwatch. Described as a “rugged, daily wear” watch and made to withstand extreme conditions in sports, work and outdoor use, the Sandon has customers who are construction workers, rock climbers, ski patrollers and medical professionals. Devoid of any electronic functions, instead, the Sandon is powered by the movement of the wearer, but can be wound if needed.
It features a stainless-steel case made in Leduc, Alta., and leather straps cut from Horween Chromexcel bovine hide. The dark-blue dial is inspired by blue steel that was used to protect tools and other steel parts in early 20th-century railways. The watch also has sapphire crystals on the front and back and an enameled brass watch dial.
“There was a strong connection between railways and watches in the early days of rail travel,” says Griffiths. “The timing of trains was done manually with pocket watches. Every conductor and engineer had a pocket watch, and they had to be synchronized. An error in timing could mean more than one train would be on a track at the same time, resulting in disaster.”
What the judges said: “The Sandon is a timeless timepiece that will last for generations. This watch is a grand beauty!” Haithem Elkadiki
Fashion and Accessories Category Runners-Up
HBC Stripe Coat by Allan David Bespoke Tailoring
Made in Calgary
$3,000
allandavidbespoke.com
One of last year’s Fashion runners-up, Allan David Bespoke Tailoring is back this year with another stunning piece of outerwear, the HBC Stripe Coat, which is handcrafted from the iconic HBC Point Blanket. To create the HBC Stripe Coat, bespoke tailor Allan David Sinclair starts with a personalized client consultation that includes determining cloth, styling, measurements and other preferences, before an individual pattern is crafted for each client’s coat. The first HBC Stripe Coat was made for interior designer Brian Gluckstein in 2023 for the 20th anniversary of GlucksteinHome at Hudson’s Bay. One standout feature of this coat is that the weight and density of the wool material makes it exceptionally warm, therefore ideal for Canadian winter nights.
Little Adventurer Pant by Fyne
Made in Canmore
$28.99
fyneproducts.com
Used jeans that are too damaged for resale on the second-hand market (usually with large rips but lots of usable material otherwise) make up the main ingredient, known as “pre-adventured denim,” in a pair of Little Adventurer Pants. Once the used jeans are acquired, they’re sanitized, deconstructed and then remade into the Little Adventurer pant and other styles of children’s pants by maker Fyne. All Little Adventurer pants are unique and vary in colour because they are made from used jeans, but they still share common characteristics like being individually numbered and having waistband and ankle cuffs made from an organic rib knit of 95 per cent organic cotton and 5 per cent spandex.
Lined Linen Robe by Affine Fibers
Made in Calgary
$200 to $225
affinefibers.ca
The soft, organic, double-gauze cotton lining of this linen robe is a lightweight and breathable garment that’s perfect for relaxing in luxury. Affine in Italian means “descended from the same root,” and Affine Fibers believes that the idea of inheriting values and a way of life from our ancestors is connected to traditional, proven ways of clothing people, for instance with their use of linen for the Lined Linen Robe. Linen has been used for thousands of years and is still a comfortable and long-lasting fabric in use today. The Lined Linen Robe uses linen and cotton that is OEKO-TEX certified. The robe is practical too, with deep inseam pockets, a wide belt, sleeves that easily roll up and by being machine washable. Currently available in black with pink lining (lava), magenta with taupe lining (starfish), mint green (seafoam), navy blue with charcoal lining (deep blue sea) and one patterned option called starlight.
