45. Dani Reiss, CEO Canada Goose
What does it take to create a great brand? An innovative product? A recognizable logo? A strong digital marketing strategy? In a world where people are constantly inundated with a cacophony of marketing gibberish, it’s hard for any one business to cut through the clutter and stand out from the rest. The mark of a brand that has truly succeeded is simple – it resonates with people. Such is the case for premium outerwear company, Canada Goose. So much so, that in the last five to seven years, the brand has skyrocketed into ubiquity as winter’s unofficial sponsor.
It’s not hard to see the impact that Canada Goose has had on the outerwear industry. Just take a step outside on a chilly day and you’ll be hard-pressed not to notice their signature round badges emblazoned on the arms of every third person you walk past. In a market that has typically been oversaturated with performance outerwear and uninspiring cold-weather garb, there were few options available for those that desired quality, function and style. Enter: Canada Goose, and their mighty captain, Dani Reiss.
Born in 1973, Reiss had never intended on joining the family business. He aspired to be a writer, earning a Bachelor of Arts and Literature degree at the University of Toronto in 1996. It wasn’t until a business trip to Germany that he saw the true potential of what Canada Goose could grow into. Originally, the company operated under two names: Snow Goose in Canada, and Canada Goose in Europe (because Snow Goose had already been registered as a business there). Europeans received the product well, attributing its rugged sophistication and functionality to the Canadian wilderness. Reiss later became president and CEO of the company in 2001, and consolidated the business under one centralized, focused name: Canada Goose.
Reiss’ product is not a revolutionary one. Yes, the quality is great and it does what it advertises. But there are other similar companies that exist within the luxury realm, and outside of it, that share these same qualities. Many who have seen great success will tell you that it’s not about being the first to do something, but rather, being the best at doing it. At a time where consumers are growing less and less interested with visual branding, people still want to wear the Canada Goose logo. They aspire to be part of a tribe and own a piece of a company that they admire. And there’s a reason for that. The success of Canada Goose has come from not only a solid product, but strategic business decisions that have all been made under Reiss’ leadership. A decade after he took over, the company saw a jaw-dropping 4000 percent in growth, and is now available in 50 countries around the world. Those kinds of numbers don’t just come from a guy that doesn’t know what he’s doing.
At the heart of his business, authenticity has always come first for Dani Reiss. With fast fashion and e-commerce at an all-time high, consumers are becoming divided between those who prefer the disposable, and those who demand sincerity and integrity from the companies they choose to invest their dollars into. Authenticity, now more than ever, could not be more important for a company like Canada Goose. Luckily, Reiss’ intuition has been strong from the start, which is why he chose to remain “Made in Canada” from the get-go when everyone else was jumping ship to produce offshore. Tackling winter is a part of our national identity. And for a company that specializes in making high-quality parkas, it would make no sense to produce anywhere but here on home turf. That decision to stay is the very foundation that can be attributed to the success of Canada Goose. It’s the reason why they have such a diverse consumer profile that loves the brand. Reiss has managed to get his parkas on everyone, from those living in the arctic to celebrities at the Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals (which they strategically sponsored) to the Europeans who have been there from the start. He’s managed to make Canadian cool (no pun intended), and with a range of new product lines on the way, it’s only upwards from here for this homegrown brand.
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