Crywolf originally started as an online boutique called p0isson, but owners Stephanie Drabik and Rose Chang decided to transform their upstart business and rebrand it. Now, in addition to having a snazzier name, the shop also has a bricks-and-mortar location, which had its grand opening a few weeks ago on Ossington.
“We did a pop-up shop last year for a few weeks,” says Drabik. “It gave us the idea to do a retail shop.”
The brand is simple, but high on quality and heavy on whimsy. With backgrounds in art, both Drabik and Chang design many of the goods, including the jewellery and the screen-printed shirts. They also handle the non-glamourous aspects of running a retail store, such as buying materials and coding the website.
The space is an all-in-one shop with enough room to print shirts and house inventory under one roof. For womenswear, offerings include loose-fitting shirts and tank tops made from bamboo cotton. There are also a few men’s products, such as screen-printed shirts ($28) and baseball T-shirts ($30). Necklaces feature cute, fantastical creatures ($25 each).
“Our aesthetic is really a mish-mash of different styles,” says Drabik. “But mostly it’s stuff we find kind of weird and fun,” Chang adds.
Surprisingly, Crywolf also sells a few products for dogs (due to the owners’ affection for canines). Drabik and Chang hand-stamp letters onto custom dog tags ($5-$10 depending on the size; $1 per letter), which gives each piece a unique feel. Customized leather leashes ($32-$38) are also available, and Drabik and Chang plan to release a line entitled Woof Pack, which will include sweaters and hoodies for dogs.
It’s worth mentioning that most of the products are made in Toronto or elsewhere in Canada, including terrariums by Crown Flora, brooches by Ness Lee, stationary by Bespoken or wood-transferred Toronto Archive photos by The Button Machine.
“We are huge supporters of indie and crafted things,” says Chang. “The stuff we pick is the stuff we like personally.”
Crywolf, 91 Ossington Ave., 647-729-7078
