The Junction has seen an uptick in breweries and restaurants lately, but those aren’t the only storefronts opening in the quickly changing neighbourhood. Tucked away near Dundas and Keele is Gerhard, a new men’s fashion store that pushes local Toronto designers.
It’s a concept that may just fit the Junction perfectly.
“In the Junction, you don’t have to convince the neighbourhood to shop local,” says owner Langton Willms. “They are already convinced it’s the way to go.”
At only 24 years of age, with a background in corporate store development at Aritzia, Willms is fully confident in his abilities to push Gerhard to the top of the fashion store food chain.
“I learned what I needed to learn from the corporate world,” Willms says. “But I’m too stubborn, passionate and opinionated to stay in that environment. I needed to venture out on my own.”
The eponymous store (Gerhard is Willms’ middle name) is spacious and clean, and any decor not made by Willms himself is either sourced locally or, at the very least, is Canadian-made. Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling are from Montreal’s Atelier Cocotte; the mirrors are from The Junction’s Forever Interiors and the walnut lounge chairs, covered with salvaged military blankets, are by Heidi Earnshaw Design.
A number of antiques — including a ’40s British military bicycle and a 1919 original Singer sewing machine with a gold sphinx on its side — are worked into the store’s decor, conveying a rugged but refined look.
For its debut, Gerhard’s spring/summer collection is mostly made up of four core local designers: Muttonhead, Outclass, Nozo and well-known retailer Philip Sparks. The Philip Sparks pieces were made in collaboration with Gerhard and will be available there exclusively (they cannot even be picked up at Philip Sparks’ Ossington boutique).
A 100 per cent cotton tailored dress shirt by Philip Sparks caught our eye, with a baby blue, yellow, green and cream gingham style pattern (picture above, $225). And while the clothing is solely Toronto-made, Willms does break his Toronto-only rule for some accessories, such as razors from Germany’s Merkur ($50-$70), brushes made of badger hair by Gold Dachs ($28) and hand-made combs by the UK’s Kent ($11-$15).
And though this is mostly a menswear store, there will be some unisex items for sale on the racks, so make sure you don’t leave your significant other at home.
Gerhard, 2949 Dundas St. West, 416-797-1290