My name is Eric Padan, and the apparel industry runs through my veins. My grandfather ran a sewing factory in Montreal. My father and his identical twin brother took things a step further and built a successful womenswear brand that was in business for over 40 years. I literally grew up in this industry: playing hide-and-seek in the warehouse as a kid, and coming in to label samples during the summer as a teenager.

As an adult, I first worked for the family business, and then for other Montreal-based fashion brands. At my family business, I got to walk before I ran, and learnt by shadowing people with far more experience than me. By the end of my time there, I was representing our brand at trade shows across Canada, the USA, and Europe. When I left the nest for a smaller, younger company, I got to experience building everything from the ground up. With few resources available, I learnt to innovate and adapt.

Like many people, I experienced a dramatic shift when the pandemic hit. My status quo was interrupted, and it forced me to ask myself what I really wanted in life. I’ve come to understand more and more that I need to find meaning in what I do. I already understood the major environmental and social impact that our industry has, but I finally feel empowered to do something about it. I’d had a brief chance to sell sustainable clothing, and I saw that clearly I wasn’t the only one who had issues with the status quo. I’ve decided now to reinvent myself with this agency, and devote myself to raising the bar, and making sustainable and ethical fashion mainstream.