Our Mission and Story
Scott and Janelle, Owners
We are artisans and entrepreneurs from Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, and we produce high quality hand woven garments with people right here in our own town! With 22 years of combined weaving experience, and seamstresses who have been sewing even longer than that... we are able to create beautiful garments that will stand the test of time.
Outsourcing and mass garment production using the cheapest manufacturer in countries with less labour laws has created an industry where people aren’t paid a living wage. Child labour and un-safe working conditions exist in these places. We don’t condone or support those practices which is why our business is different. Our staff are all paid a living wage and they share in our pride of workmanship. Canadian labour laws are some of the best in the world for protecting its’ workers and we are proud to support those standards.
Our belief is that high quality, small batch production and hand made garments will never go out of style! Cheaply made products that need to be replaced often just add to landfills and are a waste of money. Mass production of garments also contributes to the ever-growing global and ocean pollution issues as well. Janelle has worn one of her ponchos for almost 2 years, and it still looks as good as the day it came off the loom. Some of our baby wraps are over 5 years old, and still holding strong and beautiful. Our Quality page explains why not all hand woven fabric is created equal.
You as the consumer get to vote with your dollars. You get to decide what you want to support. We have been running our hand woven business for over five years now, and we know the difference that even just one purchase can make. Thank you for coming to visit us, and we hope you find a piece you will love and cherish for years to come!
What Made You Want To Start Erizo?
Erizo has always been accessible - that was the first thing we identified as important and missing from the market when we started. When Janelle was hunting for wraps back in 2013, it was hard to get what you wanted! There were always flippers on the market, fastest fingers sell outs, etc, and it was disappointing to always miss out. We all know that babies don’t stay little for long. When Scott & Janelle made their business model, it was always about offering as much to the market as what was being sought after. We don’t have the fanciest looms, or the craziest weave structures, or the expensive hand-dyed weft yarns - instead we offer a great product at a reasonable price, hand made in Canada with our staff all making a living wage. Supporting Erizo with your dollars has always shown us that our customers very much appreciate those values! Now as our kids have grown, so has our product line, to include hand woven garments using amazingly soft bamboo. We have been making and offering these for years! But unfortunately not many people knew. They are now the only products in our shop that we can continually have inventory for!
Why Erizo as a Name?
Erizo is Spanish for Hedgehog, and Hedgehog is Janelle’s nickname. Cute, right?!