Mission
Our Mission
For the last 15 years, we have been proud designers and manufacturers of eco-friendly fashion for men and women in Canada.
Our mission is to dress, nourish our souls, and protect our planet.
Through our ethical and conscious clothing, we want to touch people in their daily lives and remind them that together we can make a difference.
Our product is Canadian by conviction. Our commitment to sustainability, and to the community inspires us to always improve and find innovative ways of doing business. By being transparent about our practices, our challenges, our choices of organic or recycled materials, and the cost of our products, you will be able to understand the identity of our products.
The spirit of MESSAGE FACTORY and OÖM ÉTHIKWEAR collections is based on the respect of the environment and our community. We believe in local manufacturing that inspires kindness and respect in all aspects of life. Guiding all generations to adopt a socially and ecologically responsible lifestyle is our motivation.
MANUFACTURED IN FAIR AND EQUITABLE WORKING CONDITIONS,
WE OFFER QUALITY CLOTHING IN A CLIMATE OF TRANSPARENCY.
MADE IN CANADA
All Message Factory and Oöm Éthikwear garments are designed, cut, and made by responsible manufacturing partners located in Quebec. If we can't make it here, we won't create it. Manufacturing in Canada allows us to keep a close eye on quality and to work closely with our local partners at each stage of the production process. It may seem odd to you, but we visit all of our manufacturers. Most mass clothing brands never see the inside of their factories. Far from the practices of Fast Fashion, we know exactly who made each piece of garment.
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FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS
Buying locally-made clothing stimulates the economy and creates jobs for your neighbors, friends, or family. It also assures you that the workers who made your clothes have safe working conditions, fair wages and that they are treated equally. Although these rights may seem fundamental, they are simply not guaranteed in many of the countries where clothing is made today.
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LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT
Garment production accounts for 70% of the fashion industry's overall carbon footprint, and Fast Fashion emits 1.2 trillion tonnes of CO2 per year. These emissions come from production facilities, transportation, and shipping methods, as well as environmental impacts related to raw materials. The most significant sources of waste related to fashion are textile waste at the production stage and the surplus clothing produced. The more we manufacture, the more we pollute, and the more we have to find solutions to dispose of surpluses.
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1% TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
We are in the era of greenwashing. It becomes difficult for the consumer to understand and differentiate what is significant and what is a "green" marketing cover-up. At MESSAGE FACTORY and OÖM ETHIKWEAR, we do not surf a wave. We are the wave, the sea, the ocean, all at once. For this reason, we are proud to donate 1% of our sales to local organizations that make a difference for our community and the planet.
We’re not perfect, but we always strive to do better. Not to seduce you, but simply because it is essential to us. We hope you will join us in our mission to make a difference! We want to inspire you to also make small gestures. Because our actions added to yours can make all the difference.
SMALL ACTIONS MULTIPLIED BY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAN TRANSFORM THE WORLD!
EVERY LITTLE STEP MATTERS
Americans alone throw away 14 million tonnes of textiles a year, and, in Canada, textile waste accounts for 8 to 12% of landfills waste. At Message Factory we do not waste fabrics. We do some upcycling to recuperate and sew new products from scrap fabric. Also, in our store in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, we take back any item of clothing that you wish to part with to give them a second life.
Even though we offer a wide range of new eco-friendly clothing, we recognize that the most ethical option for the survival of the planet is the clothing you already own. We are committed as a Canadian clothing company to offer the most eco-friendly product there is. As a consumer, we ask you to review your needs, recuperate, transform, donate or sell your used clothing.
“BUY LESS, CHOOSE WELL, MAKE IT LAST” - VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
BIOGRAPHY
It all started in 2005! At the time, Julie Rochefort, the founder of Message Factory, was already dreaming of changing the world. Dressing bodies and nourishing the soul seemed to her to be her best talents to be exploited to achieve this. She then designed her first inspirational messages, which then were printed on organic cotton t-shirts. Message Factory was born!
The same year, Oöm Ethikwear came to life. The company had an equally modest but no less promising start. Oöm made his debut in Montreal fashion by printing its first positive message on fifty t-shirts: We all have a dream. It was enough to mark the start of a great adventure in Quebec fashion!
During the 10 years which followed their creation, Message Factory and Oöm Éthikwear swim against the current with their social conscience, their local production, and their organic clothing. Each on their side, they accepted no compromise to build authentic, ethical, and inspiring fashion. Despite the growth of Fast Fashion, they wanted to demonstrate that it’s was possible to buy locally, at a competitive price, a quality product, made here.
This quest finally led them to join forces in 2015. Message Factory then acquired Oöm Éthikwear. This acquisition allowed Message Factory to make ethical fashion even more accessible.
Today, the two collections are imagined in our Old St-Jean workshops. They are produced locally and ethically throughout Quebec. Recognized for its timeless cuts, the Message Factory brand combines unique prints and relaxed femininity, while Oöm Éthikwear offers consumers urban and committed clothing.
Our latest collections are available in over a hundred retailers across Canada and the United States, as well as through our online store.