This Is What 125 Years Of Fashionably Functional Footwear Looks Like (Win!)

Style is one thing, longevity is another. And, in the world of fashionable footwear, no one knows that better than Kamik Canada. Kamik is an eco-responsible Canadian brand that offers a complete range of versatile footwear and accessories for the whole family (think shoes, winter boots, rain boots, liners and more). Not only is Kamik getting set to launch its incredible Fall/Winter 2023 collection, it’s also celebrating its 125th anniversary this year! We sat down to a fascinating interview with Kamik CEO Gillian Meek to learn more. —Noa Nichol

Hello Gillian! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Hello! My name is Gillian Meek and I am the CEO of Kamik Canada Inc. I’ve been in the footwear industry for more than 20 years as an innovative and strategic leader, most notably at Keds! I also champion women in the workplace, and am an active member of the Women in Footwear Industry (WIFI), which allows me to lead and mentor others as they grow in the space.

Kamik is celebrating its 125th Anniversary; this is an absolutely incredible milestone! Please tell us when the brand was launched, by whom and why, and what niche it was/is aiming to fill.

The Kamik brand was launched way back in 1898 (then known as Genfoot Inc.), more than 125 years ago! When you think about the longevity of this brand, it was created during the industrial revolution, it has been through wars, the Great Depression and, of course, the Global Pandemic. It has endured through the ages, and the same can be said about our footwear! Kamik was started by the Cook family, immigrants who had come to Canada and had a dream to build a footwear company that made products in Canada/North America, utilizing resources found in our rich backyard here in Canada. After 125 years, we’re proud to say that to this day, over 70 per cent of our products are made here in North America with Canadian and imported materials.

What products has/does Kamik offer, and what makes them unique?

Kamik offers a wide range of footwear for the family and apparel for kids. We are most famous for our durable and reliable winter boots, and we offer products that can be worn year-round, such as sandals, rain boots and casual fall footwear. We’re also extremely proud to launch our multi-sport collection this fall, which enables families to step outside and enjoy the outdoors with footwear designed for light hiking. What makes our product unique is that it is made with more than 125 years of history and knowledge. Each pair of footwear is made with human hands, stitched and crafted with care. We promise our product will keep you and your loved ones safe, comfortable and protected, no matter the season and the weather.

Sustainability is a huge part of what you do as a brand; please fill us in on the ongoing efforts to be an environmentally friendly footwear label.

Yes, sustainability is a huge part of our brand, and has been inherent to it ever since we first started. We’ve had practices in place since the early 1990s, especially with our domestic manufacturing in Canada and the USA. Here are some fun facts:

• We have zero-waste targets in all our domestic production plants, with our factory in New Hamburg, Ontario being the first to reach this target in 2017.
• All our plants run on renewable energy, no fossil fuels are used to run our machinery.
• We have a rubber recycling program; consumers can send us their well-loved Kamik rubber rain boots (if they can’t be donated!) and we will regrind and re-use it in a new pair of black rubber rain boots. We recycle enough rubber in our Montreal factory to produce 360,000 new black rain boots per year!

Beyond manufacturing, we are also always on the lookout for sustainable materials and partners to add more sustainable features to our products, such as only using gold-rated leathers as designated by the Leather Working Group, and we’ve strategically added Bloom technology into new key styles for this FW 2023.

Speaking of which, to celebrate 125 years, Kamik has released its Heritage Collection; please, tell us more/what’s special about this range.

We are extremely proud of our 1898 Kamik Heritage Collection. It was designed for the great Canadian outdoors, with the best of our craftsmanship and expertise. Most of our collection is made in North America, with Canadian and imported materials. What makes this collection unique is its look and feel. With the warm felt and knit uppers, leather details and the domestically heeled rubber bottoms, our Heritage boots are perfectly suited for Canadians. This season, we’re very excited about our Lauren series within the Heritage collection, which has a modern (yet Canadian!) look and feel and features real shearling details. Our star of our 1898 Heritage collection is our beloved Sienna series, which feature warm leather and knit mixed uppers on our signature rubber bottoms to protect your feet and keep the warm and dry during our cold and wet Canadian winters.

It’s been a hot summer, but Canadians know not to be fooled: winter is coing! When it comes to warm and protective footwear for various cold-weather pursuits (from navigating through the city to adventuring in nature), what are some of your top tried-and-true tips?

We live by one motto: there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad footwear. When choosing the perfect winter boots for you and your family, there are three things that all Canadians should consider: warmth, waterproofness and of course, style. We have an incredible range of footwear with varying levels of warmth, so our fans from coast to coast can find the perfect level to keep their feet warm this winter. Of course, keeping them dry is just as important, and all Kamik winter boots have levels of waterproofness. Whether it’s rain, slush or snow, feet will be dry in Kamik winter boots. And lastly, style! Fads come and go, but Kamik footwear is designed to be timeless so that you’ll never get tired of your Kamik footwear season over season.

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Win! A Pair Of Kamik Boots In Your Size!

Congrats Darline C. of Blandford, NS, who will receive a pair of Kamik Lauren Lo ($199.99) or Abigail ($129.99) boots! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.