Our First Ever Local Tie Dye Collab

INTRODUCING: Northern Reflections x Hillary Chu Collab

Our Limited Edition Hand Dyed Tie Dye Iconic Logo Sweatshirts

There's an exceptional story behind our newest Tie Dye Iconic Logo Sweatshirts. It all began in Paris, France when our VP of Product Development & Design, Judi Marshall, stumbled across a vintage Northern Reflections Loon Sweatshirt that had been tie-dyed blue – and an idea was born

One day, while walking through her neighbourhood, Judi saw a woman wearing a gorgeous blue tie-dyed dress. After stopping to speak to the woman, Judi was given the contact of a local Toronto Tie Dye artist, Hillary Chu. And so, our first-ever Local Tie Dye Collaboration started!

Hillary's tie-dye journey began when she was 11 years old, at a Thanksgiving dinner with her family. As a result of an accidental spill of red wine on her father's shirt, she decided to attempt to revitalize the shirt using tie-dye. Thirteen years later, Hillary's love of tie-dye continues and now, it’s thriving as a small business.

For our collaboration with Hillary, she was inspired by how the window frost and its unique abstract patterns – something that can also be achieved with the tie-dye process. Just like these frost formations, each tie-dyed piece is an extremely unique one-of-a-kind style.

The process to create one of these hand-dyed sweatshirts is arduous. When working, Hillary first must tie each sweater with elastic bands, which is fundamental to achieving the perfect tie-dye effect. For best results, Hillary recommends flipping the shirt backwards and tying it in the bottom left corner to create a perfect swirl on the front.

Once secured with elastic bands, Hillary dunks the sweatshirts into a big vat of dye before removing them. To achieve the light blue tie dye, Hillary uses an indigo dye that starts as a yellow/green liquid. Because of the fabric blend used in our sweatshirts, the dye oxidizes and turns blue when it is taken out of the vat. To achieve the unique dye pattern, Hillary ties the sweaters up so the dye only colours the exposed fabric. 

Due to the nature of the dye, the sweatshirt cannot be squeezed out after being dunked in the dye. If it is, too much oxygen will be introduced into the dye and the final colour will be off. This part of the process cannot be rushed, as the sweaters need time to set properly overnight. After the dye is set, the sweaters are then washed to ensure that the dye is set.

If you would like the opportunity to snag one of these highly anticipated sweatshirts, you can purchase it online here or visit this link to see where you can find it at a store near you.