Best in Style

 

Just Sultan
If you attended Toronto Menswear Fashion Week, you may already be familiar with Just Sultan’s bold take on haberdashery. Toronto-based designer Sultan Sandur’s fresh material selection and dedication to handmade craftsmanship help make each of his bow ties, pocket squares and lapel pins especially daring and unique. In the future, hometown heroes should look out for his line of photoprint pocket squares, each depicting a different digitally-manipulated Toronto landmark.

 

The Common-Folk
Launching at this year’s show, The Common-Folk takes Japanese fabrics and selvedge to create memorable and tough neckties, bow ties and pocket squares—put together right here in Toronto. The designer’s pattern selection is chock full of microfloral prints and stripes in indigo dyes that will soften over years of adventuring into a world traveler’s favourite accessory.

 

Yo Sox
Since Toronto Menswear Fashion Week, Yo Sox’ cachet has effectively doubled as they’ve grown into one of the city’s biggest names in, you guessed it, socks. The brand puts self-expression at the forefront, offering both men and women dozens of high-quality socks in patterns ranging from subtle to bold. Match a pair with your kicks and rock the court. 

Best in Grooming

 

King’s Crown 1774
Fittingly, this new grooming brand was launched by a descendent of the original founders of Solingen, Germany, home to some of Europe’s most famous blade makers. King’s Crown draws on centuries of swordmaking tradition to produce modern shaving accessories, including straight razors, safety razors and more. The company also produces a full range of skincare products that includes handsomely-scented cleansers, shaving creams and moisturizers.

 

Cutthroat Shaving Company
Everything Cutthroat Shaving Company makes is done by hand and in small batches in Canada. Yes, even their straight and safety razors, whose custom wooden handles are hand-turned. They take the same DIY ethic to their selection of beard oils, shaving soap and dapper aftershaves.

 

Man Up
Attending their sophomore show was Man Up, a gutsy brand that has grown since the last expo. The Toronto company makes organic cosmetics and all-natural makeup for men—you read that last part correctly—free of any unnecessary chemicals or stigmas. There’s cover-up sticks, foundation and even mascara for dudes. Facial cleansers and oil fragrances round out Man Up’s more accessible offerings.

Everything else

 

Best booze: Stalk & Barrel by Still Waters Distillery
Keeping liquor domestic is this new single malt whisky from Still Waters Distillery, Ontario’s first micro-distillery. Stalk & Barrel is made from 100 per cent Canadian barley and non-chill filtered to create a full-bodied dram with distinctly Canadian notes of caramel and a touch of maple.

 

Best tech: Giftagram
This simple app for iOS lets you send one of your contacts a gift by text. Giftagram has local partnerships with the Drake General Store, Mombacho Cigars, Baxter of California, Vitaly Designs and more brands, meaning you can give anything from grooming accessories to homebrew kits.

 

Best fragrance: Scent Trunk
Custom scents go mail order with Scent Trunk, a subscription service based out of Kingston, Ontario that sends you a monthly dose of three fragrances tailored to your preferences. Oh, and it’s for a wallet-friendly fee of only $15.

 

Best cause: Thank You Toronto