The question: What happens when design is applied to an existing object in order to improve it in every possible way?

The statement: We have created a winter hat that we believe is the world’s best. It not only performs better than others, it is also socially responsible, taking absolute care that making it doesn’t cause harm (no matter the cost).

The Frontier Tuque is our first venture. It stands for quality over affordability as a way of understanding the hidden systems of commerce around us. As much art project as viable commercial enterprise, it is an argument against disposable fashion and for a return to craftsmanship—in every sense. It proclaims that design is far more than what a thing looks like; it’s about how it works, how it came to be, what it is made of, and who made it.

For the launch of this venture, we created an exhibition and pop-up event at Rally Ossington in Toronto. We knew we needed to tell the project’s story and a gallery exhibition became the perfect method to do so.