LINCOLN SQUARE — If it looks like a gaggle of polar explorers has invaded Chicago, blame it on the Goose.
Canada Goose, manufacturer of "extreme outerwear" since 1957 — its products are standard issue in Antarctica — appears to be on the verge of supplanting North Face and its ubiquitous "Metropolis" coat as the parka of choice in certain parts of the city.
"You're not imagining it. It's definitely, as they say, 'trending,'" Brent Weiss, owner of Uncle Dan's outdoor outfitters, 4724 N. Lincoln Ave., said of Canada Goose's surging popularity.
How sought after are these coats?
Moosejaw, a Lincoln Park retailer that specializes in outdoor gear, has been burglarized four times in the last year, with thieves specifically targeting Canada Goose merchandise to the tune of $100,000 in stolen goods, employees say.
Even if the name Canada Goose doesn't ring a bell, you've likely seen the company's coats. They're emblazoned with a hard-to-miss logo patch that despite having been created decades before the rise of the Internet is somehow perfectly designed for selfies and social media.
"It's the badge of honor," said Weiss, who's been a student of outerwear trends since the 1970s.
Celebrities from Daniel Craig to Morgan Freeman and Drake to David Beckham have been photographed in the Goose. But the brand's real star making turn came in 2013 when model Kate Upton wore the Goose, and not much else, on the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue.
That kind of cache comes at a price. Canada Goose parkas — made from real goose down and coyote fur, among other materials — typically retail for $700-$800.
They aren't the biggest ticket parka on the market — Weiss noted that Moncler coats, at $2,000 a pop, make the Goose "look like Burlington Coat Factory" — but the Goose is definitely a step up in cost from North Face or Patagonia.
"They're good ... they make a good quality coat," Weiss said, but he added that the Goose has also been very savvy about cultivating its image.
"Their distribution is very selective, they're cognizant of who's selling them," he said. "If Sports Authority or Dick's Sporting Goods has big round racks of something ... that's a commodity. They don't overproduce, so there's not a glut."
A reputation built on perceived exclusivity and luxury is a far cry from the company's roots. Canada Goose was originally embraced by the kind of hard core northerners who built the Alaska pipeline or competed in the famous Iditarod race.
Successive generations of owners gradually increased Canada Goose's profile but as recently as eight or 10 years ago, Weiss said he rejected overtures from the company to carry its coats.
"We said, 'This isn't the Antarctic. It's too expensive.' Nobody knew that brand," he recalled.
Enter the North Face "Metropolis" coat — the black parka that took Chicago by storm.
"When North Face came out with that coat, it was revolutionary," largely because the parka was knee length, Weiss said.
He couldn't keep the coat in stock. Each year he'd order more, each year he'd sell out.
"After five years, every woman's got it," Weiss said. "Nobody comes into our store and asks, 'What do you have that's old?' They want what's new. That's the nature of this business."
Three or four years ago, he decided to take a chance on Canada Goose, which by then had become one of the bigger players at the outerwear industry's annual trade show in Salt Lake City.
Persuading Uncle Dan's customers to give the coat a second look was "an uphill battle" at first, Weiss said.
Staff had to be trained on the coat's quirkier features, including a pair of straps that turn the parka into a sort of cape when the wearer moves indoors, say for a shopping trip to Water Tower Place.
Slightly more than a year ago, Weiss said he noticed that the Goose had gained a strong foothold in Lincoln Park and has now spread to Southport and Lincoln Square.
The $700 to $800 question, of course, is whether Canada Goose is worth the money.
It depends, according to Weiss.
Canada Goose coats are legitimately warm, he said. In fact, at trade shows, Canada Goose invites attendees to put on a parka and step into an on-site meat locker.
"It's totally scientific," Weiss said. "They test them on mannequins in a freezer."
Do we really need to dress like Arctic explorers while texting from the coffee shop? [Facebook/Canada Goose]
Do Chicagoans need that much coat?
"When somebody comes into our store and asks, 'What's your warmest coat?' we always say, 'Tell us what you're doing with this.' If you're going to the train, yes, you have to have everything covered. But if you're in and out of a car you need something not as cumbersome," Weiss said.
Then there's the little matter of whether the Canada Goose is already on its way out.
Weiss said he thinks the trend "still has legs" but is "right at the tipping point," with Ugg boots perhaps being a good comparison.
"The people who at one point were early adopters and felt super special, they'll be thinking, 'What's next?'" he said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
