Canadian fashion, much like Canadians themselves, tends to be quite multicultural. During my travels this year, I found myself trapped in the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport because of a layover. Although I hadn’t been to this city in years, I knew exactly who the locals were—because of their fashion. Here’s a quick mental visual:

The men: layered looks with baggy jeans, neutral toned outerwear, vintage-looking sweaters, trench coats, and of course, moustaches. It’s the 70s all over again.

The women: the exact. same. thing. (minus the facial hair—for most).

Basically, Montréal fashion is genderless and tends to favour environmental consciousness. And yes, almost everyone is getting their clothing from vintage places.

After all, Montréal is North America's most sustainable city. So, let’s dissect what this actually means.

1. A quick crash-course in
sustainable fashion:

First off, what the *bleep* is sustainable fashion???

Well, according to ECO Canada:

“Sustainable fashion is fashion that’s mindful of its social, environmental and economic factors. It's a fashion developed by companies that pay their workers a living wage, give them safe, healthy working conditions and monitor its environmental impact, taking care to use more sustainable materials and reduce resource use throughout their products’ life cycle.”

Okay, and?

I think what most people want to know is why is sustainability so important and why should they be hopping on the eco-friendly bandwagon?

No, sustainable fashion is not a trend. The truth is, many humans nowadays are living with a short-term mindset. People don’t necessarily care about the harm they’re causing to the environment because they simply can’t see the effects right now. But, if you care at all about your grandchildren, or your grandchildren’s grandchildren, or your grandchildren’s grandchildren’s grandchildren—then maybe its a good idea to start living a more sustainable lifestyle, which means dressing sustainably.

Besides, vintage fashion is much more stylish anyways.

2. Montréal encourages individuality—
so let’s hop on that

Because I don’t live in Montréal myself, I thought it would only be fair to read what Montréalers are saying about their style. So, I compiled some comments from Fodor’s Travel Talk Formus:

Carmanah: “What I've noticed more about Montréalers is that they're not afraid to be experimental with their clothing—anything goes there and nobody seems to bother anybody or look down on anybody for what they're wearing. If anything, you should feel completely comfortable wearing whatever you feel like there.”

Betty: “Wear what YOU love. Montréal is a place where individual style is embraced. It is not a “conformist” type of city. I also agree that all-black is a little overdone. And YES to comfortable shoes. It is definitely a fun walking city.”

Layla: “I'm in my mid twenties and live in Montréal and can tell you that whatever you feel comfortable wearing will be just fine. I've been to Paris and they are slightly fancier than here in Montréal. Pastels are everywhere, bermuda shorts are everywhere, don't worry about it. Normally, when I'm out and about on a casual shopping day or something in the summer I wear a pair of jean capris, sandals and a tank-top or mini-tee. To get fancier a nice sundress, or a cute pair of dark capris with dressy sandals and cute top. Just be comfy, that way you'll enjoy yourself more! Montréal is great!!”

3. Where are the best places to discover fashion in Montréal (if not everywhere?)

Okay, so we know that Montréal is a hub for fashion. But where are the most fashionable areas? According to Reddit, these are them:

Le Plateau

Known as Montréal "hippest" quarter.

McGill/Concordia Area

Where you can find students in their university colours or in preppy polo attire. It can be noted that sweatpants-all-the-time is not as prevalent in Montréal universities.

Financial District Downtown:

Here, you'll find men in suits and women in form fitting skirts and blouses.

Yes, it’s clear that Montréal is onto something. Sustainable fashion in this Canadian city is unmatchable. And quite frankly, vintage fashion has so many positives: the clothing lasts longer (quality over quantity), reduces your carbon footprint, and overall is just so much more unique.

So, the big question is: how can you dress more sustainably in your city?

Written by Brya Sheridan, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine