September 15 2006

1Issue 56 - September 15, 2006 The Source

A week in the world of Roots Issue 56 – September 15, 2006

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Noah Richler andhis new book take

centre stage at Roots

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SPECIAL DELIVERYA selection of recent letters from the world of Roots

I N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI S S U E 56I S S U E 56I S S U E 56I S S U E 56I S S U E 56

PublishersMichael Budman, Don Green

EditorRobert Sarner

Editorial AssistantPaulomi Patel

The Source is published every week byRoots Canada Ltd. We welcome lettersfrom readers for publication. Pleaseaddress all correspondence to TheSource, Letters to the Editor, RootsCanada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto,Ontario, M6B 4CR or by email [email protected] Letters may be editedfor length and clarity.

Each issue of The Source is alsoavailable, in an abridged version, on theRoots website at www.roots.com

DepartmentsFRESH INK

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN

SPREADING THE WORD

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

MOMENTS THAT MATTER

GREEN TIPS

HEALTH TIPS

STAYING POWER

THE SOURCE SHAMELESS?I’d like to start out saying that Ienjoy The Source for its educa-tional, informative and entertain-ing content. When it first began,it was a great resource for Rootsstaff. However, lately it seems tohave strayed somewhat from thatpath and is becoming too self-congratulatory and vainglorious.

This was recently illustratedwith the publishing of DebbieShirley’s “Thanking Roots” let-ter in Issue 55 in which she,without any context, churns outnames of head office employeesand thanks them for a hodge-podge of “accomplishments.”

I understand and encouragegiving kudos to employees andcredit where it’s due, but herletter’s tone and its boastful andself-satisfying content is what isdistracting The Source from itsoriginal role as an educational,informative and entertainingnewsletter.

Imagine how much moreinteresting and useful TheSource could be if space was nottaken up with such shamelessself-promoting.Cory RedekopKeyholder, Metrotown storeBurnaby, BCEditor’s note: Debbie Shirley’s let-ter, published in last week’s issue,was not “without context” when itcited several names of Roots em-ployees. Ms. Shirley wrote in herletter that on the eve of her depar-

The Source wants to hear from you.Please send your letters to RobertSarner at [email protected]. Lettersmay be edited for length and clarity.

ture from Roots, she wanted to ac-knowledge what a positive experi-ence it had been, and also pay trib-ute to several people at the com-pany for their exemplary work.

A GUEST APPEARANCEEarlier this week, I was watchingMiami Ink, a popular show nowin its second season. During thescene where the owners of thetattoo parlour head out for afishing trip to the Keys, one oftheir friends was wearing aRoots shirt.

I believe it was an Italy shirtfrom the International Collectionfrom the first year it came out. Iknow the shirt is by now fairlyold but I was excited just thesame to see Roots make an ap-pearance on the show.Kevin Craig-ErbAssistant ManagerCambridge, Ontario

MR. GIBSON IN FOCUSWe recently moved to Canadafrom the United States. In thismorning’s Globe and Mail, weread about the decision of Rootsnot to include a portrait of MelGibson in a photo exhibition ofcelebrities that your flagshipstore is now hosting.

Roots Co-Founder DonGreen was quoted in the articleand we were truly gratified tosee that someone in his positionwould be so open about his com-pany’s reasons for excluding Mr.

Gibson’s image from your store.Mr. Gibson recently ex-

pressed his anti-Semitic views ina way that is more transparentthan in the past. While his viewshave not been mysterious, he hasmade it much easier for peopleto understand his position and todecide whether to patronize hisfilms and support his career.

Thank you, Mr. Green, forhaving the courage to answer thereporter’s question directly re-garding the exclusion of Mr.Gibson’s photograph from theexhibition at Roots. Thank youto the entire Roots organizationfor your commitment to quality— social and environmental.

We sincerely appreciate yourwork and your effort and we aremore motivated than ever toshop at Roots stores.Laura Hay and Jason JonesToronto

Starting with the next issue,The Source will be published

every other Thursday.Issue 57 will appear on

Thursday, September 28, andfortnightly thereafter through

the fall and winter.

NEW AUTUMN/WINTERSCHEDULE FORTHE SOURCE

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IN SEARCH OF CANADATHROUGH WORDSNoah Richler and his newbook take centre stage atRoots

THE PRAISE POURS INThis Is My Country re-ceives glowing reviews

LOBBY GOES ONELEVEL HIGHERRoots plays key role infresh look of one ofToronto’s hot spots

NEW STORE INLA BELLE PROVINCEBrossard latest addition to‘Roots 73’ roster of outletstores

MAKING THE RIGHTCHOICEDalai Lama connects withRoots during visit to Canada

WAY OUT WESTDesigners head to Californiato view the latest style trends


Words have always beenimportant at Roots.Starting with the

choice of name for the com-pany in 1973 and the earlyliterature for customers ex-plaining the then-exotic nega-tive heel shoe, Roots Co-Founders Michael Budmanand Don Green have alwaysunderstood that well chosenwords – written and verbal –matter greatly.

In all the company’s com-munication material – advertis-ing, press releases, signs, post-ers, internal emails, TheSource – the words go a longway in defining the essence ofRoots, from the products to theethos of the company. It’s noaccident Roots has long been abig proponent of literacy, sup-porting campaigns that encour-age reading, especially amongyoung people. Words, and byextension stories, are an essen-tial component of any cultureand culture is a big part ofwhat Roots is all about.

That’s most evident in acampaign now underway atRoots called Smarten Up. Thesub-title is “Reading opensdoors.” Launched in conjunc-tion with Indigo Books, theinitiative not only advocatesliteracy but shows that even inan age dominated by TV andthe Internet, books still have

pride of place. To stimulatereading, to make books morevital and inviting is a goalRoots firmly supports.

At the heart of the currentcampaign is one book and au-thor, who has a long historywith Roots, but not just as acustomer. Noah Richler maystrike some as an unlikely fig-ure to be featured so promi-nently in a retail clothing storechain. No one has ever ac-cused him of being a stylemaven or a fashion pathfinder.But Roots has long celebratedpeople of achievement in various

fields and as such he fits the billperfectly.

Noah is nothing if not aman of words, both in theirwritten and spoken form. Asan accomplished writer andjournalist working in the printand broadcast media, Noahrevels in and savours words.He grew up in a home whereliterature and good writingwere the order of the day,thanks largely to his late fa-ther, celebrated novelistMordecai Richler. And, likehis father, Noah creates allkinds of compelling things on

the page with words.His new book, entitled This

Is My Country, What’s Yours?,is but the latest example. Itwas published earlier thismonth to great acclaim (Seebox) and it’s already onbestseller lists. But long beforethe book was even printed,Roots chose to feature it andits author in stores acrossCanada this fall, celebratingthe book and promoting read-ing.

Noah is tickled pink by theattention from Roots. “I’m de-lighted to be featured by Rootsfor all sorts of reasons, notleast because I’ve been shop-ping at Roots for the past 25years,” says Noah. “I’m reallypleased because Michael andDon did not hesitate when Ichallenged them about their in-store promotions. I said tothem, ‘Look, you’ve doneheaps for athletes and fordeejays and for film stars butwhat have you done for Cana-dian writers lately?’ Roots isimaginative and spontaneousenough that they took up theconch immediately, and I wasfortunate that they chose my bookto prove that they are championsof the written word too. That’simportant in this country.”

Like Roots, Noah is achampion of Canada, espe-

IN SEARCH OF CANADA THROUGH WORDSNoah Richler and his new book take centre stage at Roots

Continued on next page

Noah in action: Interviewing writers, (from left to right), Michael Turner; Margaret Atwood; Jacqueline Baker and Michael Ondaatje

Noah Richler spent time in every region of Canada while writingThis Is My Country, What’s Yours?


Continued from previous page

Most writers can only dream of receiving the type of lavish praise Noah Richler has al-

ready garnered for This Is My Country. Severalmajor publications have strongly endorsed it asa groundbreaking book.

Two weeks ago, in the Globe and Mail, in areview entitled A CanLit Odyssey, writer Arithavan Herk was wildly enthusiastic about Noah’swork. “…This is one book that does not lie or obfus-cate, that does not seek to simplify our nation, and

that argues passionately for this leap of faith we call Canada.”Half a paragraph later, the reviewer states unequivocally: “This

Is My Country is a long-overdue interruption in our country’s cul-tural conversation. Most important, it is genuine and sophisticated,funny, poignant and wise.”

It’s rare that a book is the object of so many superlatives andsuch unstinting approval. Readers of the review could be forgivenfor thinking that the writer is a friend of Noah. She’s not. They’venever even met.

There’s nary a negative word in the entire review. “Richler’spiercing observations about a country too large to imagine areprecisely and eloquently conceived and expressed,” van Herkcontinues. “The breadth of reading that informs his odyssey goesfar beyond the fiction he mention or quotes. His wit is delicious.He is the genuine article, of which there are so few, a public intel-lectual unafraid of discussion and disagreement.” And we’re stillonly a third into the review that occupies a page and a half of theGlobe’s weekly book section.

“Overall, the book is quite simply wonderful, exquisitely struc-tured and fabulously written.” Book reviews don’t get much better.It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

cially in his new book. Morethan two years in the making,This Is My Country, What’sYours? is a self-described liter-ary atlas of Canada. Throughthe work of the country’s mostcelebrated novelists, shortstory writers, and storytellers,the book presents abold cultural portraitof contemporaryCanada. It is at oncean impassioned liter-ary travelogue and avivid depiction ofCanadian society, its authors,and the idea of writing itself.In preparing the book and re-lated radio series, Noahtraveled extensively through-out Canada, interviewingscores of the country’s literaryheavyweights.

“Canada itself is a kind offiction, an act of the imagina-tion,” says Noah, who nowlives in Toronto after growingup in Montreal and London,England. “One writer said tome, ‘The map of Canada is our

proper flag,’ and I think that’sa very appropriate way to thinkof a country that almost defiesthinking about. The place isbig and various and wonderfuland cannot be neatly defined.”

Next week, the new RootsRosedale store in Toronto willhost an event in honour of

Noah and the publica-tion of This Is MyCountry. Produced inconjunction with hispublisher McClellandand Stewart, theevening will have a

Canadian/organic theme. If itproves anything like the previ-ous book launch that Rootshosted earlier this year (forReflections of the Moon onWater by Xiaolan Zhao), theevening will attract major fig-ures from the literary world.Guests at that event last winterincluded writers MargaretAtwood and MichaelOndaatje, and book publishersAnn Collins of Random Houseand Louise Dennys of KnopfCanada. - R.S.

THE PRAISE POURS IN

For the past 10 days, during the 31st

Toronto International Film Festival,one of the hottest addresses in town

for after-hours mingling has been on BloorStreet, a block west of the Roots flagshipstore. Every evening, film stars, entertain-ment executives, models, fashioncognoscenti, media mavens and other as-sorted movers and shakers have convergedon Lobby, a restaurant and champagnelounge that has been a success almostsince the day it opened several years ago.If the club has been particularly comfort-able and smarter looking of late, ownersJeff and Corey Mandell have Roots tothank in large part.

In July, they decided they wanted togive Lobby a facelift in time for the filmfestival onslaught of guests. They were

Roots plays major role in creating fresh look for Toronto hot spotLOBBY GOES ONE LEVEL HIGHER

inspired by what they saw during a visit tothe home of architect Diane Bald and herhusband Roots Co-Founder MichaelBudman. Working within a tighttimeframe in close collaboration withMatt Davis, Allen Chan and AnwarMukhayest of the Designer Guys TVshow, Diane played a key role in the im-pressive new look of Lobby.

The new Lobby is sophisticated yetsexy, elegant and tailored. The designersturned the previous white Miami look intoa beautiful rich warm moody lounge remi-niscent of the great club rooms of the1940s such as the Polo Lounge at theBeverley Hills Hotel and Chasen’s, thelate lamented restaurant of the stars in LosAngeles.

Other than the bar, almost none ofLobby’s original elements were kept. Thefront lounge was reconfigured using beau-tiful Roots armchairs custom-designed forLobby to create a more open, flexible andyet still private and exclusive lounge clus-ters.

“The entire project was a whirlwindright from the start,” says Matt. “With a10-day window to completely transform adowntown landmark and our camera crew

rolling (for Designer Guys), everyone waspushed to the limit. The success of theproject was in no small part due to theunbelievable efforts by Diane and thewhole Roots team who managed to cus-tom design and fabricate a unique set ofarmchairs, sofas, curved and fitted ban-quettes, and re-upholster all the diningchairs in leather within impossibletimelines. Through her furniture designand her insight into both Lobby and thecity’s need for a new style and identity,Diane truly helped inspire the vision forthe project.”

Based on the response so far from pa-trons and staff, Lobby’s new look is acrowd pleaser, and not just any crowd.

Lobby’s Jeff Mandell, (left), with Diane Bald

This Is My Country receives glowing reviews

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This month, many Roots employees marked major anni-

versaries of their time at thecompany. By ‘major’, we meanbenchmark achievements as in 5,10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 yearsspent at Roots. We invite anyonecelebrating such an anniversaryat Roots to send the relevantinformation to The Source.

Saluting those who gothe distance

STAYING POWER

Congratulations to the fol-lowing employees for their hugecontribution and enduring loy-alty to Roots: (listed by seniorityat Roots)• Elaine Nelson, SalesAssociate, Bayview Village,Toronto, 20 years• Yenna Chu, Chenille, LeatherFactory, Toronto, 15 years• Maria Pitta, Digitizer, LeatherFactory, Toronto, 15 years

THE NUMBERS

• The Globe and Mail, Sept. 13: MentionsGeorge Pimentel photo exhibit currently on viewat Roots Bloor St. store. Elsewhere in the sameedition, there’s an item aboutRussell Crowe wearing a newprototype sweatshirt made byRoots.• The National Post, Sept. 13:Feature on annual GeorgeChristie luncheon at Toronto FilmFestival mentions Roots involve-ment in the event (since its incep-tion in 1984) and includes photosof Roots Co-Founders MichaelBudman and Don Green at theevent.• Perezhilton.com, Sept. 11: Oneof the most widely read celebritybloggers in the world, this site fo-cused this week largely on theToronto Film Festival. As part of itscoverage, it featured Michael and Don along withRoots friend actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd at theparty of photographer/filmmaker Bruce Weber.• The Toronto Sun, Sept. 10: Mentions TheGuardian co-stars Kevin Costner and AshtonKutcher visiting the Roots store on Bloor St.• The National Post, Sept. 9: Reports that TyPennington was at Roots flagship store in To-ronto. Also mentions Russell Crowe wearing a

FRESH INKA selection of recent coverage of Roots in the media

Haley Silk, Part-Time Keyholder,Moncton, NB, gavebirth to her seconddaughter Anna

Jane, last week. Haley, who com-pleted 11 years at Roots earlierthis year, also has a 5-year-olddaughter, Emma, who is thrilledto welcome her new sister.- Please send us details of similargood news and we’ll be happy topublish it in The Source (email:[email protected])

MOMENTSTHAT MATTERBig developments inthe life of Roots staffThis week, the

newest ‘Roots73’ opened in the

Montreal area at thejust-built QuartierDix30 shopping com-plex, Quebec’s firsturban lifestyle centre.Roots is among the 78stores, boutiques andrestaurants that openedyesterday as part ofPhase One in what willbe the province’s larg-est retail shopping centre.

Placed in centre court on abeautiful corner location fac-ing four other stores, RootsBrossard is just off one of thefour pedestrian-friendly cob-blestone walkways in the mall.The store is of average size (4,000square feet) for a ‘Roots 73’ store.What makes it more special is itsprime location.

“I think what makes thisstore stand out is its clean de-sign and the impressive shop-ping complex where it’s situ-ated,” says Retail DirectorRosemary Eisenhut, who wasat the store’s grand opening.

Intended to bring glamour

Quartier Dix30 attrac-tions will include anindoor ice rink for theMontreal Canadiens topractice on, a 3,000-seat cinema complex, a900-seat live entertain-ment venue, and a bou-tique hotel.

Special thanks tothose who helped setup Roots Brossard, ledby Store Manager ofBlue Bonnet Mark

Yoders who said it was themost dynamic group he’s everworked with: They includedSenior Outlet ManagerColleen Weber from theHeartland location; VisualMerchants Marcel Gingrasand Sandra Thiel, along withStore Manager NatalieKeroack and her husband,Jocelyn Guillen, JocelynLemaire and Julien Casavantfrom Roots Centreville inMontreal; Kirkland StoreManager Aline Nazarian and herhusband; Visual Merchant Marie-Anne Laporte from Ottawa; andStore Manager Susan Van Dalenfrom South Keys.

Brossard location latest addition to ‘Roots 73’ outlet storesNEW IN LA BELLE PROVINCE

to Brossard in Montreal’sSouth Shore suburban region,the outdoor mall currentlyboasts a two million squarefoot layout. It will expand an-other four million square feetin the coming years. Other

There’s a lot more to theRoots denim jean than

meets the eye. Take the ma-terial it’s made from, for ex-ample. Known in the busi-ness as yarn, a lot of it goesinto the making of each ofthose pants. If a Roots denimjean was fully unraveled andthe yarn placed end to end, itwould measure approxi-mately 75,000 yards inlength, equal to 625 Ameri-can football fields.

75,00075,00075,00075,00075,000What it takes…

(Above) Roots Brossard outlet;(below) Nataly Keroack andRosemary Eisenhut

Roots jacket and shopping for baby clothes. Favoritesare the Banff Weekend bag, vintage-look slogan tees,the new raw-edge hoodies and retro sweatpants.

• The Globe and Mail, Sept. 9. Arti-cle on George Christie lunch men-tions the strong Roots involvementin the event this year.• The National Post, Sept. 9: Inarticle about the Dalai Lama’s visitto Vancouver, the main photo showshim accepting and wearing a RootsCanada-emblazoned visor.• The Toronto Star, Sept. 8. Spot-lights the Barenaked Ladies con-cert outside the Roots store onBloor St.• Metro (Toronto), Sept. 8: Mainfront-page photo features theBarenaked Ladies outside RootsBloor St. store just after their freeconcert.

• Fashion magazine, Sept. issue. Spotlight on Rootsred leather bag featured in the “Most Wanted” section.Also, mentions the Emily Bag, South Beach Bag andthe Village Bag in “Best bags from Coast to Coast”feature.• Toronto Life, Sept. issue. Article entitled, “Thebest shops for clothes” mentions Roots Athleticsgear for newborn-to-14-year-olds which are avail-able at the Eaton Centre and other locations.

RussellCrowe


Actress Donna Dixon

Over the past week, therehave been stars aplenty

coming to Roots when not inthe dark watching movies.With the added draw of theRoots eTalk Hello! magazinefestival lounge, the flagshipstore on Bloor street has beena magnet for film celebritiesand other assorted friends ofRoots. Nearby, Roots staffhave also added life to severalother events.

This weekend, the 31st edi-tion of the Festival ends.

A GOOD MIXRoots and Toronto FilmFestival people connect

Producer Nick Wexler, (right), and his wife Stephanie, (2nd from left), withMichael and Diane

Director Perry Henzell (right) with friendDenyse Green with director Mira Nair Athlete Adam van Koeverden Singer/songwriter Esthero

Kevin Hearn of BNL with singer Jully Black and young friendsSteven Page of the Barenaked Ladies

Actor/director Danny Glover

Musician John Legend


Brenda Preston with Ed Robertson Director Paul Haggis Don Green, Diane Bald, Michael Budman and Denyse Green

Rita Shulman, Ilich Mejia, Andre Desouza and Jarar Kazmi of Roots at Lobby The cast of Perry Henzell’s No Place Like Home with Roots friends

Actress Nandita DasMusician Keisha Chante with young fan and Roots Bloor St. Manager Brenda PrestonSinger Massari

Actor Ashton Kutcher Dan Aykroyd, Perez Hilton, M. Budmanand D. Green

Bruce Weber, (left), and TIFF Co-Director Noah Cowan, (right)


GREEN TIP #22Easy ways to help theenvironment

HEALTH TIP #19Easy ways to help youstay healthy

Quality notquantity:For thesecondweek in a

row, this issue’s health tiporiginated on the Japaneseisland of Okinawa whoseresidents are known for beingthe world’s healthiest andlongest-lived people: Theyhave the lowest rates of heartdisease, stroke and cancer inthe world, and the highestpercentage of people livingover 100.

As mentioned last week,the Okinawans believe that avaried diet is the basis ofgood health. They alsobelieve strongly in eating inmoderation and have aninteresting way to preventovereating - hara hachi bu,which means eating only untilyou feel 80 percent full.

There’s a scientificrationale for their method: Ittakes 20 minutes for yourbrain to receive signals fromthe stomach that it’s full. Bystopping before you’re full,the brain has a chance tocatch up, and you’re lesslikely to overeat and stretchyour stomach. In Okinawa,people also eat small portionsof each food, making it easierto fit in a wide variety offoods and harder to overeat.• Source: Self-Healthing Newsletter,www.drweilselfhealing.com

Celebrities have long made a point of shopping at Roots. In addition tothose who visited the flagship store in Toronto during the film festival(See pages 6 and 7), here are the latest sightings of prominent figures

from the world of entertainment who visited other Roots stores recently:· Toronto (BCE Place Store) – Golden Globe-winning American film actressand a successful author of children’s books, Jamie Lee Curtis shopped forher son at the Roots store.· Windsor Crossing (Windsor, ON) – Figure skating champion Lee Harrisvisited the store with fellow skating star and fiancée Marcy Hinzmann.

Don’t be adrip: Don’twaste waterby leaving thefaucet run-ning, or even

dripping. It may not seemlike much but it is over thecourse a whole day. Whenhot water is left running,you’re also wasting the en-ergy used to heat it.

While you’re at it, don’twaste water, either. One easyexample is in your bathroom.For each toilet, place a plasticbottle filled with water in thetank. In the average home,such an initiative could saveapproximately 11 gallons ofwater each day.• Source: National Post

Taking attendance of special guests at Roots storesGUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN…

New designs and styleshit Roots stores almostevery week. Fashion is

forever changing and to keepthings fresh and current, de-signers need to connect withvarious sources of creativityand influence.

Every Roots product has ahistory and inspiration behindit. Much research goes intocreating each new item. Tokeep the ideas and creativejuices flowing, Roots designersoften travel to different fashiondestinations. These style re-search trips are a combinationof attending trade shows, visitsto cutting edge fashion housesto see current trends andspending time in Roots storesin different cities to gathervaluable feedback.

Last week, Menswear De-signer Dylan Anderson andGraphic Designer StephanieBriers were in California for afour-day action-packed trip toexplore the newest develop-ments in the style world.

They started in San Diego,where they visited the ASR(Action Sports Retailer) TradeExpo. It showcases the actionsports and youth lifestyle mar-ket, attracting some of theworld’s largest brands andbuyers representing such di-verse markets as surf, skate,swim, snow, footwear, andfashion.

Dylan and Stephanie en-joyed seeing the entire industrywith a preview of theupcoming trends and the latestideas to drive store sales. “I’vealways thought skateboardershad very individualistic style

and a great eye for putting dif-ferent looks together,” saysDylan.

They visited another tradeexhibition called the AgendaShow, an alternative clothingevent that highlights the smallup-and-corners of the streetwear genre.

Next, Dylan and Stephaniedrove up to Los Angeles wherethey spent time in the La Breadistrict. They also hit other hot

shopping streets like theRobertson Boulevard wherethey visited the hip fashionstore Kitson. The highlight ofthe day was a visit to the MarcJacobs stores on Melrose Av-enue.

“LA has a lot of influenceon North American fashion,”says Dylan. “It used to beknown as a place to go catch acouple of waves, eat a fishtaco and pick up some sweetboard shorts but now they aredriving the denim marketamong other things. You canalso learn a lot in Hollywood.”

On Sunday, Dylan andStephanie visited the city ofPasadena shopping for vintageclothes. “The Rose Bowl FleaMarket was one of the mostinteresting parts of the trip forme,” says Stephanie. “All thevintage T-shirts and patchestook a while to go through butwere well worth it for inspira-tion. It was also great to seethe current street fashion inCalifornia and know that we

are on the right track forgraphics.”

From Pasadena, they drovefurther west to the coastal cityof Malibu where they visitedother clothing purveyors in-cluding the James Perse store.

Before flying back home,both also managed to drop infor a quick visit to the streetwear oriented Stussy store inLa Brea. Dylan and Stephanieended their trip with a visit tothe Roots store in BeverlyHills, getting design and sales-related and feedback fromStore Manager Nicole Redd.

WAY OUT WESTDesigners head to California to view latest style trends

(Left to right): Dylan Anderson, Nicole Redd and StephanieBriers at the Roots store in Beverly Hills

Jamie Lee Curtis


In an era when getting youngpeople to listen to anybodywho’s not a rock star is a

tall order, it’s rare to see sev-eral thousand teenagers sitspellbound for a few hoursholding a dialogue on humanvalues. It happened last week inVancouver and Roots was there.Chalk it up to the appeal andinfluence of Tibetan Buddhistleader the Dalai Lama who paida three-day visit to the city.

During his stay, the DalaiLama helped inaugurate a neweducation centre and took partin a series of dialogues withnoted mental health specialists,educators, corporate execu-tives and spiritual leaders.

In the summer, the DalaiLama Center for Peace andEducation in Vancouver con-tacted Lyn Frankel, RootsCorporate Sponsorship andSales Manager in WesternCanada, to order gifts for theTibetan leader’s visit.

At the Dalai Lama’s firstsession, the youth-directedevent was led by a group ofhigh school students. Theywanted to present his holinessa memento to mark his honor-ary Canadian citizenship thathe received from the federalgovernment last year. Roots,considered synonymous withCanada, was their first choicefor gifts for the spiritual leader.

Roots provided Canada

A guide to just-launched Roots productsNEW & NOTEWORTHY

After receiving lukewarmresponses to the last cou-

ple of men’s denim styles,Senior Designer of menswearRita Shulman decided it wastime for a change.

In effort to tone down de-signs some customers andstaff felt were “too fashionforward,” Rita and the mens-wear design team chose tofocus on simplicity and fit fortheir next denim pant. Theresult? Roots Echo LakeJeans.

THE RIGHT FITEcho Lake Jeans are the classic pant for every man

Although days are shorterand temperatures cooler,

Roots continues to carrymen’s fleece shorts in storesas part of their fall collection.Why? Because the short isstill great for lounge weararound the house and it islight enough to use for work-ing out. The fleece short isnot just a summer itemanymore.

Featuring side pockets,

SHORTS FOR FALL?Men’s fleece shorts stick around after summer

Already in stores, theEcho Lake Jeans add a clas-sic twist to the current fashiondenim line for men and aremade from 100% cottondenim fabric. Featuring aclean, straight leg cut andsimple back pockets with noextra, unnecessary details,the jeans are a staple in everyman’s wardrobe, and are sureto flatter every body type.

“Our Design and Technicalteam (especially Rita andSenior Technician MargaretMarcysiak) have worked ex-tremely hard on improving thefit of men’s jeans and the re-sult is the Echo Lake Jeans,”says Martha Galora, MensMerchandise Manager.

Roots Co-Founder DonGreen, who wears the jeans,agrees: “The Echo Lake Jeanhas the best fit Roots hasever made.”

The jeans also come witha large classic leather patchon the back and are currentlyavailable in a medium-dark-coloured wash. More washesin this classic, pre-shrunkjean are expected to hitstores in upcoming fallmonths.· Available in sizes 28-38 at allRoots

back zip pocket and classicRoots logo on the hem, thebelow-knee length shorts aremade from cotton polyesterfleece and come in variouscolours. The Jakeman Short,made in Canada, is nowavailable in black and port,while the Long Beach Short isavailable in black androadrunner.

These basic fit styles willbe available throughout theyear, with new colours arrivingin stores as early as January.· Jakeman Short, available inselect Roots stores in sizesXS-XXL, retail price: $44.· Long Beach Short, avail-able in all Roots stores inCanada and select locationsin USA in sizes XS-XXL, retailprice: $44.

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICEDalai Lama connects with Roots duringvisit to Canada

visors from the recent CanadaCollection to the Dalai Lama,his long-time interpreter andselected student leaders. Thevisors were requested specifi-cally as they are the favouredhead covering of His Holiness,shading his eyes from thebright lights of the stage andpress cameras. An additional30 Roots Canada scarves to-gether with Roots water bottleswere presented to key delegateparticipants.

Last Friday, balancing thered Roots Canada visor on hisbaldhead, the spiritual leaderheld a two-and-a-half hourdiscussion sprinkled with goodhumour as he gave his mes-sage of the need to learn toler-ance and forgiveness in ourincreasingly violent world.

“I felt honored to beamongst the thousands wel-coming the Dalai Lama to Van-couver,” says Lyn, who at-tended the opening forum.“His message of compassionand peace was inspiring. I wasproud to have been able toshare our Canadian ‘Roots’with His Holiness.”

She was also present forthe Saturday session of dia-logues, when the 71-year-oldleader donned Roots gear onceagain. This time it was theRoots Canada ball cap, whichhe wore comfortably through-out the second day’s activities.

Dalai Lama wearing Roots Canada visor


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September 15 2006