If you need to build a millennial brand, you call Erin Kleinberg. The Canadian marketer/designer/creative visionary has advised everyone from established luxury houses to Instagram-famous start-ups on how to navigate the finicky consumer group. (The client page of her Toronto-based creative advertising agency, Métier Creative, reads like a twenty-something’s Pinterest board named “dream shopping wish list.”) Kleinberg’s latest project, Sidia, is a brand of her own.
Originally an off-shoot of Métier’s corporate gifting program called Out of Office, the tightly edited line of “effortless uniforms” was rebranded in early March 2020 after the passing of Kleinberg’s grandmother, Sidia. “We were hit with the first COVID lockdown the same week that my grandmother lost her battle with cancer,” recalls Kleinberg. “It was a crushing, very challenging time. It was one of those moments where you’re like, Holy, what’s happening here? Who am I? What is my purpose?”
Kleinberg wanted to combine the knowledge she had amassed as co-founder of the Coveteur (during which she raised funds from the 6ix god himself, Drake), running the fashion line (sold to big-name retailers like Barneys and Lane Crawford) she started at age 21, and building brands from scratch at her creative agency. She found herself grounded in the principles of legacy, honour and respect – the things her grandmother stood for. “All of the past life experiences I’ve had with my grandmother, my mother and my career, I’ve incorporated into this brand,” says Kleinberg of Sidia. “We want to create products that make you feel liberated and like a million bucks, and surround you with a community rooted in this idea of multi-generational storytelling.”
Sidia, the brand, has found its niche selling matching sets (something beloved by Sidia, the woman) that look work appropriate, thanks to smart design choices like a wide-leg Palazzo pants, deep V-neck cardigans and lightweight ribbed fabrics, but have the chill comfort of a caftan (which, by the way, the brand also sells).
“Our minds are so bogged down with what’s going on in myriad ways in 2021, so we wanted something that’s simple, refined, lounge-y and leisurely, but not schleppy,” says Kleinberg of the sets. “People are jonesing for this; no one wants to wear jeans in their own home, but they also don’t always want to be in this heavy Gildan sweatsuit moment.”
The first drop of Sidia Sets, which are made in Toronto, launched earlier this year and sold out in two hours. The second drop will feature four new shades: a rich charcoal grey (“quintessential for people who live in a cold climate,” says Kleinberg), a light oatmeal-y heather grey (“the colour looks a bit like socks you’d wear at camp, which reminds me of my past”), a deep green (“olive green is just as as universal as black”) and camel (“it hints that spring is coming eventually”).
The sets are currently available up to a size 18, with even more inclusive sizing on the horizon. “I’m here to create products that people can love and enjoy and just live their best life in,” says Kleinberg. “That’s something that’s been really exciting.”
Get a first-look at the Sidia Sets in the four new colour ways, available for pre-order on January 26th and set to ship in February, below. The drop will also reprise the original Sidia Sets in Cosmic Blvd (black), Acton (a light blue) and Sierra Madre (moss green). Mark your calendars now.
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