September 15 2006

A week in the world of Roots

Issue 56 – September 15, 2006

IN SEARCH OF CANADA THROUGH WORDS

ILICH MEJIA

Noah Richler and his new book take centre stage at Roots

Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

The Source 1

I N S I D E I S S U E 56 IN SEARCH OF CANADA THROUGH WORDS Noah Richler and his new book take centre stage at Roots THE PRAISE POURS IN This Is My Country receives glowing reviews

NEW STORE IN LA BELLE PROVINCE Brossard latest addition to ‘Roots 73’ roster of outlet stores MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE Dalai Lama connects with Roots during visit to Canada WAY OUT WEST Designers head to California to view the latest style trends

Departments FRESH INK NEW AND NOTEWORTHY GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN SPREADING THE WORD OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS MOMENTS THAT MATTER GREEN TIPS HEALTH TIPS STAYING POWER

Publishers Michael Budman, Don Green Editor Robert Sarner Editorial Assistant Paulomi Patel

The Source is published every week by Roots Canada Ltd. We welcome letters from readers for publication. Please address all correspondence to The Source , Letters to the Editor, Roots Canada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6B 4CR or by email to rsarner@roots.com Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Each issue of The Source is also available, in an abridged version, on the Roots website at www.roots.com Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

ILICH MEJIA

LOBBY GOES ONE LEVEL HIGHER Roots plays key role in fresh look of one of Toronto’s hot spots

SPECIAL DELIVERY A selection of recent letters from the world of Roots THE SOURCE SHAMELESS? I’d like to start out saying that I enjoy The Source for its educational, informative and entertaining content. When it first began, it was a great resource for Roots staff. However, lately it seems to have strayed somewhat from that path and is becoming too selfcongratulatory and vainglorious.

This was recently illustrated with the publishing of Debbie Shirley’s “Thanking Roots” letter in Issue 55 in which she, without any context, churns out names of head office employees and thanks them for a hodgepodge of “accomplishments.”

I understand and encourage giving kudos to employees and credit where it’s due, but her letter’s tone and its boastful and self-satisfying content is what is distracting The Source from its original role as an educational, informative and entertaining newsletter.

Imagine how much more interesting and useful The Source could be if space was not taken up with such shameless self-promoting.

Cory Redekop Keyholder, Metrotown store Burnaby, BC Editor’s note: Debbie Shirley’s letter, published in last week’s issue, was not “without context” when it cited several names of Roots employees. Ms. Shirley wrote in her letter that on the eve of her depar-

ture from Roots, she wanted to acknowledge what a positive experience it had been, and also pay tribute to several people at the company for their exemplary work.

A GUEST APPEARANCE Earlier this week, I was watching Miami Ink, a popular show now in its second season. During the scene where the owners of the tattoo parlour head out for a fishing trip to the Keys, one of their friends was wearing a Roots shirt.

I believe it was an Italy shirt from the International Collection from the first year it came out. I know the shirt is by now fairly old but I was excited just the same to see Roots make an appearance on the show.

Kevin Craig-Erb Assistant Manager Cambridge, Ontario MR. GIBSON IN FOCUS We recently moved to Canada from the United States. In this morning’s Globe and Mail, we read about the decision of Roots not to include a portrait of Mel Gibson in a photo exhibition of celebrities that your flagship store is now hosting.

Roots Co-Founder Don Green was quoted in the article and we were truly gratified to see that someone in his position would be so open about his company’s reasons for excluding Mr.

Gibson’s image from your store.

Mr. Gibson recently expressed his anti-Semitic views in a way that is more transparent than in the past. While his views have not been mysterious, he has made it much easier for people to understand his position and to decide whether to patronize his films and support his career.

Thank you, Mr. Green, for having the courage to answer the reporter’s question directly regarding the exclusion of Mr. Gibson’s photograph from the exhibition at Roots. Thank you to the entire Roots organization for your commitment to quality — social and environmental.

We sincerely appreciate your work and your effort and we are more motivated than ever to shop at Roots stores.

Laura Hay and Jason Jones Toronto The Source wants to hear from you.

Please send your letters to Robert Sarner at rsarner@roots.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

NEW AUTUMN/WINTER SCHEDULE FOR THE SOURCE Starting with the next issue, The Source will be published every other Thursday.

Issue 57 will appear on Thursday, September 28, and fortnightly thereafter through the fall and winter.

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

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ords have always been important at Roots.

Starting with the choice of name for the company in 1973 and the early literature for customers explaining the then-exotic negative heel shoe, Roots CoFounders Michael Budman and Don Green have always understood that well chosen words – written and verbal – matter greatly.

In all the company’s communication material – advertising, press releases, signs, posters, internal emails, The Source – the words go a long way in defining the essence of Roots, from the products to the ethos of the company. It’s no accident Roots has long been a big proponent of literacy, supporting campaigns that encourage reading, especially among young people. Words, and by extension stories, are an essential component of any culture and culture is a big part of what Roots is all about.

That’s most evident in a campaign now underway at Roots called Smarten Up. The sub-title is “Reading opens doors.” Launched in conjunction with Indigo Books, the initiative not only advocates literacy but shows that even in an age dominated by TV and the Internet, books still have

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

pride of place. To stimulate reading, to make books more vital and inviting is a goal Roots firmly supports.

At the heart of the current campaign is one book and author, who has a long history with Roots, but not just as a customer. Noah Richler may strike some as an unlikely figure to be featured so prominently in a retail clothing store chain. No one has ever accused him of being a style maven or a fashion pathfinder.

But Roots has long celebrated people of achievement in various

fields and as such he fits the bill perfectly.

Noah is nothing if not a man of words, both in their written and spoken form. As an accomplished writer and journalist working in the print and broadcast media, Noah revels in and savours words.

He grew up in a home where literature and good writing were the order of the day, thanks largely to his late father, celebrated novelist Mordecai Richler. And, like his father, Noah creates all kinds of compelling things on

the page with words.

His new book, entitled This Is My Country, What’s Yours?, is but the latest example. It was published earlier this month to great acclaim (See box) and it’s already on bestseller lists. But long before the book was even printed, Roots chose to feature it and its author in stores across Canada this fall, celebrating the book and promoting reading.

Noah is tickled pink by the attention from Roots. “I’m delighted to be featured by Roots for all sorts of reasons, not least because I’ve been shopping at Roots for the past 25 years,” says Noah. “I’m really pleased because Michael and Don did not hesitate when I challenged them about their instore promotions. I said to them, ‘Look, you’ve done heaps for athletes and for deejays and for film stars but what have you done for Canadian writers lately?’ Roots is imaginative and spontaneous enough that they took up the conch immediately, and I was fortunate that they chose my book to prove that they are champions of the written word too. That’s important in this country.”

Like Roots, Noah is a champion of Canada, espeContinued on next page

Noah in action: Interviewing writers, (from left to right), Michael Turner; Margaret Atwood; Jacqueline Baker and Michael Ondaatje Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

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Continued from previous page

cially in his new book. More than two years in the making, This Is My Country, What’s Yours? is a self-described literary atlas of Canada. Through the work of the country’s most celebrated novelists, short story writers, and storytellers, the book presents a bold cultural portrait of contemporary Canada. It is at once an impassioned literary travelogue and a vivid depiction of Canadian society, its authors, and the idea of writing itself.

In preparing the book and related radio series, Noah traveled extensively throughout Canada, interviewing scores of the country’s literary heavyweights.

“Canada itself is a kind of fiction, an act of the imagination,” says Noah, who now lives in Toronto after growing up in Montreal and London, England. “One writer said to me, ‘The map of Canada is our

proper flag,’ and I think that’s a very appropriate way to think of a country that almost defies thinking about. The place is big and various and wonderful and cannot be neatly defined.”

Next week, the new Roots Rosedale store in Toronto will host an event in honour of Noah and the publication of This Is My Country. Produced in conjunction with his publisher McClelland and Stewart, the evening will have a Canadian/organic theme. If it proves anything like the previous book launch that Roots hosted earlier this year (for Reflections of the Moon on Water by Xiaolan Zhao), the evening will attract major figures from the literary world.

Guests at that event last winter included writers Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, and book publishers Ann Collins of Random House and Louise Dennys of Knopf Canada. - R.S.

THE PRAISE POURS IN This Is My Country receives glowing reviews

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ost writers can only dream of receiving the type of lavish praise Noah Richler has already garnered for This Is My Country. Several major publications have strongly endorsed it as a groundbreaking book.

Two weeks ago, in the Globe and Mail, in a review entitled A CanLit Odyssey, writer Aritha van Herk was wildly enthusiastic about Noah’s work. “…This is one book that does not lie or obfuscate, 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 cultural 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 and such unstinting approval. Readers of the review could be forgiven for thinking that the writer is a friend of Noah. She’s not. They’ve never even met.

There’s nary a negative word in the entire review. “Richler’s piercing observations about a country too large to imagine are precisely and eloquently conceived and expressed,” van Herk continues. “The breadth of reading that informs his odyssey goes far beyond the fiction he mention or quotes. His wit is delicious.

He is the genuine article, of which there are so few, a public intellectual unafraid of discussion and disagreement.” And we’re still only a third into the review that occupies a page and a half of the Globe’s weekly book section.

“Overall, the book is quite simply wonderful, exquisitely structured and fabulously written.” Book reviews don’t get much better.

It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

LOBBY GOES ONE LEVEL HIGHER

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or 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 Bloor Street, a block west of the Roots flagship store. Every evening, film stars, entertainment executives, models, fashion cognoscenti, media mavens and other assorted movers and shakers have converged on Lobby, a restaurant and champagne lounge that has been a success almost since the day it opened several years ago.

If the club has been particularly comfortable and smarter looking of late, owners Jeff and Corey Mandell have Roots to thank in large part.

In July, they decided they wanted to give Lobby a facelift in time for the film festival onslaught of guests. They were Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

inspired by what they saw during a visit to the home of architect Diane Bald and her husband Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman. Working within a tight timeframe in close collaboration with Matt Davis, Allen Chan and Anwar Mukhayest of the Designer Guys TV show, Diane played a key role in the impressive new look of Lobby.

The new Lobby is sophisticated yet sexy, elegant and tailored. The designers turned the previous white Miami look into a beautiful rich warm moody lounge reminiscent of the great club rooms of the 1940s such as the Polo Lounge at the Beverley Hills Hotel and Chasen’s, the late lamented restaurant of the stars in Los Angeles.

Other than the bar, almost none of Lobby’s original elements were kept. The front lounge was reconfigured using beautiful Roots armchairs custom-designed for Lobby to create a more open, flexible and yet still private and exclusive lounge clusters.

“The entire project was a whirlwind right from the start,” says Matt. “With a 10-day window to completely transform a downtown landmark and our camera crew

rolling (for Designer Guys), everyone was pushed to the limit. The success of the project was in no small part due to the unbelievable efforts by Diane and the whole Roots team who managed to custom design and fabricate a unique set of armchairs, sofas, curved and fitted banquettes, and re-upholster all the dining chairs in leather within impossible timelines. Through her furniture design and her insight into both Lobby and the city’s need for a new style and identity, Diane truly helped inspire the vision for the project.”

Based on the response so far from patrons and staff, Lobby’s new look is a crowd pleaser, and not just any crowd.

A. MILLER

A. MILLER

Roots plays major role in creating fresh look for Toronto hot spot

Lobby’s Jeff Mandell, (left), with Diane Bald The Source 4

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

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his week, the newest ‘Roots 73’ opened in the Montreal area at the just-built Quartier Dix30 shopping complex, Quebec’s first urban lifestyle centre.

Roots is among the 78 stores, boutiques and restaurants that opened yesterday as part of Phase One in what will be the province’s largest retail shopping centre.

Placed in centre court on a beautiful corner location facing four other stores, Roots Brossard is just off one of the four pedestrian-friendly cobblestone walkways in the mall.

The store is of average size (4,000 square feet) for a ‘Roots 73’ store.

What makes it more special is its prime location.

“I think what makes this store stand out is its clean design and the impressive shopping complex where it’s situated,” says Retail Director Rosemary Eisenhut, who was at the store’s grand opening.

Intended to bring glamour

(Above) Roots Brossard outlet; (below) Nataly Keroack and Rosemary Eisenhut

to Brossard in Montreal’s South Shore suburban region, the outdoor mall currently boasts a two million square foot layout. It will expand another four million square feet in the coming years. Other

Quartier Dix30 attractions will include an indoor ice rink for the Montreal Canadiens to practice on, a 3,000seat cinema complex, a 900-seat live entertainment venue, and a boutique hotel.

Special thanks to those who helped set up Roots Brossard, led

by Store Manager of Blue Bonnet Mark Yoders who said it was the most dynamic group he’s ever worked with: They included Senior Outlet Manager Colleen Weber from the Heartland location; Visual Merchants Marcel Gingras and Sandra Thiel, along with Store Manager Natalie Keroack and her husband, Jocelyn Guillen, Jocelyn Lemaire and Julien Casavant from Roots Centreville in Montreal; Kirkland Store Manager Aline Nazarian and her husband; Visual Merchant MarieAnne Laporte from Ottawa; and Store Manager Susan Van Dalen from South Keys.

FRESH INK

MOMENTS THAT MATTER Big developments in the life of Roots staff Haley Silk, PartTime Keyholder, Moncton, NB, gave birth to her second daughter Anna Jane, last week. Haley, who completed 11 years at Roots earlier this year, also has a 5-year-old daughter, Emma, who is thrilled to welcome her new sister.

- Please send us details of similar good news and we’ll be happy to publish it in The Source (email: rsarner@roots.com)

THE NUMBERS What it takes…

75,000 T

here’s a lot more to the Roots denim jean than meets the eye. Take the material it’s made from, for example. Known in the business as yarn, a lot of it goes into the making of each of those pants. If a Roots denim jean was fully unraveled and the yarn placed end to end, it would measure approximately 75,000 yards in length, equal to 625 American football fields.

A selection of recent coverage of Roots in the media • The Globe and Mail, Sept. 13: Mentions George Pimentel photo exhibit currently on view at Roots Bloor St. store. Elsewhere in the same edition, there’s an item about Russell Crowe wearing a new prototype sweatshirt made by Roots.

• The National Post, Sept. 13: Feature on annual George Christie luncheon at Toronto Film Festival mentions Roots involvement in the event (since its inception in 1984) and includes photos of Roots Co-Founders Michael Budman and Don Green at the event.

• Perezhilton.com, Sept. 11: One of the most widely read celebrity Russell bloggers in the world, this site foCrowe cused this week largely on the Toronto Film Festival. As part of its coverage, it featured Michael and Don along with Roots friend actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd at the party of photographer/filmmaker Bruce Weber.

• The Toronto Sun, Sept. 10: Mentions The Guardian co-stars Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher visiting the Roots store on Bloor St. • The National Post, Sept. 9: Reports that Ty Pennington was at Roots flagship store in Toronto. Also mentions Russell Crowe wearing a Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

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

• The Globe and Mail, Sept. 9. Article on George Christie lunch mentions the strong Roots involvement in the event this year.

• The National Post, Sept. 9: In article about the Dalai Lama’s visit to Vancouver, the main photo shows him accepting and wearing a Roots Canada-emblazoned visor.

• The Toronto Star, Sept. 8. Spotlights the Barenaked Ladies concert outside the Roots store on Bloor St. • Metro (Toronto), Sept. 8: Main front-page photo features the Barenaked Ladies outside Roots Bloor St. store just after their free concert.

• Fashion magazine, Sept. issue. Spotlight on Roots red leather bag featured in the “Most Wanted” section.

Also, mentions the Emily Bag, South Beach Bag and the Village Bag in “Best bags from Coast to Coast” feature.

• Toronto Life, Sept. issue. Article entitled, “The best shops for clothes” mentions Roots Athletics gear for newborn-to-14-year-olds which are available at the Eaton Centre and other locations.

STAYING POWER Saluting those who go the distance

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his month, many Roots em ployees marked major anniversaries of their time at the company. By ‘major’, we mean benchmark achievements as in 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years spent at Roots. We invite anyone celebrating such an anniversary at Roots to send the relevant information to The Source.

Congratulations to the following employees for their huge contribution and enduring loyalty to Roots: (listed by seniority at Roots) • Elaine Nelson, Sales Associate, Bayview Village, Toronto, 20 years • Yenna Chu, Chenille, Leather Factory, Toronto, 15 years • Maria Pitta, Digitizer, Leather Factory, Toronto, 15 years The Source 5

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

Actress Donna Dixon

Musician John Legend

A GOOD MIX

Roots and Toronto Film Festival people connect

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Actor/director Danny Glover

ver the past week, there have been stars aplenty coming to Roots when not in the dark watching movies.

With the added draw of the Roots eTalk Hello! magazine festival lounge, the flagship store on Bloor street has been a magnet for film celebrities and other assorted friends of Roots. Nearby, Roots staff have also added life to several other events.

This weekend, the 31st edition of the Festival ends.

Kevin Hearn of BNL with singer Jully Black and young friends

Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies

Denyse Green with director Mira Nair Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

Director Perry Henzell (right) with friend

Athlete Adam van Koeverden

Singer/songwriter Esthero

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Brenda Preston with Ed Robertson

Director Paul Haggis

Rita Shulman, Ilich Mejia, Andre Desouza and Jarar Kazmi of Roots at Lobby

Don Green, Diane Bald, Michael Budman and Denyse Green

The cast of Perry Henzell’s No Place Like Home with Roots friends

Singer Massari

Musician Keisha Chante with young fan and Roots Bloor St. Manager Brenda Preston

Actor Ashton Kutcher

Dan Aykroyd, Perez Hilton, M. Budman and D. Green

Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

Actress Nandita Das

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

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WAY OUT WEST

GREEN TIP #22

Designers head to California to view latest style trends

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ew designs and styles hit Roots stores almost every week. Fashion is forever changing and to keep things fresh and current, designers need to connect with various sources of creativity and influence.

Every Roots product has a history and inspiration behind it. Much research goes into creating each new item. To keep the ideas and creative juices flowing, Roots designers often travel to different fashion destinations. These style research trips are a combination of attending trade shows, visits to cutting edge fashion houses to see current trends and spending time in Roots stores in different cities to gather valuable feedback.

Last week, Menswear Designer Dylan Anderson and Graphic Designer Stephanie Briers were in California for a four-day action-packed trip to explore the newest developments in the style world.

They started in San Diego, where they visited the ASR (Action Sports Retailer) Trade Expo. It showcases the action sports and youth lifestyle market, attracting some of the world’s largest brands and buyers representing such diverse markets as surf, skate, swim, snow, footwear, and fashion.

Dylan and Stephanie enjoyed seeing the entire industry with a preview of the upcoming trends and the latest ideas to drive store sales. “I’ve always thought skateboarders had very individualistic style

and a great eye for putting different looks together,” says Dylan.

They visited another trade exhibition called the Agenda Show, an alternative clothing event that highlights the small up-and-corners of the street wear genre.

Next, Dylan and Stephanie drove up to Los Angeles where they spent time in the La Brea district. They also hit other hot

On Sunday, Dylan and Stephanie visited the city of Pasadena shopping for vintage clothes. “The Rose Bowl Flea Market was one of the most interesting parts of the trip for me,” says Stephanie. “All the vintage T-shirts and patches took a while to go through but were well worth it for inspiration. It was also great to see the current street fashion in California and know that we

HEALTH TIP #19 Easy ways to help you stay healthy

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

shopping streets like the Robertson Boulevard where they visited the hip fashion store Kitson. The highlight of the day was a visit to the Marc Jacobs stores on Melrose Avenue.

“LA has a lot of influence on North American fashion,” says Dylan. “It used to be known as a place to go catch a couple of waves, eat a fish taco and pick up some sweet board shorts but now they are driving the denim market among other things. You can also learn a lot in Hollywood.”

are on the right track for graphics.”

From Pasadena, they drove further west to the coastal city of Malibu where they visited other clothing purveyors including the James Perse store.

Before flying back home, both also managed to drop in for a quick visit to the street wear oriented Stussy store in La Brea. Dylan and Stephanie ended their trip with a visit to the Roots store in Beverly Hills, getting design and salesrelated and feedback from Store Manager Nicole Redd.

Taking attendance of special guests at Roots stores elebrities have long made a point of shopping at Roots. In addition to those 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 actress and a successful author of children’s books, Jamie Lee Curtis shopped for her son at the Roots store. · Windsor Crossing (Windsor, ON) – Figure skating champion Lee Harris visited the store with fellow skating star and fiancée Marcy Hinzmann.

Jamie Lee Curtis Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

Don’t be a drip: Don’t waste water by leaving the faucet running, or even dripping. It may not seem like much but it is over the course a whole day. When hot water is left running, you’re also wasting the energy used to heat it.

While you’re at it, don’t waste water, either. One easy example is in your bathroom.

For each toilet, place a plastic bottle filled with water in the tank. In the average home, such an initiative could save approximately 11 gallons of water each day.

• Source: National Post

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN…

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Easy ways to help the environment

Quality not quantity: For the second week in a row, this issue’s health tip originated on the Japanese island of Okinawa whose residents are known for being the world’s healthiest and longest-lived people: They have the lowest rates of heart disease, stroke and cancer in the world, and the highest percentage of people living over 100.

As mentioned last week, the Okinawans believe that a varied diet is the basis of good health. They also believe strongly in eating in moderation and have an interesting way to prevent overeating - hara hachi bu, which means eating only until you feel 80 percent full.

There’s a scientific rationale for their method: It takes 20 minutes for your brain to receive signals from the stomach that it’s full. By stopping before you’re full, the brain has a chance to catch up, and you’re less likely to overeat and stretch your stomach. In Okinawa, people also eat small portions of each food, making it easier to fit in a wide variety of foods and harder to overeat.

• Source: Self-Healthing Newsletter, www.drweilselfhealing.com The Source 8

NEW & NOTEWORTHY A guide to just-launched Roots products

THE RIGHT FIT Echo Lake Jeans are the classic pant for every man

Dalai Lama wearing Roots Canada visor

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE Dalai Lama connects with Roots during visit to Canada

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n an era when getting young people to listen to anybody who’s not a rock star is a tall order, it’s rare to see several thousand teenagers sit spellbound for a few hours holding a dialogue on human values. It happened last week in Vancouver and Roots was there.

Chalk it up to the appeal and influence of Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama who paid a three-day visit to the city.

During his stay, the Dalai Lama helped inaugurate a new education centre and took part in a series of dialogues with noted mental health specialists, educators, corporate executives and spiritual leaders.

In the summer, the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education in Vancouver contacted Lyn Frankel, Roots Corporate Sponsorship and Sales Manager in Western Canada, to order gifts for the Tibetan leader’s visit.

At the Dalai Lama’s first session, the youth-directed event was led by a group of high school students. They wanted to present his holiness a memento to mark his honorary Canadian citizenship that he received from the federal government last year. Roots, considered synonymous with Canada, was their first choice for gifts for the spiritual leader.

Roots provided Canada Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

visors from the recent Canada Collection to the Dalai Lama, his long-time interpreter and selected student leaders. The visors were requested specifically as they are the favoured head covering of His Holiness, shading his eyes from the bright lights of the stage and press cameras. An additional 30 Roots Canada scarves together with Roots water bottles were presented to key delegate participants.

Last Friday, balancing the red Roots Canada visor on his baldhead, the spiritual leader held a two-and-a-half hour discussion sprinkled with good humour as he gave his message of the need to learn tolerance and forgiveness in our increasingly violent world.

“I felt honored to be amongst the thousands welcoming the Dalai Lama to Vancouver,” says Lyn, who attended the opening forum.

“His message of compassion and peace was inspiring. I was proud to have been able to share our Canadian ‘Roots’ with His Holiness.”

She was also present for the Saturday session of dialogues, when the 71-year-old leader donned Roots gear once again. This time it was the Roots Canada ball cap, which he wore comfortably throughout the second day’s activities.

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fter receiving lukewarm responses to the last couple of men’s denim styles, Senior Designer of menswear Rita Shulman decided it was time for a change.

In effort to tone down designs some customers and staff felt were “too fashion forward,” Rita and the menswear design team chose to focus on simplicity and fit for their next denim pant. The result? Roots Echo Lake Jeans.

Already in stores, the Echo Lake Jeans add a classic twist to the current fashion denim line for men and are made from 100% cotton denim fabric. Featuring a clean, straight leg cut and simple back pockets with no extra, unnecessary details, the jeans are a staple in every man’s wardrobe, and are sure to flatter every body type.

“Our Design and Technical team (especially Rita and Senior Technician Margaret Marcysiak) have worked extremely hard on improving the fit of men’s jeans and the result is the Echo Lake Jeans,” says Martha Galora, Mens Merchandise Manager.

Roots Co-Founder Don Green, who wears the jeans, agrees: “The Echo Lake Jean has the best fit Roots has ever made.”

The jeans also come with a large classic leather patch on the back and are currently available in a medium-darkcoloured wash. More washes in this classic, pre-shrunk jean are expected to hit stores in upcoming fall months. · Available in sizes 28-38 at all Roots

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

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lthough days are shorter and temperatures cooler, Roots continues to carry men’s fleece shorts in stores as part of their fall collection.

Why? Because the short is still great for lounge wear around the house and it is light enough to use for working out. The fleece short is not just a summer item anymore.

Featuring side pockets,

back zip pocket and classic Roots logo on the hem, the below-knee length shorts are made from cotton polyester fleece and come in various colours. The Jakeman Short, made in Canada, is now available in black and port, while the Long Beach Short is available in black and roadrunner.

These basic fit styles will be available throughout the year, with new colours arriving in stores as early as January. · Jakeman Short, available in select Roots stores in sizes XS-XXL, retail price: $44. · Long Beach Short, available in all Roots stores in Canada and select locations in USA in sizes XS-XXL, retail price: $44.

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Issue 56 - September 15, 2006

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