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    Journal

    Thank you Granted Folks!


    Hello Granted Folk,

    My name is Brian Hirano, and I am Granted’s owner and creative director. Some of you may also know me as Minoru, my Japanese name, or “The sweater guy.” I am usually behind the scenes, but I wanted to make an important announcement. 


     

    Granted kept me excited for decades. It was a dream job. I let my creative juices flow and loved seeing my crazy ideas come to fruition. Never in a million years would I have believed I could work with these fantastic collaborators, brands, shops and organizations. However, after 47 years of producing hand-knit sweaters, I have decided to close our doors for good at the end of this month. I realize this is a sudden announcement, but it has been difficult for me to accept this decision, and I still have mixed feelings.


     

    You can still place an order from our site, but our final day to order from our online shop will be January 30th, 2025, and then our site will be closed.

     

    *After January 30th, we will process any other orders by email, and customer support will be available until March 30th, 2025.

     

    604-207-9392

    mail@grantedclothing.com


    A special thank you to the following: current and former colleagues, retail shop buyers and associates, suppliers, collaborators, all of our knitters and finally, my parents for allowing me to take over their sweater business. This brand would be nothing without your hard work, patience and resilience. It has been essential to our success, and I am forever in debt to you all. 

     

    Lastly, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all our loyal Granted Folks who have been with us throughout this incredible journey. Your unwavering support and appreciation for our handcrafted sweaters have meant the world to me and my family. Thank you for being a cherished part of the Granted brand and allowing us to share our passion with you for many years. You were always patient with your orders and always took the time to write in or call us to share your stories about getting stopped on the street and complimented! Our brand word-of-mouth went a long way because of all of you! We truly have the best customers a brand could ever ask for!  

     

    I will never take you for Granted!

     

    Until we meet again my friends! My next adventure awaits!

     

    "BEAM ME UP, Scotty!”


    Brian Hirano

     

    The story of the "Toque"

    The word “tuque” originated from French and is now part of Canadian English. While similar terms exist in Breton, Spanish, and Italian, they do not always refer specifically to knitted caps. For example, the Spanish word "toca" historically referred to a woman's headdress. In English, “toque” can denote various types of head-wear, including a round, brimless hat worn by women, a small cap or bonnet for either gender, or the tall white hat traditionally worn by chefs. One distinguishing feature of a tuque, which sets it apart from other winter hats, is its long tassel or pom-pom; however, most modern tuques do not have these trailing embellishments.
    Tuques are not exclusive to Canada. Many cultures around the world have their own versions of knitted caps, typically made of wool, designed to keep heads warm. However, English speakers in other countries rarely use the term "tuque." In Britain, a common term is "balaclava," which originates from a battle in the Crimean War. In the United States, people often refer to them as "beanies".
    Cities often lend their names to physical objects, such as Nanaimo bars, Winnipeg couches and Montreal smoked meat, which are a few examples from Canada. The toque, however, reverses this process. It may be the only type of hat in Canada that has inspired the name of the place. La Tuque, a municipality located in Central Quebec, northwest of Quebec City, has carried this name since before 1822.
     
    The term usage can be traced back to French and Métis fur traders, who wore woollen nightcaps for warmth during cold winter days. 
    What remains unclear, however, is the correct spelling of this word. We all recognize a toque when we see one, but we cannot agree on how to spell it!
    Would you like to wear a piece of Canadian history? 
    Purchase one of our sweaters or vests today and receive a complimentary maple leaf toque (pictured below) with your next order! 
    (Please specify your colour preference in the comments section during checkout).

    From the archives...

    We uncovered some posters from our archives while sorting out one of our warehouses. Circa 1985-1988.

    Our styles and designs may have changed but our knitting methods have not. We are proud to say we still produce each of our knit garments by hand one row/stitch at a time.

     

    What do you think of these classic designs?

    -Cable knit zip up sweater

    -Two tone varsity zip up sweater

    -Striped rugby pullover sweater

     

    Wildlife artist - Dwayne Harty

    Granted Feature:

    Acclaimed wildlife artist, Dwayne Harty was commissioned by the Canadian Wildlife Federation to create works of art depicting wild bison. Dwayne has also worked on the Yellowstone to Yukon: the Journey of wildlife and Art project. As a wildlife painter, he is often out in the field observing, studying the animals and painting on location.

    Bison are a keystone species that keeps the environment health, prairies vibrant. They are a vital part of the ecosystem. The work and awareness that CWF and Dwayne Harty bring to the bison is important to ensure that both subspecies of bison remain part of our natural heritage!

    Dwayne is in our CWF Bison Sweater with his miniature Labrdoodle, Sargent in Victor, Idaho, on the west side of the Teton Mountains.

    Dwayne Harty website.

    Dwayne Harty facebook.

    The Official Kamen Rider Sweater

     

    Saving the world from dangerous evil monsters is no easy task! Unless you are Kamen Rider, the real action, grasshopper super hero from the 70’s you never heard of! Legend status in the land of the rising sun, this bug eyed, motorcycle riding warrior that wallops his nemesis’s with swift acrobatics and a powerful punch that sends them out to oblivion!

    Kamen Rider 1st episode (circa 1971)

    The grasshopper is a symbol of nature and was sought to represent hope for human kind and its ability to use its wind as energy to confront the destruction of nature.

    Kamen Rider has had gone through many changes and iterations throughout the years. The original of version, Ichigo (# 1) sweater has notes of the classic red,green and grey tones while the W sweater (Current character) has notes of the flashy purple and green for a modern futuristic look.

    Kamen Rider W 1st episode (circa 2009)

    Toei, a Japanese film, television production company and distributor.Based in Tokyo, Japan and established in 1951. Also known for creating live action dramas including globally recognized TV series such as Supersentai (Power Rangers family). Animated series of Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Digimon are produced by its sister company, TOEI ANIMATION.

     

    Limited quantities and exclusively at the TOEI online shop below

    Kamen Rider Ichigo #1 sweater

    Kamen Rider W sweater

     

    Apple TV Series - Home Before Dark

    Apple TV's Home before dark series. A curious girl with a knack for solving mysteries moves back to her Fathers small town with her family. With the help  of new friends she begins to find clues for an unsolved case involving a boy that went missing over 30 years ago.

    The filming of this series was done mostly in the nearby fishing village, Steveston of our home town of Richmond, BC.

    It's always a treat seeing our knits on screen including one of the main characters in this series wearing our Fishing hook vest (In season 2).

    A really well made series to watch for the whole family!

    Check it out here!

     

    Custom hats with Bugwood Coffee (Smithers, B.C.)

    A batch of special hats we produced for Bugwood coffee. We’re always excited to be working with local companies especially when we get to work with some awesome brands outside of the apparel industry.
    Bugwood coffee is a local company and roastery that specializes serving premium coffee and beans sourced from around the world. Their Flagship store located in the heart of Smithers, BC is housed with timber-frame constructed with the original “bugwood” mountain pine beetle-damaged lumber as a homage to their past. It is in their origin, and where their tale of tree planters to coffee specialists journey began. 
    For more information on Bugwood coffee check them out here:

    Local business feature: Sea Level Athletics

    Hi my name is Andy Chen, owner, operator and trainer at Sea Level Athletics. We are a Cross Fit gym and fitness community that has been serving Richmond and Vancouver residents since 2019.

    At Sea Level athletics we have a diverse community of members that are dedicated to improving their fitness. Our main offering is one hour classes that combine weightlifting, gymnastics and high intensity cardiovascular movements. These classes are designed to be accessible to people of all levels and coached so that everyone can follow along. We have teenagers, seniors, office workers and professional athletes all training alongside each other.

    I love my job and find my position extremely satisfying. The first reason is that I get to help people achieve things they thought were impossible whether that be their first pushup or pull-up or showing up to class on a regular basis and breaking a sweat. It's always exciting to see people build confidence in their physical ability and become healthier in the process.

    The second reason is that I get to watch the development of our community. It's great to watch our members hype each other up to try and lift a little more weight or push a little harder for an extra rep. We celebrate each other’s personal records and when someone fails a lift, we give them props for having the courage to try. Doing a tough workout with a group of people inevitably brings them together and many great friendships have been formed inside the walls of our gym.

    COVID-19 has brought us many obstacles, fortunately we have been able to remain open, but it has changed the way we operate. We follow many of the standard COVID protocols such as mask wearing and social distancing. In addition our classes have de-emphasized high intensity movements that require heavy respiration and shifted towards technique focused body-weight and weightlifting exercises.  

    Supporting local business is important to me because local businesses take care of their communities through gestures both small and large. We make conversation with our customers and get to know them personally. When a beloved customer runs into trouble, we are often more flexible, understanding and willing to help.

    Click here for more information on Sea Level Athletics.

    Follow them on instagram here.

    Andy is wearing our bomber vest and wearing our campfire logo trucker cap.

    Photos by Devan Head.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Campfire logo trucker cap

    Our Campfire logo trucker cap comes with a structured melton wool front crown adorned with a laser cut logo piece and mesh backing for an all season look.

    Each cap comes with a pre curved brim which includes an inner cool max lining and adjustable snap back. Available in 4 colours: black, charcoal, green and navy.

    Available here.

     

    Local business feature: Botany and Bloom


    Hi! I am Kelly Dunbar a floral designer and the owner of Botany and Bloom. Our happy place is an industrial space located in Vancouver, BC. It is a creative zone with interesting projects and ideas always in the works. It is pretty much the space where my dreams and ideas are being lived out daily. Working with beautiful flowers and having found a career I love is something I am truly grateful for.

    Relationships are the core of a successful business and we are happy to have them all around us. We work with other amazing vendors, talented neighbours, and many corporate and private clients we are so grateful to have. I try to support local as much as possible in my home life and work place. We use local couriers, greenhouses and suppliers along with some amazing Vancouver talent that provide us with botanical products that complement our shop.

    Our primary work is floral design for events, weddings and film. This past year we have incorporated gifts, plants and individual floral orders to our product list as we shifted from large scale events to intimate occasions. Styling homes and businesses with botanicals, in addition to dried and fresh flowers, has been well received and fun. The Covid pandemic has definitely been a challenge but with every challenge there is opportunity, growth and new relationships to build.

    Click here for more information on Botany and Bloom.

    Follow them on instagram here.

    Kelly is wearing a custom rose vest and Erin is featured wearing the Acorn hat. Contact us for more details.

     

    Photos by: Devan Head

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