We recently connected with Erica Marchand and have shared our conversation below.

Erica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Believe it or not, my business is named after my children. (No, they’re names aren’t Bear and Fox!) When I was expecting my first kid, we didn’t know if it was going to be a boy or girl so we nicknamed it “The Cub,” a baby bear. And in true second child nature, we didn’t nick name them anything (we were too busy chasing The Bear around to think of a nick name!) When Freddie was born he was very naturally gifted all kinds of fox items. Not only did I want my brand to be outdoorsy by nature, I knew that the imagery that is associated with bears and foxes was very playful as well, which is a huge part of the brand voice behind the clothing.
I honestly couldn’t imagine naming my business anything else. Having it be an homage to not only the critters that live in this beautiful country, but for it to be named after my children is one of my favourite aspects of the business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Bear+Fox is made for those happiest outdoors. Whether its hiking, fishing, camping, hunting or just crackin’ some bevvies around a campfire with your buddies, Bear+Fox is with you, wherever you go.
Bear+Fox is high quality, livable clothing that is proudly made in Canada. From the socks on your feet, to the toque on your head, everything is made right here. The leggings and newly launched colour-block sweaters are manufactured exclusively for Bear+Fox and I’m pretty damn proud of that.
The leggings were the first product that I manufactured and they were a labour of love. Made from top notch fabric that is anti-pilling, high compression and smoothing, these leggings are also high waisted keeping you comfortable for all the adventures you have planned. They also have deep pockets on both hips (no dropping your phone in the thunder box with these pants!) The leggings took a tremendous amount of research and development and to date, are the item in the shop that I am most proud of.
When you follow Bear+Fox on instagram, facebook or tiktok, you can expect light hearted content centred around the love for the outdoors. I am a proud hunter/angler and those adventures periodically make their way into the content as well. $1 from every order is donated back to Canadian conservation efforts to help preserve today for tomorrow’s adventures.
For 2 years Bear+Fox has donated to SOARR (Southern Ontario At Risk Reptiles) and I was even lucky enough to accompany them on their turtle and snake surveys. I learned so much, and shared all of these adventures and knowledge with my followers as well.
So if you’re looking for some genuine Canadian content, look no further than @bearandfoxapparel.ca (across all socials).

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building an audience on social media can be extremely aggravating, fulfilling, annoying, frustrating and wonderful. Don’t get too caught up in the numbers game. Remember, everyone starts with zero followers.
When I launched the business, I leaned into my brand voice and spoke in an authentic way. There’s no censorship on my page. People seemed to gravitate towards not only the logo and branding, but the authenticity that it evoked as well.
Don’t be afraid to show your voice, and speak your truth. The right people will find you and support you.
My very first photo shoot to promote the brand, I knew I needed models to help showcase the clothing. Instead of paying for models (I was a start up with zerrrrrro cash flow), I invited local business owners to come and model for me. They were invited to bring a prop of their own business as well, (coffee mug, soap, necklace, weights etc) so they could in turn reuse the photos that were taken of them for THEIR social media. In hindsight, it was a great way to get no only their brand in front of my followers, but when they reshared my images, my brand was now in front of THEIR followers.
Collaborate with as many people as possible (so long as you share similar values!) Don’t sell yourself out just for leads – you might get quantity, but it won’t be quality.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Back in the day, being verified on social media wasn’t a paid feature. You had to apply for that blue check mark and it added brand legitimacy with it.
I was desperate for the verification badge and applied monthly only to be denied, repeatedly.
One day I received an email I was finally accepted! All I needed to do was log into instagram via this link.
I clicked it, and logged in.
And that was the moment I lost my instagram to a scam.
At the time I had 6500 loyal followers and they were gone in an instant.
I was devastated. over 90% of the sale leads were generated via Instagram.
After trying for 2 weeks to have the account reinstated, I decided to utilize this moment to make a slight shift in my branding and start building from the ground up. The support from my online community was immense. I had grown above and beyond my 6500 followers quickly and truly rebounded from the scam with a better online presence and a refocused mission for the business.
I easily could’ve let this lapse in judgement crush my business. But instead, I chose to meet the problem head on and make lemonade from one crappy, sour lemon.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bearandfoxapparel.ca
• Instagram: @bearandfoxapparel.ca
• Facebook: @bearandfoxapparel.ca
• Other: tiktok: @bearandfoxapparel.ca

Image Credits

all photos taken by Carolyne Yeoman of See Why Photography