Alumni Spotlight

The brand sells through select distributors such as Harry Rosen, and, as of September, through a bricks-and-mortar store at 14 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood.   
 

“Our bestselling items are in the micromodal fabric,” Grant explains. “We have pants, T-shirts and hoodies for men and women. Yes, the price points are high, but once a customer gets into it, they’ll be back for more. I get calls from wholesale accounts who will tell me a client who bought one T-shirt now wants 20 in every color.”

He says Feel-Good’s ethos is about “making the most of your free time from a luxurious standpoint.” So if, for example, you must travel by plane — why not do so in the most comfortable clothing possible? That’s where he says micromodal shines. 

“It’s made from the pulp of European beech trees that are sustainably farmed and carbon neutral,” he says. “The fibres react to your body temperature, so if you’re warm, they expand and let heat out, and if you’re cold, they contract and keep heat in. And it doesn’t wrinkle. So it keeps you comfortable and not looking like a mess when you arrive.”

Derek Rose offers pants that match its hoodies and shirts and that feature pockets with pin-lock zippers in which the wearer can securely keep a wallet or passport. 

Feel-Good has North American rights to the brand, and Grant is looking beyond Toronto for expansion opportunities. Some clientele winter in Florida, which has influenced his thought process. 

“We’ve had many customers tell us, ‘This would do amazingly well in Miami,’” he says. “So that’s what we’re thinking for store number two — maybe even testing a pop-up there in the near future.”

Grant started his career as a buyer for Holt Renfrew, and then launched Grant Fashion, a sales agency working with various suppliers. 

“Derek Rose has been the longest-standing and most successful brand I’ve had, and the one I’ve been most interested in,” he says. “Opening this door was on my mind for the last few years.”

The move became possible after he reconnected with Santo Domingo, a former colleague at Holt Renfrew who had the retail operational experience that was needed. “We’ve had a good launch so far,” he says.

Grant entered UCC in Year 7, and counts being a captain of the football and lacrosse teams in his graduating year among his fondest memories, particularly for the friendships that were formed.

“For the showcase football game on Association Day, all the guys would put an expectation on themselves to perform,” he recalls. “As we get older, we often don’t see each other for long periods, but we’ve all been through that together, and when we reunite, it’s as though nothing’s changed between us.”

Grant went on to play football at Acadia University, where he got his BA in English literature. Sports and business sense run in the family. His father, the late George Grant, was a UCC football coach.

“He got involved with coaching when I was in Year 9 and playing on the U16 team,” Grant elaborates. “He was semi-retired and had some time on his hands, and he kept on doing it after I was off playing on the senior team. He really enjoyed it.” 

The elder Grant’s involvement in sports extended far beyond the College. A radio entrepreneur who owned a couple of stations, he was a founding partner of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators in 1992, and the next year invested in the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was co-owner of the club from 1995 to 2003.

It was an inspiring association for a young UCC player.

“We would go to pretty much every Hamilton home game,” Grant says. “I enjoyed seeing the action up close. Going to Grey Cup matches was another great memory, culminating in 1999 with the Tiger-Cats winning the championship.”

Grant also had the invaluable experience of working at the team’s training camps. 

“Just being around the team so much,” he says, “helped a lot in terms of my development.”