Garage is a clothing store, primarily targeting young women. Founded in 1975 as a subsidiary of
Groupe Dynamite, Garage currently has locations in Canada and the United States. In 1975, Garage Clothing was established as a Groupe Dynamite subsidiary. Andrew Lutfy, a Quebec businessman who began working as a stock clerk at the first GDI store in 1982, is the owner of Groupe Dynamite. Lutfy became the sole owner of
Groupe Dynamite by 2002.
In September 2020, Garage's parent filed for creditor protection under the
Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act
The ''Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act'' (CCAA; ) is a statute of the Parliament of Canada that allows insolvent corporations owing their creditors in excess of $5 million to restructure their businesses and financial affairs.
The CCAA with ...
. They did this as a direct result of the COVID-19 crisis, in order to reorganize its financial and business problems. Early in 2020,
Groupe Dynamite, Inc. was once again surpassing expectations following record performance in 2019, but COVID-19 put an unanticipated and unsustainable pressure on the company. The Montreal-based retailer and its Board of Directors were forced to confront the reality.
Controversy
In 2024, Garage added content for the company's new denim promotion. The ad campaign featured ladies dancing to a bass-heavy song while modeling the jeans and taking off their tops and bottoms.
Online shoppers quickly criticized the advertisement, claiming it was overly sexualized, did not include people of various sizes, and would even be harmful to younger viewers. There are more than a dozen posts on the brand's Instagram page, and nearly all of them are besieged with negative comments urging the campaign to halt. Groupe Dynamite's Garage cleaned up its social media profiles on July 15 and added content for the company's new denim promotion.
Collaborations with influencers
Garage Clothing launched a
body positive produce line called B.DY which is promoted by
Chloe Bailey
Chloe Elizabeth Bailey ( ; born July 1, 1998), also known mononymously as Chlöe, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She rose to prominence alongside her sister Halle Bailey as Chloe x Halle. The duo released two stu ...
in the media.
Garage Clothing has also worked with TikTok star
Caroline Ricke who is famous for comedic sketches in which she adopts the role of an irritating rich girl.
References
External links
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Clothing brands
Clothing retailers of Canada
Companies based in Montreal
Retail companies established in 1975
1975 establishments in Quebec
Companies that have filed for bankruptcy in Canada
Companies that have filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy
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