Page 18-19 - CIO_NOVEMBER_2013

18
19
CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - NOVEMBER 2013
nadian designers. “We want to capi-
talize on being Canadian and we are
continuing to form partnerships and
collaborations with Canadian design-
ers: we want to keep our lines fresh
and new,” Varoli continues.
INNOVATION IN DESIGN
Eleventh Floor Apparel is known
for quality and luxurious products, but
Varoli says that the company plans to
innovate even further with its lines in
the next few years.
Currently, the company has plans
to focus LUNDSTRÖM on outerwear,
and continue to innovate with fabrics
and features. “For the last few months
we’ve been focusing on smart fabrics,
and wearable technology,” she says.
We are in the process of develop-
ing prototypes focusing on lighting in
clothing. Lighting technology is not
new, but we will be focusing on wear-
able, washable, flexible and durable
lighting. For instance, lighting incorpo-
rated into outdoor active wear.”
EFA is also taking active wear
a step further with a focus on smart
body metrics and monitoring with
medical and safety performance wear.
The company now has a showroom at
head office, so EFA is able to demon-
strate its quality and variety.
The product development and
design areas are quite beautiful and
give our customers an idea of the in-
novation behind the clothing,” Varoli
says.
QUALITY AND STAYING ABOVE THE
COMPETITION
Eleventh Floor Apparel is a company
known for its brands and top-quality
design. But there is quite a lot that goes
into staying at the top of the industry
while staying competitive internation-
ally. “It is difficult to compete with
the rest of the world when it comes to
manufacturing and pricing. However,
Canadian companies that have sur-
vived in this industry do so because
they offer something different in the
ELEVENTH FLOOR APPAREL