Residence Toronto, ON Organization Kanati Co. Name Liam Massaubi | Occupation Entrepreneur,Designer Title Co-Founder (Retired) | |
Liam Massaubi is an Canadian entrepreneur, designer and co-founder of the Toronto-based fashion label, retailer and manufacturer Kanati Clothing Company. He is a member of the The Kanien'keha:ka (or Mohawk people) First Nation. Massaubi began to gain recognition by boldly using First Nations stereotypes in fashion painting words such as "savage" on pieces in Kanati collections. He is also the creator of a cut and sew manufacturing and logistics program which manufactures for upwards of 100 private retail labels globally.
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About Kanati Co.
Kanati Clothing Company was formed in July 2009 in Toronto, Ontario. Kanati Co. quickly quickly gained market traction by becoming a celebrity favorite which led to the company entering a multi-year international distribution arrangement. The company gained notoriety as a pioneer in the fashion industry by creating an Aboriginal influenced premium lifestyle band which had not yet been seen before. "Kanati Co." grew to national distribution in the first year in business and it eventually developed in to a 14-country distribution network over the next 5 years. The brand was popularized in the U.S by its appearance in numerous music videos from artists like Drag-On of Ruff Ryders Entertainment, Joey Stylez, Meek Mill/Rick Ross, Ja Rule and other popular musicians such as Sean P from the group YoungBloodZ. The label was seen on music group Winnipeg's Most in the Maclean's Magazine "Straight Outta Winnipeg" feature as well as on CBC Television's Aboriginal series "8th Fire" hosted by Wab kinew.
The company launched its flagship store in Waterloo, Ontario in August, 2014.
In July, 2014 Massaubi retired as the company's CEO to pursue other business interests and sold his shares in the company. The company also announced it would be opening a new location in August 2015.
The Kanati Co. brand is distibuted in North America, United Kingdom, Europe and Japan through GSG Apparel, Inc.
On-Demand Program
In 2014, Massaubi designed a program for retail fashion designers. The program runs on a pre-qualified membership basis and enables retail labels to meet compliance and expand product lines without the capital investment and need for inventory and minimum orders. The system handles warehousing and distribution for retail labels.The program launch was extremely successful seeing as many as 100 retai-ready labels joining. But unforeseen disruptions arose a couple of months into production in Pakistan relating to flooding, power shortagesand political unrest he company to pull all production from the country. Massaubi's decision to exit the country was called a "wake up call, both for those representing multi-nationals' interests in Pakistan and those Pakistani firms in the multi-nationals' value chains." by the Contracting & Procurement Manager at Shell Pakistan.' In an article published by The International New York Times, Massaubi was quoted saying "Energy issues, transportation issues and continuous supply chain disruptions were creating problems for us."'
The events, in part, prompted the Government of Pakistan to respond with a new plan to implement a new textile policy aimed at doubling exports. Kanati Co. was not the only company that experienced problems at that time. Walt Disney Company pulled approximately $200 million worth of production from the country due to an unfriendly business environment. In an article published in Yarns & Fibers, Massaubi was quoted as saying "As an organization that serves clients globally, hence they can't afford the disruption and down time in Pakistan. Their clients depend on a fast and reliable service.They can no longer wait and hope for improvements in Pakistan."
Rather than close the program and shutter doors on approximately 100 retail labels, the company decided to reshore production to Canada and eliminate the overseas supply chain all together. In an interview with The Pakistan Herald, Massaubi said "we are excited and focused about our Canadian production. We feel we can control everything we can’t overseas and are now able to offer more options to our customers." Under Massaubi's leadership, the company negotiated a $5 million deal over 5 years with GSG Apparel, Inc. establish a first of its kind Canadian facility. This was accomplished in only 3.5 months time. The move to production in Canada was mentioned in Just-Style.com's "Outdoor Brands in Innovation Buzz."
GSG Apparel, Inc. would eventually adopt the entire program in a negotiated deal with Kanati Co.