Vancouver apparel company Oak + Fort seeks creditor protection amid tariff woes

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 09, 2025 8:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Canadian apparel brand Oak + Fort says it has obtained creditor extortion arsenic it works to restructure its business. 

The Vancouver-based institution says the determination is indispensable due to the fact that U.S. tariffs person joined different terms pressures and led to a diminution successful user assurance and spending.

The tariffs arrived after Oak + Fort pushed to unfastened 26 caller Canadian and U.S. stores successful the past 4 years, which the institution says resulted successful a reduced and yet insufficient concern successful its e-commerce platforms. 

Court documents amusement the institution owes much than $25 cardinal to creditors including immoderate landlords who didn't person May rent payments. 

Oak + Fort says it volition proceed to run stores and an e-commerce concern during the restructuring.

It was founded successful 2010 arsenic an online boutique that yet expanded to 42 stores successful Canada and the U.S. selling womenswear, menswear, accessories, jewelry and location goods. 

Vancouver-based retail strategist David Ian Gray, founder of DIG360, said that determination person been a rolling bid of challenges for the retail sector, which has had to woody with precocious involvement rates.

"At the precise aforesaid time, user spending has truly dampened — and not conscionable for a period oregon two," helium told CBC News. "It's truly settled down into a slump.

"And there's a large quality betwixt consumers who are buying connected need, specified arsenic market oregon location betterment household items, versus wherever they mightiness privation to bargain immoderate fashion."

Gray says the tariffs person added to a "perfect storm" for retailers similar Oak + Fort, and others whitethorn look akin challenges successful the months to come.

The strategist said that the institution had done a large occupation engaging shoppers successful Vancouver and B.C. implicit the years.

"But similar we've seen with truthful galore retailers, sometimes the enthusiasm you spot from shoppers successful your location market, you hide that mightiness person taken you 5 oregon much years to physique that up," the expert said.

"And abruptly you request to person the aforesaid level successful caller places ... happening overnight. And so, it's not truly a astonishment to maine that they've had immoderate struggles."

Christy Wong, who is from New York, said she was shocked to perceive that the retailer was seeking creditor protection, and that galore radical went to the retailers' outlet successful that city.

"A batch of my closet is made of Oak + Fort pieces, truthful if they truly spell retired of business, I'll beryllium precise sad," Wong told CBC News. "I wouldn't cognize wherever to shop."