89 - Connor Curran (Local Laundry)

Today Connor Curran, Co-Founder of Local Laundry,  joins The Kondrat Podcast.  We talk about how Connor and his business partner built a successful brand while supporting local businesses and Canadian garment manufacturers.

Connor’s parents immigrated to Canada from Ireland and built James Joyce Irish Pub in Calgary.  Through watching his parents, Connor learned at a young age how important supporting local business was to building a strong community.

After getting laid off from an Oil and Gas company, Connor and his wife moved to Sweden.  While travelling, Connor noticed that many of the symbols that “represented” Canada (hockey jerseys, moose t-shirts…) were cliche and tacky.  He recognized that there was a gap in the market for trendy garments that would better reflect what Canada was all about - and Local Laundry was born.

Early on, Connor realized that to be successful Local Laundry could not be just a marketing gimmick - it needed to truly represent Canada.  As a result, they have made it their mandate to “only support Canadian manufacturing and workers.”  This mandate has an inherent challenge - having the garments manufactured in Canada means that their costs are significantly higher than many competitors.  Through educating consumers and sharing the positive stories of the lives they have impacted, Local Laundry is overcoming these challenges.

It was great to connect with Connor and share his story.  So pull up a chair, grab a bag of Cheezies, and enjoy this surprisingly interesting conversation.

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Connor Curran - Local Laundry : website | twitter | instagram | facebook