Toronto, Ontario - True North Lacrosse is excited to announce the launch of a men’s apparel line for Spring 2014. The release date is set for Friday February 14th.
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Brodie Merrill (NLL, MLL All Star, All- World, and Tewaaratan Finalist) is behind the relaunch of the famed lacrosse company that his late friend Chris Sanderson founded in 1997. True North Lacrosse began as a development platform for young lacrosse players, and is one of the original lacrosse lifestyle brands.
Chris passed away in 2012 after a long and determined fight against brain cancer. He is as an icon in the lacrosse world, known as one of the greatest lacrosse goalies to come from Canada. As a coach, mentor, father, friend, husband and athlete Chris has been an inspiration to many.
Chris had a major influence on Brodie’s development as a field lacrosse player. True North Lacrosse introduced Brodie and many other Canadian box lacrosse players to the game of field lacrosse. Brodie began his lacrosse career participating in, and then eventually directing True North Lacrosse camps. Some of Brodie’s most cherished memories in the game come from True North Lacrosse.
Brodie made the decision to relaunch the brand as a way to honor the memory of his friend. “I have always had a connection to True North. It has had an impact on my life on many levels. When Chris passed I felt like it was important for TNL to continue.”
Like Chris, the True North Lacrosse brand has always epitomized the relaxed confidence that the sport itself exudes. There is an emerging sub-culture in lacrosse that is reminiscent of the casual-laid back attitude, and aesthetic of surf and snowboard cultures. This aesthetic has always been visible in True North’s DNA.
The goal in relaunching True North Lacrosse is to share this culture with all lacrosse enthusiasts. “This is a brand for the next generation of athletes.” Brodie explains, “Chris had such a distinct sense of style. I remember in the early 90’s he rocked Wayfarer’s and Vuarnet France with his long California-esque blonde hair. We thought he was the coolest kid in town. His style was so charismatic and confident – it was something we all wanted to mimic.”
Brodie’s wife Alexandra is the designer behind True North Lacrosse apparel. With almost a decade in the fashion industry working for some of the world’s biggest luxury brands as well as knowledge of the sport and culture of lacrosse, the timing was right for her to meld the two worlds. Graphic designer Evan Melnyk has been commissioned to create all of the t-shirt artwork. Melnyk has worked with many progressive brands such as The Quiet Life and Spitfire, as well as artists such as Kasabian and Arcade Fire.
The first capsule for the collection is a tightly edited assortment of t-shirts, sweats, and hats and is available for sale online at TNLacrosse.com, shipping worldwide. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Chris Sanderson Memorial Trust. True North Lacrosse will also be sold at select lacrosse camps, tournaments, and exhibitions. Visit TNLacrosse.com for details.
All True North Lacrosse products are designed in the True North Strong and Free.
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