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Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand’s first flagship on Queen West

By Jean Grant| Photography by Giordano Ciampini
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18 Waits, the latest Toronto brand to set up a bricks-and-mortar location, sells rugged menswear made from soft flannels, sturdy cottons and luxe wools. The materials are sourced from specialized factories in Japan, L.A. and Portugal, with a Toronto facility supplying all its knits—and everything’s made in Canada. Named after the rocker Tom Waits, the store’s heaven for laid-back Toronto guys who live in plaid and love hanging out around the campfire: “We’re a lifestyle brand first,” says founder Daniel Torjman. Shoppers will find outdoorsy decor and a collection of accessories from other brands, including handcrafted spectacles from Berlin-based Lunettes, inside the new 18 Waits space. The brand’s own clothing, like woollen cardigans or heavy-duty waxed cotton jackets, would work as well for a cottage weekend as a night out at Soho House.

The space used to belong to Craft Ontario and was already well designed, so minimal changes were needed. Torjman enlisted a local woodworker to build the displays:

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

The walls are decorated with deer skulls that Torjman sourced from a friend who lives in Kentucky:

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

This waxed cotton jacket ($475) is one of this season’s most popular items:

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

The brand’s former offices on Niagara Street were sold to make way for condos in the spring, providing the kick Torjman needed to open a storefront. The staff has a studio in the back, where they cut patterns and imagine new designs:

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Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

It’s also their office space:

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

The brand’s just-launched kids line is called Hopper Hunter (it’s named after Torjman’s and his wife’s son), and includes miniature button-downs and playful shirts made out of high quality materials:

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

There are plenty of dad-matching options:

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

18 Waits’ sales and marketing manager Jill Wood has a side gig knitting toddler-sized tuques ($50) out of wool and upcycled vintage fur. Her label is called Headmistress:

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

Watches from LA brand Tsovet ($335—$569) are also up for grabs:

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Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

As are handcrafted specs from Berlin label Lunette Kollektion ($335):

Inside 18 Waits, the Toronto menswear brand's first flagship on Queen West

990 Queen St. W., 416-303-0018, 18waits.com

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