Whitney Linen has popped up at Shop Cares Closet in Toronto for one day (Thursday November 28) in a collaboration that celebrates female-founded brands and a fresh approach to retail—pairing consignment with seasonal pop-ups featuring local designers.
Cares Closet, founded by Carolyn Ross, is a carefully curated luxury consignment retailer known for its Instagram-based shopping and personalized services like closet clean-outs and personal styling.
Whitney Linen, inspired by summers in the South of France, creates timeless, sustainable pieces for women, men, and the home. Crafted with quality and elegance, these collections embody the ethos of living beautifully in linen.
Whitney Westwood, founder of Whitney Linen, said the concept began in 2011.
“At that point it was very much more into home linens kind of thing. I started working with an actual house fashion designer for a few years and because of my history of being in fashion for a long time, I used to model for years back in in the day. So fashion was very much a part of my upbringing,” she said.
“And my family also brought the first Hermes store to Toronto. So that retail fashion experience was sort of something I always was involved in. That was the beginning and then went more into the fashion line in particular and more sort of clothing and fashion, but really more of a whole lifestyle brand.”
The brand also has a presence in a number of other retailers.
Carolyn Ross, owner of Shop Cares Closet, said the retailer is a pre-loved consignment retail store which has been operating for about two years.
“And we sell contemporary designer and luxury designer brands in excellent condition. I was a buyer for many years. I worked in corporate retail. I worked for Sears before they went under, the Bay, Holt Renfrew. And then I started this about two years ago just for fun. In my closet, I got sick with COVID, was trapped at home and decided it was time to purge the closet and I had posted on my very tiny Instagram with hardly any followers asking people where they suggest I donate my wardrobe and I had about 20 people at the same time saying I’ll buy your stuff and so the concept formed very quickly because seconds later I created an Instagram handle, started posting my personal items and within seconds everything was selling and about two months later I had the business running on its own and I was essentially making more than I did in a year being a buyer for Holt Renfrew,” she said.
“Because I come from that buying corporate retail world, I really want to still focus on brands which is why I love partnering with people like Whitney Linen and other made-in-Canada brands. I think it’s important to bring exposure to these brands as well. Well, they’re not pre-loved but I still think linen falls in the sustainable market category. And I think featuring brands like that and having access to these pop-ups is what makes my business so unique because while we are pre-loved, people still have the opportunity to come and shop these incredible female-run, sustainable-friendly brands.
“I view myself as like not your typical consigner. I try to be your more relatable fashion consigner. It’s like entering into a Holt Renfrew, but at an affordable price but still featuring luxury.”
Westwood said women entrepreneurs these days are sticking together, helping each other, and really building small businesses up.
“I just felt right that it was a good space. We have a lot of cross networks. I think our network really sort of melds together properly and we have the right kind of demographic that we work together well with. And for us, it’s always a great thing – a brand, a Canadian brand, especially when it’s a niche market and it’s Canadian made, it’s really important to get those eyes on you and get out.
“We do pop-ups a lot. It’s sort of that new way of business. I think for a lot of stores and retail outlets. Pop-ups are really great because you’re not taking the overhead needed to have actually a storefront. You’re using the social media side and you’re using the demographics of working with another store retail outlet.”
Whitney Linen is introducing its new resort collection.
“Because it’s the first one we’re doing together, we just really want to bring awareness to the brand to both businesses and show people can collaborate in this market,” said Ross.
“ I think that’s a big thing,” added Westwood. “Collaborations now for everyone is really helpful because to be on your own and trying to tap in through social media, you have certain streams, but it’s really great to kind of collaborate because then you can have access and bring other people and other clients that you have not reached out to, or you don’t have that reach, and then you bring it all together. So together, you’re actually building a better platform and a bigger customer awareness and clients directly.”
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