Garnished by cactus, string lights and colourful posters with quirky designs, it is difficult not to wander into the vibrantly decorated Crywolf store when strolling through Toronto’s Ossington Village.
The interior of Crywolf, an indie store on Ossington, and their in-house security guard – Monzie, a black French bulldog
“Fun, cute and positive” replied co-founder, Stephanie Drabik, when asked to describe their vibrant brand. Co-founders, Stephanie Drabik and Rose Chang, came up with the idea of printing designs onto shirts in 2005. “When we started, we noticed there was a lack of fun clothes and we wanted to create something that was fun and cute” explained Rose Chang.
Crywolf carries an array of products from their signature printed shirts to modern sunglasses, vibrant prints, terrariums, candles and jewellery. 
From the beginning, Stephanie and Rose had dreamed of starting their own brand and owning their own business. Drawing inspiration from their own personality, they started designing graphics to print on shirts and buttons. “We literally walked around Wonderland with a box selling buttons” recalled Stephanie. “There was no such thing as Instagram and social media when we started” explained Rose “We had to rely on word-of-mouth and people liking our stuff”.
From 2005 to today, Stephanie and Rose have established their own brand and independent store. Though their product selection has expanded greatly, when asked about the product they are most proud of, Stephanie easily responded “Our shirts – definitely our shirts. Each one of our shirts is still hand printed.”
Rose chose the buttons. “Even though our buttons are the products with the lowest profit and require the most work, I am most proud of these because this is how we started.”
Where can we find Crywolf next?
You can shop for Crywolf swag online at http://www.crywolfclothing.com or at their store on Ossington. Crywolf will also be at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) this summer!
