PROUDLY CANADIAN
Established in 2019
THE BRAND
PLAYWEAR is based in Chester, Nova Scotia, a world-renowned sailing community on Canada’s East Coast. Here, retired sails and marine materials are an inevitable part of life on the water, and PLAYWEAR gives those end-of-life materials a second story. The fashion industry produces an enormous amount of pollution through the production of new materials and low-quality apparel. Remaking what already exists into tough, functional pieces designed to last has been at the core of PLAYWEAR from day one.
Although the brand is shaped by a coastal upbringing, its aesthetic is far from stereotypical. PLAYWEAR rejects the overdone “nautical” look by mixing its marine roots with streetwear, sport, and utility to create something distinctly its own. The result is playful, functional pieces that reflect how we actually live here: getting outside, long beach days, playing on the water, and travelling to escape the cold.
Since launching, PLAYWEAR has been featured on Maritime Made (2026) and Style East (2023), awarded Gold for Best Dressmaker Halifax (2023), has shown remade couture in Chester, Halifax, Paris, and NYC. PLAYWEAR has also become a longtime sponsor of Chester Race Week, sailing, sport, ocean research, and many other community initiatives.
Paris Fashion Week (2023)
The Louvre, Paris, France
Halifax Fashion Week (2023)
Halifax Fashion Week (2023)
Halifax Fashion Week (2023)
Paris Fashion Week (2023)
Paris Fashion Week (2023)
Paris Fashion Week (2023)
Paris Fashion Week (2023)
New York Fashion Week (2024)
New York Fashion Week (2024)
THE OWNER
Founder and designer Livia Helena grew up in Chester, Nova Scotia, where sewing and sport shaped almost everything about her. By ten, she was heavily focused racing sailboats and learning how to use a sewing machine. She spent years moving between marine studies and fashion, eventually becoming a certified captain and a proud fashion school dropout. Her path was not linear, but it led exactly where it needed to.
In 2019, she combined both worlds to create PLAYWEAR, a coastal brand built around giving discarded materials a second life. What began with salvaged sails has grown into a constantly evolving practice of collecting and transforming marine, industrial, and everyday "waste" into something useful, beautiful, and built to last. Livia considers having the courage and tenacity to live out her childhood dream her greatest achievement.
Livia does her best to slow the environmental impact of the fashion industry through PLAYWEAR, while recognizing that not everyone has access to sustainable or Canadian-made clothing. She believes we should do our best within a system that does not always make good choices easy, and that the most ethical thing we can do is choose pieces we truly love, take good care of them, and wear them often. She hopes you can find some of those here.
Her philosophy is simple. Personal style is personal. Wear what makes you happy, we get one life.
PLAYWEAR Studio (2026)
Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada
