A native of Chicoutimi-Nord, Alain Desmeules studied marketing and engineering. A big fan of the outdoors and winter camping himself, he moved to Montreal in his twenties to work in the construction industry. (Photo: Trium Media)
First intended for workers who often had to face extreme cold, heated clothing designed by a native of Saguenay grew in popularity. More and more outdoor enthusiasts are also buying them, according to Alain Desmeules, who founded the Ewool company.
“Snowmobilers, hunters or skiers, for example, are looking for a professional product that really offers warmth. And the general public too, because many people hate the cold. For some, it’s hell. We are used to the cold in Saguenay, but this is not the case everywhere. Heated clothing changes the lives of many people. Everyone will have them in the near future. »
Nothing similar exists on the market according to Alain Desmeules.
His company developed its first product in 2018 after 3 years of research. This is a heated jacket with backup batteries that provide up to 14 hours of continuous heat. The Montreal company now also offers heated glove liners and heated stocking covers.
“What is available at good prices are gadgets. It doesn’t really heat up and that’s disappointing. Everything is tiny, including the battery and the heating elements. We, the price is not the same, but we specialize in everything that constitutes the intermediate layers. We are not in fashion. We do utilitarian stuff. It’s black, it’s close to the body, and it’s very thin. »
Journey
A native of Chicoutimi-Nord, Alain Desmeules studied marketing and engineering. A big fan of the outdoors and winter camping himself, he moved to Montreal in his twenties to work in the construction industry.
After selling the family business where he worked, he went back to school to take training in technical clothing design, then launched his business in 2015.
He says he followed a path similar to Chlorophylle, since he made several trips to the Arctic to test his products before marketing them.
Today, Ewool sells mainly in Quebec and is beginning to be known in other Canadian provinces as well as in the United States and Europe. The SME also sells heated clothing manufacturing licenses to other companies, including Chlorophylle.
Nirvana of comfort
Next fall, Ewool will offer a new product that will be the nirvana of comfort according to its founder. It will be a fleece sweater that will have completely invisible heating technology in the collar and sleeves.
“It’s a revolution. We made the red button that lights up near the neck disappear and it’s a vibration that acts. You can operate it, but you can’t see it. The activation button is hidden and the same technology is used in the phones when they vibrate. The battery used will be the most compact in the world. We are going to release a garment that not only heats the body and the neck, but also the arms. »