Copy of History
1975
Opens its first store location, a 450-square foot space on the second floor of the Lothian Mews retail complex. Store staples include the denim wall, jujube jar and custom alterations area.
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1976
Joel & Jinni Carman assume sole ownership of Over the Rainbow.
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1977
Moves its store location into a new 1,450 square foot space at 120 Cumberland Street. Additional change rooms and 7 employees boost customer service.
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1982
Moves to a new 2,800 square foot space at 101 Yorkville Avenue with an even bigger denim wall & expansion into sportswear & accessories.
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1982
Wayne Gretzky becomes the brand`s first ever celebrity endorsement, wearing an Over the Rainbow branded t-shirt in a Toronto Sun newspaper story.
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1984
Starts importing Japanese denim, which introduces Edwin Jeans and Big John to Canada for the first time.
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1985
Expands Yorkville space to 3,700 square feet, adding a women’s contemporary section.
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1985
Launches the first Tommy Hilfiger collection in Canada as an alternative to existing namesake contemporaries like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.
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1994
Launches Chip & Pepper, one of the first Canadian owned denim brands, with an ode to vintage styling & trends.
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1995
Launches the “Frisco Flare” by Silver Jeans, the first of many flared jeans as a resurgence of wide bottom denim.
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1997
Organizes the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Charity Poker Run providing toys, photos & fundraising to the patients at Hugh MacMillan Rehabilitation Centre
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1998
Becomes the biggest stockist of Juicy Couture; birth of the velour (fall) and terry cloth (spring) tracksuit craze.
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1999
First big success in footwear with the introduction of UGG; customer request & waiting list goes through the roof.
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2000
Expands Yorkville space one final time to 4,500 square feet, adding a new womenswear section and larger cash checkout counter.
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2001
RainbowJeans.com is launched as a catalogue-based website with store information & hours
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2003
Becomes the first Canadian retailer, and the 6th international stockist, to launch Citizens of Humanity, founded by a Montrealer.
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2004
Introduces J Brand to the Canadian market, including the 811 stretch denim model; starts a new wave of clean pocket, skinny jeans for women.
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2005
A young Dani Reiss fulfills his quest to sell his family`s parkas outside of Arctic climates; selects Over the Rainbow in a group of retailers to launch Canada Goose`s first city collection.
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2009
Becomes the first international retailer to launch Naked & Famous Denim, a Japanese fabric made in Canada brand; the raw denim trend emerges.
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2010
Celebrates 35 years in business with an outdoor barbeque and shopping event in support of Autism Speaks Canada
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2011
NOW Magazine readers vote Over the Rainbow as the “Best Jeans Store” in Toronto.
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2011
Joel Carman raises $41,000 for Movember & Prostate Cancer Canada by shaving off his signature mustache. His son & Team RainBROws raise $34,000 the following year.
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2013
Launches first ever collaboration with Naked & Famous; the ``5&5 Capsule Series`` included five short sleeve shirts with five denim shorts, two items never before produced by the brand
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2013
Becomes the largest stockist of Zanerobe’s popular “Sureshot” pant, selling over 1,000 pairs in 1 store in 1 year; the birth of the men`s jogger trend.
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2013
Launches a denim drive encouraging customer to trade-in their old jeans in support of local homeless shelters & organizations, which represents the early makings of our new Wear Love Recycle program.
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2014
High Snobiety lists Over the Rainbow in their “Top 15 of the Best Denim Stores on Earth”
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2014
Produces “The PrideCode” exclusive capsule collection for World Pride Toronto; all proceeds donated to Fife House.
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2014
Paige introduces their new Transcend fabric; starts new wave of supreme comfort denim to combat the athleisure pant trend.
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2015
Celebrates 40 years in business with a series of in-store events, collaborations and charity initiatives throughout the year.
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2015
RainbowJeans.com re-launches as a full online store for consumers across Canada to shop all our best brands & products.
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2015
Launches first ever "Kimono Pocket Tee" collaboration with Naked & Famous; sells out quickly and spawns a capsule collection sold every Spring Summer season featuring new pocket prints exclusive to Over the Rainbow.
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2016
Becomes one of the first stores in Canada to carry Frame Denim; men`s denim collection is launched one year later.
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2017
Secures a lease for a new 6,500 square foot retail location at the Manulife Centre, where the current location will move to in 2018.
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2017
The “Nice Guy” jean is created, representing the first-ever custom denim fit designed by Over the Rainbow in collaboration with Naked & Famous
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2017
Expands accessory department to include apothecary, tech and lifestyle products
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2018
Hires award-winning architects Giannone Petricone to design its soon-to-be Manulife Centre retail store
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2018
Becomes the exclusive retailer for Retro Brand Black Label in Canada
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2019
Moves from Yorkville Avenue to a state-of-the-art retail store in Manulife Centre
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2019
Hires JULIET to update the company logo, packaging and visual identity
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2019
Creates the Yorkville Collectors Series with proceeds donated to Special Olympics Toronto
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2019
Opens the Rainbow Tailor Shop with expanded alteration, repair and customization services
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2019
Partners to open the first Nudie Jeans Repair Shop in Canada