Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams has developed some serious fashion influence since his Canadian hockey romance exploded in popularity last year. In August, he was spotted strolling the streets of Toronto with a plaid Canadian Tire tote bag (and of course, everyone wanted one). And now, his latest look has sent an independent Indigenous designer’s business into overdrive.
Williams stepped out at the Kate Spade New York Global Summit on Women’s Mental Health last Wednesday wearing a blue-and-black Journey Knit Cardigan by Indigenous Canadian designer Justin Jacob Louis. The $350 piece reportedly sold out within hours, with thousands of dollars in orders pouring into the designer’s online shop. Louis also gained hundreds of new followers online, and customers began buying other pieces from his collections, too.
Over the next two days, he estimated that the shop brought in the equivalent of roughly two to three months’ worth of sales!
Louis, who was born in Samson Cree Nation and is the founder and creative director of Section 35 and his namesake Justin Jacob Louis label, said the response “has been insane.”
“Thank you to everyone who purchased The Journey Cardigan which Hudson wore yesterday during his event on The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. I’ve been inundated with requests for a re-stock so with that I just dropped a limited pre-sale on a re-stock due to the demand! It is live on the website right now!” he wrote in an Instagram post last Thursday.
“Thank you to Hudson and his team for wanting to represent Indigenous fashion on a day like September 30th. It was truly an honour to have Hudson wear this piece. I will have more to share about the story behind the design and meaning as well.”
According to Louis, Williams specifically wanted to support an Indigenous designer for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sep. 30. His team tracked down the cardigan at the last minute and purchased it rather than asking for a complimentary piece. When shipping it in time proved difficult, someone from Williams’ team drove from Vancouver to Louis’ studio in Chilliwack to pick it up. Williams paired the cardigan with an orange ribbon at the New York event.
The Journey design carries its own personal meaning. Louis told Vogue that it came from a dream he had while feeling homesick and disconnected from his community. In the dream, he was back near his father’s home on the Prairies during winter, surrounded by blue moonlight and looking to the stars for his ancestors. Those images ultimately became part of the cardigan’s design, including its blue hues, tipi motif and stars.
Louis’ work also draws on his Plains Cree culture and his homelands along the Battle River. His namesake label debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2023, and Section 35 has previously collaborated with Canadian brands like Roots and Arc’teryx.
Stock for the original Journey Knit Cardigan is gone, but the brand has since opened pre-orders for the cardigan, with delivery expected between December and January (and a knit hoodie version of the design is also now available for pre-order!).
And there could be more Williams-Louis fashion collabs in the future. Williams later messaged Louis personally to thank him, and the two have stayed in touch. The designer said Williams has expressed interest in some of his other pieces, so who knows, this might open the door to another collab during the Heated Rivalry season two press tour!
Follow @justinjacoblouis on Insta for more info on his collection, or visit his website.