Fashion wasn’t at the forefront of Anu Raina’s upbringing. Born and raised in Indian-administered Kashmir, Raina’s family fled their home after losing everything overnight as a result of ethnic cleansing of their minority community.
When they migrated to Delhi, India, a teenage Raina found comfort in the creative.
Now, after several degrees and accolades to her name, Raina has opened her own store in Downtown Oakville, sharing a glimpse into her past while touting a brand name proudly made in Canada.
Even as a young girl, Raina remembers drawing, painting, and making outfits for her dolls, but her interest in fashion came after graduating in Biology, when she helped a friend with his application to fashion school in Australia.
“I thought, if I could do it for him, I could do it for myself,” Raina says.
In Delhi, she realized her potential as a junior designer for a start-up company. With some work experience on her résumé, she was accepted to the London College of Fashion in London, England.
After graduation, Raina planned on moving to New York, but when she returned home to Delhi and met her husband, plans quickly changed.
For the next six years, Raina and her husband started a family in Delhi, where she and her husband started a textile business. In 2004, they made the move to Canada after Raina’s husband decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Toronto.
After spending a few years in their North York condo, they decided it was time for a change.
“We had two kids by then, so we drove around neighbourhoods and fell in love with Oakville,” Raina says. “It has the exact balance of a city and town. I love that.”
By the time they moved to Oakville in 2007, Raina felt an itch for more.
“My husband was very busy with his job and I got bored, so I checked out Sheridan College and absolutely fell in love with the textile program,” Raina says.
After graduating with honours, Raina landed a position as artist-in-residence at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.
“I realized then I was an artist. I combined art and clothing. I made my own prints inspired by my life journey and the people I met.”
She started printing scarves during her time at Harbourfront Centre in an effort to sell her items. Shop Girls on Queen Street West was the first shop to buy her pieces, which eventually led to her first full collection that debuted at Toronto Fashion Week in 2010.
The autobiographical collection was called “Chapter 2, Page 1”, inspired by Raina’s childhood in Kashmir with her mother, who died when Raina was 10 years old. Every piece was hand-dyed, printed, and stitched by Raina.
She continued selling her pieces at several locations across Toronto when she started thinking about taking the next step and opening her own store.
“My kids said something that hit me. They said, ‘Mom, if you quit, you’ll die prematurely,’” Raina says, laughing. “It was sweet and innocent, but they know me so well. After they said that, I decided to open my own store.”
She opened Anu Raina in June 2021 at Lakeshore and Kerr, but when doors opened, patrons recommended a downtown location with more foot traffic. In November 2021, she moved Anu Raina to 174 Lakeshore Road East.
“I was scared of the high rent downtown, but I thought, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well,” Raina says. “Everyone encouraged me to keep going. The community in Oakville is so amazing. People understand the value of made in Canada, that it’s important to support local.”
Everything sold at Anu Raina is made in Canada, except for a small line of men’s scarves she makes in partnership with a Peru manufacturer.
Raina designs all her clothing and textile prints, alongside talented colleagues who help cut and sew pieces as well as stylists and photographers who shoot her look books.
“This trade is a team effort. It gives employment to so many people. I don’t think I should take all the credit,” Raina says. “It’s not just about me. It’s about a lot of people, the whole team involved, realizing this dream and concept.”
Despite opening a new business during the COVID-19 pandemic, Raina says the outpouring of community support has propelled her forward.
To honour the Oakville community, she named her latest collection after her neighbourhood, Wedgewood.
“I am where I am today thanks to a lot of people,” Raina says. “I’m very grateful for them, and for my family.”
