Company

In 2000, straight out of university and only months after signing the paperwork for their first ever business, partners, Tamara Steinborn and Nathan Dubo, found themselves attending the first trade show they'd ever seen - a national accessories show - as exhibitors. Seizing on opportunities as they arose, Nathan & Tamara started by operating simultaneous studios in Winnipeg & Toronto &  then set up in Montreal`s Mile End for 7 years. Moving to Ottawa with an eye to retail, they opened their first brick and mortar store, Wunderkammer (German for 'Wonder Room' or 'Cabinet of Curiosities'), in the historic Byward Market in 2011, and at the end of 2016, they opened a new store, Kindred Shop & Studio, at 1243 Wellington St. West in Ottawa's fast growing Wellington West neighbourhood.

 

This kind of bold energy has guided Früg to becoming an established Canadian design house with a 20 year track record of innovative design and constant reinvention. With new collections launched bi-annually at Canada's largest accessories trade show, Mode Accessories in Toronto, Früg offers the largest and most comprehensive collection of its kind in Canada, stocking approximately 150 retail stores & galleries from Vancouver Island to Yellowknife to Newfoundland and has been featured in publications such as Lou Lou, Fashion, Chatelaine, Trends, The Toronto Star, Ion and Style.  Over the years, Früg's diverse customer list has included the Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Vancouver Art Gallery, Musée des Beaux-Arts Montreal, Club Monaco’s Caban stores and Polaris Prize nominated Montreal band, Stars, who chose them to create custom necklaces for their world tour.

 

 Tamara & Nathan currently divide their time between the studio, their shop, and road trips to trade shows, antique shows, markets & closeout warehouses, searching for new and vintage goods and design inspiration. Incorporating vintage and deadstock materials in their work has been a priority from the start and their commitments to sustainability grow with each season.