Live in the open

Toronto-based extreme-weather outerwear brand Canada Goose is an expert in dressing for the harshest, most unpredictable climates. From easy-to-pack, wind-protective jackets to innovative, breathable knitwear, the brand’s versatile range of pieces can be layered up for all seasons. Perfect for skiing or mountaineering, its high-performance, cold-defying jackets are lightweight yet insulating and come with a thermal index rating – just a few of the many practical reasons they’re worn by the Canadian Mounted Police and Arctic explorers. Wanting to spotlight the many people who wear its pieces and continue to inspire its collections, the brand decided to go in search of people who they believe embody the ideals of ‘living in the open’ for its FW19 campaign – living honestly, remaining true to themselves and inspiring others to find their own path.

The brand traversed continents in its search, traveling to the Norwegian Arctic, Canadian North and Southern Italy with a crew of film-makers and photographers to document these stories. It was in the Arctic that the brand met Jiayi Zhao, a Polar expedition guide from Beijing. Growing up in big-city China, Jiayi didn’t have much exposure to nature aside from the occasional excursion to the countryside. While visiting a friend in California in her late twenties, she went on a hike in the Redwoods, and had a profound realization that a connection to the earth was missing from her life. The very same trip, her friend suggested she contact an expedition outfitter that specializes in taking people to the Poles. As luck would have it, an upcoming trip needed a Mandarin-speaking guide. Jiayi jumped at the chance and hasn’t looked back since.

“The Arctic changes your actions,” says Jiayi, who wears the brand’s Lightweight Down jackets in this shoot. “It changes the way you see things, the way you touch things, and the way you speak to other people.” Now devoted to immersing herself as much as possible in the natural world, she spends half the year leading expeditions in Antarctica and the Arctic. For Jiayi, helping others to open up to the life-changing power of nature is her true calling, and she is endlessly inspired by the sublime beauty of the polar regions, and by the people she gets to interact with as a guide. “When it’s a genuine urge to push people to step out of their comfort zone, that’s a way to empower people,” says Jiayi.

Jiayi’s story chimes perfectly with the ethos of Canada Goose. With 60 years’ experience designing parkas for the harshest environments on earth, the brand designs products for every step of a journey. As worn by Jiayi in this shoot, the brand’s Lightweight Down jackets are versatile, durable and packable styles that are excellent for shoulder seasons, milder climates, active use and travel. These styles can be worn under the brand’s rain shells and over knitwear pieces to create customized cold-weather layering systems. Best of all, all Lightweight Down styles are highly compressible, taking up little space in your luggage or backpack. Most styles are also packable into a zippered pocket, with a carrying loop that can be used with a carabiner to clip onto a bag or waistband – a travel essential for anyone looking to embrace the world around them and bravely break new ground.