The premise behind BC-based brand, Okay to Rest, is pretty perfect: comfy made-in-Canada duds, accessories and other fun things, emblazoned with cool, vintage-inspired designs proclaiming their love for a more laid back lifestyle.

We’ve been fans of Okay to Rest for a while now, and although resting might not come naturally to us, it’s something we certainly can get behind and want to get better at doing – which is all the more reason why we wanted to get the lowdown on the brand from its founder and designer, Claire Hacker. Hacker recently made the move from Vancouver to Victoria, in a bid to better embrace the lifestyle her brand encompasses. Here is what we uncovered:

First off, please take us back to the beginning: When and where did Okay to Rest begin?

In the fall of 2020, I began playing around with Adobe illustrator, relying on lengthy YouTube tutorials to create simple designs with words I had collected within my notes app over the years. I decided to buy 30 blank crewneck sweaters and have them screen printed locally with some of these designs. With the magic of social media and hefty community support, these crewnecks launched OTR directly into the merch stratosphere and what it is today. These comfort pieces act as a vessel for a much deeper message that seems to really hit home for a lot of people.

Where did the idea for OTR originate from? What were you doing beforehand?

After quite a tumultuous competitive dancing career during my adolescence, while bouncing over different therapist’s offices for upwards of 15 years, rest has become a major component of my healing over the past decade. My view of success and self-worth during those years weighed heavily on how much I was pushing myself to utter exhaustion and burn out. I spent so much of my youth just trying to survive. It wasn’t until the height of the 2020 pandemic, when we were quite literally being rewarded to “do nothing”, that I really had a moment to sit and reflect upon these values that I try so hard to weave into day-to-day life.

You recently (earlier this year, in the spring) did a “reset”. Now that you’ve relocated to Victoria and you’re back at it, what changes can we expect?

I did! I’m born and raised in Vancouver and have been doing long distance with my partner, who lives here in Victoria, for just over four years now. Over the last few years, I have fallen in love with Victoria and the communities within it. We were fortunate enough to find a beautiful space in Vic West this past May. By June 3rd, I found myself moving the remnants of my Vancouver studio out of a jam-packed U-haul and into a city where I had never stayed for more than a week at a time.

In the last couple months, I’ve realized just how much my brain and identity have shifted over the past few years. It’s easy to get caught up within the business side of things: the constant comparisons toward other businesses, making sure each launch is soaring over the last and ensuring the next few months are meticulously mapped out. For me, it was an extremely unsustainable way to run my brain and my business. It rapidly bled into my creativity and mental health, affecting the entire ethos and identity of OTR. This move, or “reset” has really allowed me to prioritize sanctuary and creativity outside of work and has left me feeling so inspired toward what the future holds. (Stepping out of your brain for a moment and taking time to rest works? What a concept!)

“Being 100% self-reliant in a field that requires drops to be planned months in advance can be heavy. It’s nearly impossible for me to schedule creativity, and this leaves a lot of room for uncertainty.”

Okay to Rest’s retro aesthetic reminds me a lot of ad campaigns from circa the 1970s/80s (which I love). What’s your favourite era for inspiration?

Yesssss I’m so glad that shines through. Vintage clothing, decor and design have always been at the centre of everything for me. I peruse thrift stores a few times a week and constantly find so much inspiration. All year long I will scavenge for vintage magazines, and then every September I create a new mood board for my studio using clippings from those very mags (which mostly consist of ads) to tell a story of how I want OTR to reflect the coming year. The ads in the 1970-1990 Architectural Digest mags are my favourite; I think they are all absolutely genius. I never thought I would become one of those font nerds, but alas, here I am.

What stresses you out?

Do you have eight years? I find a lot of comfort in knowing what to expect within my days and my work. (I’ve chalked it up to years of preparing and masking emotions for unfamiliar and unsupportive environments – but that’s for my therapist and I to figure out.) Being 100% self-reliant in a field that requires drops to be planned months in advance can be heavy. It’s nearly impossible for me to schedule creativity, and this leaves a lot of room for uncertainty. I also continue to struggle a lot with confrontation, which is quite inevitable in this field. There is so much room for error within every step of the supply chain, from pre-production to the postal system, and most scary phone calls still leave me in chest hives.

What’s your best stress relief tactic?

Relief can be hard to find when you’re forehead-deep in stress, but I try my best to remind myself that I’ve survived every stressful, scary moment so far, and I will most likely survive this one as well.

What is the snack, food, or meal that you gravitate to when you’re in need of a pick-me-up?

Nothing gets me through a day faster than being excited for a meal. Anything salty, crunchy and garlicky will get me there every single time. When it’s time to clean out the veggie produce drawer in our fridge, we’ll throw it all into a pan and put it over pasta and cover it in garlicky panko breadcrumbs. If it’s not that, it’s a pint of brown butter brownie ice cream from Parachute.

Do you have any other outlets for channeling your creativity? When you aren’t working on something Okay to Rest related, how do you spend your time?

Shopping second hand and perusing sites like ebay and etsy always do wonders for my creativity. I also love to go down to the beach and hunt for sea glass and other non-naturally occurring elements along the shoreline, like pieces of porcelain and plastic. I have an overflowing jar in my kitchen that I haven’t quite figured out what to do with yet. Other than that, I love to be outside among the trees and in the water. I am so fortunate to have so many secret little special spots to rely on here.

“Self-care”: love it? Or hate it?

I think self care is really important! However, I think self care is so much more than napping and face masks. It could be setting a boundary with someone; it could be standing up for yourself in a scary environment; it could be saying “no” to plans that would stretch you way too thin. I think self care looks different for everyone, and it’s important we remember that when taking time for ourselves without guilt, however that may look.

Obviously, the world doesn’t need more clothes, and the most environmentally friendly option these days is simply to use, reuse, mend and recycle the clothing that is already produced… How do you reconcile this reality with your own personal goals and production?

Absolutely the world does not need more clothes! I see it firsthand at thrift stores and rag houses all the time. In a perfect world we would all be able to access the perfect second-hand pieces in our sizes and budgets whenever we may need, but realistically I don’t know how tangible that is currently. I think now more than ever, we are becoming more mindful of how pieces are produced, and just how much damage the textile industry has done / is continuing to do to our planet, and the workers who are being so heavily exploited.

These days, I think what is so great about small clothing brands that give a bit of a shit about the planet and their community, is that they have the power to listen to their customers’ interests and concerns firsthand and do something about it.

When I was creating my very first cut-and-sew garment last year (my blank tee) I had over 600 responses from people telling me what they look for in a T-shirt and what they absolutely hate in a T-shirt. I took every single answer into consideration, and have sold nearly 3,500 of them in four months. When quality, fit, the people and planet are centred and cared for, I’d like to hope that each piece will not only last much longer than the average “fast fashion” garment, but it will also be picked over it as well. I think it’s so important that people have more options that are designed in small batches and produced closer to home, that have their best interests in mind. More love for small independent brands = less support for fast fashion (I hope!)

What’s your favourite slow jam?

I’ve been making myself sick with nostalgia these days, listening to all of the LPs I bought when I had excess disposable income as a teenager who didn’t have to dump all of her funds into rent and vegetables. Lots of Beach House, Nick Drake and Mazzy Star. Oh, and the entire Twilight Saga Soundtrack, specifically “Roslyn”, “Full Moon”, “Eye on Fire”, and “Possibility”.

If you could see one of your Okay to Rest slogan shirts on any prominent figure or famous person in the world, who would it be, which design are they wearing, and why?

Gabor Mate! I admire the hell out of that guy. It’s hard to narrow down a specific piece… but probably our classic Universe Hoodie. Gabor, I have one ready – just say when!

Lastly, this is your opportunity to shout out three (or more!) other (ideally local/Canadian) brands doing cool things ethically/sustainably that you think also deserve our support. Who are they?

Yes! That’s another really cool thing about Victoria, I feel like I am constantly surrounded by creatives, and it’s really inspiring.

Magnetism is an amazing online vintage store run by my good friend Michelle here in Victoria, and everything this gal touches turns to gold. You can really tell she lives and breathes her creativity, and it shines soooo brightly. Every collection is carefully thought through and cared for. From the styling to the curation, it’s a really special thing to witness and support.

Digo Studio creates an array of gorgeous textile goods that are truly pieces of art. Before I even knew Juliana [Munoz, founder], I had already collected three bags from her various collections over the years. These are pieces in my wardrobe that I can rely on, that I turn to day after day. There is so much care and intention put into each piece. I cannot recommend them enough!

The Found Studio sources the most breathtaking and unique vintage furniture I have ever laid my eyes on here in Victoria. I like to consider myself pretty stealthy when it comes to sourcing vintage pieces for my home and studio, but no one does it like Morgan [Hass, owner]. This past winter I told Morgan I had been searching for a vintage Maralunga sofa for years, three months later she had the most perfect pinstripe version at my door in a matter of days. She is an incredible inspiration and a great reminder that there are endless alternative options to the mass-produced furniture that is out there.