Aljac Sportwear Ltd.

Aljac Sportswear, manufacturers of men’s and teen boys’ outerwear, was founded in Montreal by A. Chernin at 10 Ontario Street West. Throughout the mid-20^th century, Aljac was known for its stylish ski, synthetic fur, golf, boating, leather and suede outerwear, which was sold at specialty men’s boutiques and department stores like The Bay and Eaton’s. In the late 1950s, the company’s slogan was “No Matter What the Weather, It’s Always Aljac.”

By the early 1970s, Aljac had offices at 9600 St. Lawrence Boulevard and a factory at 140 Crémazie Boulevard West. Under the leadership of Chernin’s son Robert, who was named Vice-President and designer in 1971 and described as the “guiding light behind Aljac,” the manufacturer created fashion-forward men’s apparel that was very popular in Canada and the United States.

Aljac’s leather and suede garments were regularly featured in magazines like GQ and sold in the American department stores Gimbels and B. Altman and Company.

Robert Chernin was a leading authority on men’s fashion during the era, often consulted by journalists for his opinion on trends and the menswear industry in general. By 1972, the company name had been modified to “Aljac-Robert Chernin Ltd.” with Chernin designing a signature line that was shown in the first Montréal Mode shows the same year. In the 1970s, he also designed private label collections for Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew and Simpson’s department stores, and created suede and leather menswear-inspired women’s suits.

Toronto native Bernard McGee was hired as a designer in about 1974 and put in charge of creating Pierre Cardin suede garments after Aljac was granted a licence to manufacture and distribute the Parisian brand’s men’s ready-to-wear collections in Canada.

In 1974, , along with John Warden, Marilyn Brooks and Claire Haddad, of The Fashion Designers Association of Canada (FDAC), serving as its president in 1979 before the organization was dissolved in 1980. In the early 1980s, in addition to his signature label, Chernin designed for Aljac’s Champs Élysées sub-brand before the company closed later that decade.