What Is Commander® Fabric?
Canada's Arctic Outerwear Standard
Everything you need to know — history, performance, prints, and why it remains the benchmark fabric for cold-weather garment makers across Canada and beyond.
What Is Commander® Fabric?
Commander® is a registered-trademark Canadian outerwear fabric engineered specifically to perform in Arctic and sub-Arctic conditions. Purpose-built for extreme cold, it delivers a combination of wind resistance, water repellency, durability, and breathability that has made it the go-to shell fabric for professional garment manufacturers, Indigenous clothing artisans, and outerwear designers across Canada for decades.
Unlike general-purpose poly/cotton blends, Commander® was designed with the Canadian climate at its centre — cold, wet, unpredictable, and unforgiving. It is not a fashion fabric. It is a working fabric. And that distinction is precisely why it has earned the trust of the people who make garments for Canada's harshest environments.
"Commander® is not just a fabric — it is Canada's outerwear standard. Built to weather the extreme cold of the Arctic, it has been the material of choice for generations of northern garment makers."
A History Built in Canada
To understand Commander® , you have to understand where it came from — and who has been its sole Canadian distributor since the very beginning.
Brador Fabrics was founded in Montreal, Quebec in 1977 as a family-run outerwear manufacturing company, producing winter clothing under the Lupa, Black Creek, and Brador labels. The company was among the first in Canada to manufacture and design cross-country skiwear specifically adapted to cold Canadian winters. Over those decades of making their own garments, the Brador team developed a deep, hands-on understanding of what fabrics actually perform when temperatures drop and conditions turn brutal.
That expertise eventually led to a natural evolution: rather than only making garments, Brador repurposed its textile knowledge toward sourcing and distributing high-quality fabrics for other makers — particularly in communities across northern Canada that lacked reliable access to premium outerwear materials.
Brador Fabrics is founded in Montreal, Quebec as a family-run outerwear manufacturer, producing cold-weather garments under the Lupa, Black Creek, and Brador labels.
Through years of hands-on garment production, Brador develops deep expertise in the performance demands of Arctic outerwear fabrics — knowledge that no catalogue could provide.
Recognising a gap in the market — particularly for northern and Indigenous communities unable to source quality materials — Brador transitions into wholesale fabric distribution, becoming Canada's exclusive Commander® distributor.
Brador Fabrics grows its Commander® offering to more than 100 solid colours and a wide range of exclusive prints, expanding access to garment makers, Indigenous artists, and outerwear producers across Canada and North America.
Today, Brador Fabrics is the exclusive Canadian distributor of authentic, Canadian-made Commander® fabric. That exclusivity is not a marketing phrase — it means that if you are buying genuine Commander® in Canada, you are buying it through Brador.
Performance Specs That Matter
Commander® earns its reputation through performance, not marketing. Every yard delivers a specific set of properties that make it suited for serious outerwear construction:
The tight weave construction blocks windchill — a critical property in sub-Arctic conditions where wind amplifies cold dramatically.
Commander® sheds light moisture and sleet, keeping the wearer dry in mixed winter conditions without sacrificing breathability.
Active wearers generate heat. Commander® allows moisture vapour to escape, preventing the clammy buildup that degrades warmth and comfort.
Designed to remain flexible and strong even in extreme cold — where cheaper fabrics stiffen, crack, or degrade under stress.
A consistent, predictable fabric to work with. Feeds cleanly through industrial and domestic machines alike — no fraying issues or unpredictable stretch.
Long-wearing garments need low-maintenance fabric. Commander® washes well and holds its structure and colour through repeated use and laundering.
These properties are not incidental — they are what separate a garment that performs in -30°C from one that merely looks like it might. When garment makers in Canada's northern communities choose Commander® , they are choosing fabric that their customers' lives may depend on.
What Commander® Is Made Of
Commander® is constructed from an 85% polyester / 15% cotton blend — a ratio that has been refined to balance performance and workability.
Why This Blend Works
The polyester component provides the structural backbone: it is responsible for Commander® 's dimensional stability, moisture-wicking properties, and resistance to abrasion. Polyester also accepts modern dyes with exceptional vibrancy, which is what makes Commander® 's vast colour range possible.
The 15% cotton fraction softens the hand feel, improves breathability, and gives the fabric a natural quality that pure synthetics cannot fully replicate. Cotton fibres also provide a slightly textured surface that accepts printed designs with sharp, clean definition — a critical factor for Commander® 's printed collections.
- Fibre Composition: 85% Polyester / 15% Cotton
- Wind Resistance: Yes — tight weave construction
- Water Repellency: Yes — treated finish
- Breathability: Yes — vapour-permeable
- Print Capability: Yes — sharp image reproduction on printed styles
- Origin: Canadian-made
- Best Uses: Parkas, anoraks, snow pants, shells, traditional Indigenous outerwear
- Exclusive Canadian Distributor: Brador Fabrics (since 1977)
The Solid Colour Collection
Commander® 's solid colour range is one of the broadest in the Canadian wholesale market. With more than 100 colours available — spanning the full spectrum from deep navy and rich burgundy to vivid hot pink, bright cobalt, and clean white — it gives garment makers and designers an extraordinary degree of creative freedom.
Colours carry Canadian-inspired names that reflect the landscapes, wildlife, and culture of the country the fabric was built for: Algonquin Green, Atlantic Navy, Aurora Green, Glacier Blue, Great Lakes Blue, Bonfire, Emerald, and many more. Each colour is produced to a consistent standard, making it reliable across large production runs and repeat orders.
The collection is continuously growing. New shades like Boulder Grey, Dawn Blue, Carbon, Falcon (Taupe Grey), and Forest Shadow (Khaki Green) reflect an ongoing commitment to expanding the palette in response to what makers actually need.
- Blues & Navies: Atlantic Navy, Cobalt, Dawn Blue, Dark Navy, Glacier Blue, Great Lakes Blue, Hyacinth, Iris Purple, and more
- Greens: Algonquin Green, Aurora Green, Dark Green (Spruce), Emerald, Forest Shadow (Khaki Green)
- Reds, Pinks & Purples: Baby Pink, Berry, Burgundy, Dusty Rose, Dusty Purple, Elderberry, Gucci Purple, Hot Pink
- Neutrals & Greys: Black, Charcoal, Carbon, Boulder Grey, Falcon (Taupe Grey), Ivory, Earth, Early Light
- Warm & Earth Tones: Bonfire, Brown (Grizzly), Chocolate, Goldy, and more
Prints, Patterns & Exclusive Designs
Beyond solid colours, Commander® is available in a wide array of printed and patterned styles — each produced with the same sharp image quality and performance properties as the base fabric. The variety ranges from traditional outdoor patterns to culturally significant Indigenous-inspired designs.
Bright, bold floral patterns that bring colour and life to traditional parka silhouettes.
A signature northern motif, widely used in traditional Indigenous outerwear from coast to coast.
An iconic Arctic wildlife print that connects garments to the land and its wildlife heritage.
Celebrates the visual texture of traditional materials in a synthetic, performance-ready format.
The iconic stone waymarker of the Arctic — a powerful symbol of guidance and northern identity.
A subtle, repeating wildlife print that works across both traditional and contemporary designs.
Named after the traditional Inuit knife, a culturally meaningful pattern with deep northern roots.
A classic Canadian tartan-inspired check — timeless, bold, and versatile across garment types.
A distinctive camouflage design with a northern wilderness twist, unique to the Commander® line.
A family of traditional and updated camouflage patterns for hunting, sport, and outdoor use.
A modern, pixelated digital camouflage pattern on the proven Commander® base fabric.
A licensed, photorealistic woodland camouflage pattern. True Timber® is a registered trademark of its respective owner.
Every printed Commander® style carries the same 85/15 poly/cotton construction and delivers the same wind resistance, water repellency, and breathability as the solid colour range. Pattern never comes at the expense of performance.
Commander® & Indigenous Artistry
One of the most meaningful dimensions of the Commander® line at Brador Fabrics is its connection to Indigenous culture and craft. Commander® has long been the fabric of choice for Inuit and First Nations garment makers throughout northern Canada — used in the construction of parkas, anoraks, amauti, and other traditional clothing that remains both functional and culturally significant.
Arctic Floral™ & Tunniit™ by Martha Kyak
Brador Fabrics is proud to carry two exclusive Commander® designs created in collaboration with Inuit artist Martha Kyak: Arctic Floral™ and Tunniit™. These are not generic "northern-themed" prints — they are original artistic works designed by a respected Inuit artist, printed on Commander® fabric and available exclusively through Brador Fabrics. For makers who want their garments to carry genuine cultural meaning and artistic integrity, these designs represent something that cannot be found anywhere else.
This relationship reflects a broader truth: Commander® fabric is not simply a Canadian product. It is woven into the fabric — literally — of northern and Indigenous communities across this country. The patterns it carries, the garments it becomes, and the people who sew it represent a living tradition of craft that Brador Fabrics is honoured to support.
Who Uses Commander® Fabric?
Commander® serves a wide community of makers, united by their need for a fabric that performs in real northern conditions. The wholesale distribution model means it is available to everyone from large outerwear production facilities to individual artisan sewists.
Outerwear Manufacturers & Garment Producers
Large and mid-size outerwear manufacturers rely on Commander® for consistent, high-volume production. The fabric's stable construction, reliable colour batches, and predictable sewing behaviour make it well-suited to professional production environments. Wind resistance and water repellency are built-in properties — not treatments that need to be applied later in production.
Indigenous Artists & Traditional Clothing Makers
For Inuit and First Nations clothing makers, Commander® is often the standard shell fabric for parkas, amauti, and ceremonial outerwear. Its colour range, print selection — including culturally meaningful motifs like Bear Paw, Caribou, Inukshuk, and the exclusive Martha Kyak designs — and durability make it the natural choice for garments that carry both function and cultural significance.
Independent Sewists & Crafters
Individual makers who sew their own outerwear, or who create garments for family and community, have long accessed Commander® through Brador Fabrics. The ability to buy wholesale at accessible quantities means that a sole sewist can get the same fabric as a major manufacturer — at the same quality level.
Northern Community Suppliers
Brador Fabrics has been supplying northern communities across Canada for decades. For communities where sourcing quality outerwear materials locally is a persistent challenge, Brador's distribution model — with access to Commander® and a wide range of complementary fabrics, trimmings, and accessories — provides a critical resource.
Frequently Asked Questions About Commander® Fabric
Is Commander® fabric only available in Canada?
Commander® is a Canadian-made fabric and Brador Fabrics is its exclusive distributor in Canada. However, Brador ships across North America and internationally, so makers outside Canada can access Commander® through bradorfabrics.com.
What is the best lining to pair with Commander® fabric?
Commander® pairs well with a variety of linings depending on the intended warmth level and use. For maximum warmth in extreme cold, quilted linings — including Holofill™ and PrimaSoft™ — are popular choices. For lighter builds, kasha, mesh, or downproof linings work well. Brador Fabrics carries a full range of compatible lining options to complete your outerwear build.
Can I buy Commander® fabric as an individual sewist, not a manufacturer?
Yes. Brador Fabrics supplies everyone from large production facilities to individual crafters and sewists. The same Commander® fabric used by professional outerwear manufacturers is accessible to individual makers through the Brador online store.
Is Commander® fabric suitable for children's outerwear?
Commander® is widely used in children's outerwear across northern Canada, including in traditional parkas and snowsuits. Its durability, wind resistance, and easy-care properties make it well-suited for children's garments that need to stand up to active, outdoor use in cold conditions.
How does Commander® compare to Gore-Tex® or Sympatex® laminates?
Commander® and technical laminates like Gore-Tex® and Sympatex® serve different purposes. Laminates are engineered for maximum waterproofing in extreme wet conditions and are typically used in high-performance sport and technical outerwear. Commander® is a proven, cost-effective shell fabric optimised for Arctic cold — wind resistance, breathability, and durability — and is the standard for traditional northern outerwear construction. Many makers use both: Commander® for traditional and general-purpose Arctic garments, laminates for technical or waterproofing-critical applications. Brador carries both Commander® and a full range of Gore-Tex® and Sympatex® laminates. Gore-Tex® is a registered trademark of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Sympatex® is a registered trademark of Sympatex Technologies GmbH.
What trimmings work best with Commander® fabric?
Commander® garments are traditionally finished with a variety of trimmings available at Brador Fabrics, including bias tape (solid, metallic, InukChic® , and ulu patterns), middy braids, InukChic® braids and ribbons, ribbing, cuffing, and an extensive zipper selection. The InukChic® trimming line — which includes designs by Martha Kyak — is a particularly natural complement to Commander® prints.
Are the Martha Kyak designs available exclusively through Brador Fabrics?
Yes. Commander® Arctic Floral™ and Tunniit™ by Martha Kyak are exclusive designs available only through Brador Fabrics. These are original works by Inuit artist Martha Kyak, printed on Commander® fabric, and cannot be purchased through any other supplier.
Shop Commander® at Brador Fabrics
Canada's widest selection of authentic Commander® — solid colours, exclusive prints, and Indigenous-inspired designs. Available wholesale to makers of all sizes.
Trademark & Copyright Notices: Commander® is a registered trademark. Arctic Floral™ and Tunniit™ are trademarks of Brador Fabrics. InukChic® is a registered trademark of Martha Kyak. Holofill™ and PrimaSoft™ are trademarks of their respective owners. Gore-Tex® is a registered trademark of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Sympatex® is a registered trademark of Sympatex Technologies GmbH. True Timber® is a registered trademark of its respective owner. All other trademarks and registered trademarks referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners and are used for descriptive purposes only. No affiliation with or endorsement by the trademark owners is implied.