Profile: Red Canoe. How a bush plane and Canadian icon inspired an Aviation themed clothing and fashion brand!
- Prashant Kavi (PK)
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 26
Canadian outdoorsman, pilot, designer and entrepreneur: Dax Wilkinson, founded and setup Red Canoe National Heritage Brands Inc., in 2002. This after being inspired by the DeHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, a Canadian aviation icon. Flying with a friend in the Beaver for the first time led to the 'flashbulb moment' as he says, and triggered the eventual inspiration to 'weave stories around Canadian icons', mostly aviation but others too.
The Beaver
Spun-off from the British DeHavilland Aircraft Company in the late 1920s, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited or DHC, produced the DHC-2 Beaver in 1947 to serve the remote Canadian North as a 'bush plane'. Among the typical attributes of a 'bush plane' are foremost it's ability to operate from rough and unprepared airstrips (including dirt, water and snow) along with short take-off and landing capabilities (STOL). These sturdy aircraft can also operate using conventional undercarriage with wheels or floats or skis and are required to serve a whole host of mission profiles; from ferrying passengers and supplies to medevac and even crop-dusting! The aircraft design is all-metal, a powerful single-engine, with wings set high, incorporating a special wing/flap system for STOL purposes.
“The Beaver is not a dainty little airplane that appeals to ne’er-do-wells. It is a large barrel-chested plane that looks quite capable of eating Cessnas and Super Cubs as mere snacks.”
While starting life in the Canadian North, the Beaver has now served across the globe, especially in Alaska, New Zealand and the Australian outback, besides operating in a military version, with a multitude of air forces around the world. And while the aircraft went out of production in 1967, it is still supported with spares/service, and several examples continue to be flown around the world by hobbyists and Beaver enthusiasts.
"A Red Canoe could be thought of as the Great, Great Grandfather of the DHC-2 Beaver and the ultimate symbol of pure, simple, idyllic, rugged, hard working Canadian lifestyle. And so the company name was born."
Red Canoe National Heritage Brands Inc., Canada, designs, produces and sells under the trade name - Red Canoe, a proprietary line of products that include apparel, bags, hats, accessories and other merchandise, which are predominantly aviation themed. Besides an online shop (https://redcanoebrands.com/), there are currently three physical outlets too, all of which are based out of Ontario, Canada.
Author's Note
This article is neither sponsored by Red Canoe nor is it designed to benefit the author commercially. Although, having patronised Red Canoe for well over a decade now, the author can also unhesitatingly attest to the quality and variety of their inventory.
Simply put, Dax's story and his aviation inspired trigger to launch Red Canoe and turning it into a successful venture is as inspiring for others as it is interesting, and needs to be propagated.
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