158 ELLECANADA.COM
WHEN TWINS BYRON AND DEXTER PEART sold their stake in Want Les Essentiels—their 15-year-old
luxury-leather-goods company—in 2017, they contemplated taking a break from working together. “We
were figuring out what we wanted to do next, and we had to ask the question,” laughs Byron. “The
thought lasted about five minutes.” A year or so later, the Montreal-based design duo’s newest endeavour,
the ethical e-commerce site Goodee, was born. Using their knack for discovering new talent (this is the
pair who put Acne Studios on the map, after all), they’ve curated over 35 up-and-coming ethically made
decor, fashion and beauty brands from around the globe—from sustainable Scandi pottery to cheery rugs
made from recycled plastic. “Goodee is very much a reflection of the ‘less but better’ consumption [ethos],”
says Byron. “Each product needs to be made with a purpose and an intention, and there has to be a plan
for what to do with it after we’re done with it—whether that’s to pass it on, resell it or recycle it.” All the
items on the website are rigorously vetted by an all-Canadian team at the Goodee office in Montreal. Why
the name Goodee, you ask? “It’s derived from the intersection of good design and good purpose, but it’s
supposed to be friendly too; everyone smiles when they hear it,” says Byron. “Plus, our last brand name
had so many letters, we swore whatever came next would be six letters or less.” Goodee idea.Byron and Dexter Peart on their new
sustainable home and lifestyle site, Goodee.FILE UNDER WANT
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