About Us
Welcome to Upper District
Upper District was founded in 2017 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Our goal was simple: to become the new face in sustainable luxury, offering the finest in fashion and accessories. Sustainability is an integral part of Upper District's core values, brand identity, and business model. Our styles can be worn to the office, or out on the town, making them as versatile as the life you live.
Our Brand Story
Upper District was launched out of a love for luxury and an ambitious goal.
Upper District’s Founder Karly Gramlich took a leap of faith to pursue a passion and develop sustainable luxury fashion and accessories for the modern professional.
She describes herself as unapologetically unconventional. Despite growing up as a farmer's daughter and miles away from the luxury scene, her ambitious personality took hold and Upper District was born. She sought to outfit those who have worked relentlessly to achieve their goals in the pursuit of happiness, despite an unconventional background. For this reason, we relate best to those who have earned luxury. Those who have worked tirelessly through trials and tribulations, only to persevere and reach success leading to a life of enrichment and fulfillment.
Karly's childhood upbringing on the farm instilled a strong virtue of environmental sustainability, which she places immense priority on within the Upper District brand. She sees the environment as an invaluable gift. Karly’s child-hood home on the farm is still where she finds peace and solitude today, and it is for this reason, that she wants to ensure Upper District is minimizing their impacts.
She refuses to downsize her dreams and hopes to inspire others to do the same. She keeps her eye on the prize and rolls with the punches.
Our Environmental Commitment
We strive to hold sustainability at the heart of our core business principles, and actively take a role in tracking our environmental impact through all steps in our supply chain by analyzing our key impacts and dependencies. We seek to effect real, positive change.
Our Products
Our coming ready-to-wear apparel collection will be developed with sustainable textiles creating a circular textile lifecycle with end-to-end traceability, and will utilize the growing second-hand fashion market.
Each pair of our sunglasses are crafted with hypoallergenic, plant-based cellulose acetate, and high-quality stainless steel. CR-39 sun lenses manufactured by Carl Zeiss Vision are placed in each frame. Zeiss is known the world-over for developing the highest quality sun lenses and their reputation is unmatched. Their CR-39 lenses are made with organic material which is the closest to mineral glass in terms of clarity and transparency. The Carl Zeiss Vision lenses provide 100% UV protection and are up to 50% lighter than glass.
Our Manufacturers
Our apparel manufacturers have developed the most sustainable fibre options available. Cellulose-based materials are used to create our preferred textiles. Our textile waste is also able to be used again and again, preserving 100% quality.
Our eyewear manufacturer, based in Italy, is able to offer the finest in design and detailing. We have built a solid partnership based on communication and travel to Italy for face-to-face interaction. For over 40 years they have grown to establish themselves as a leading group in the eyewear market, now creating designs for Upper District, among many other luxury brands.
Our Socials
Follow us on Instagram @upper_district and Facebook /upperdistrictfashion to watch first-hand the evolution of our brand.