- Roots is launching a collaboration with Douglas Coupland on a limited-edition collection. (CNW Group/Douglas Coupland)
Coupland, best known for his novels Generation X and Microserfs, said the partnership is an extension of his life-long exploration of what it means to be Canadian.
"This partnership with Roots is an amazing opportunity to keep that dialogue going with an even wider, more diverse audience," he said in a release.
The "Canada Goes Electric" collection will feature clothes, accessories, leather good, furniture and art.
In a video posted on the line's website, Coupland said his inspiration was Canada's enthusiasm for the electric and communication innovations of the 1950s and 1960s.
"It was just this period where everyone said 'Wow, look what this TV set can do, look what that thing can do, let's name it.' So instead of birch bark and moose and Mounties and all that stuff, I thought 'Let's take that vision of the future forward.'
"What really links Canadians together is that we're all far apart," he said.
Coupland was born on a Canadian Air Force base in Germany and his family later settled in Vancouver.
Though he is internationally known for his 13 novels, he is also a trained visual artist and sculptor who has studied at B.C.'s Emily Carr College of Art and Design as well as design institutes in Italy and Japan.
It is the first time Roots has used an outside designer.
Roots co-founder Don Green said Coupland's designs show "his trademark humour and brilliance."
The pop culture collection includes shirts with TV test patterns bars, circuit boards and pixelated maple leaves and beavers. A patch shows hydro towers and a re-imagined Canadian shield features a moose and bear alongside satellites and communication dishes.
The products will be available on July 8 and carry price tags ranging from
$3.99 to $1,973.
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