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Founded in 1976 by Jewish immigrants, Lollypop Children’s Wear is known worldwide
- 24 March 2021
- 6:00 pm
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- 24 March 2021
- 6:00 pm
The Moscovitz family brands like Monte Carlo, Rif, Peekaboo, Fragile and Dot, have become highly popular for great variety and fit. (Photo: Supplied)
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Growing up in Montreal, I knew what ‘the factories’ were, but apparently so did all the out-of-town guests who would frequently visit Montreal. ‘The factories’, as they were known, was a big commercial building located several minutes away from the Chassidic hubbub in Outremont, Montreal. There were several local Jewish owned clothing shops in that building, selling high quality Canadian wear.
I remember vividly when my aunts or cousins would visit from Israel, Europe, or the States, they would spend hours browsing through those shops, excited to have access to different styles of durable, modest, and affordable clothes under one roof. There, they had a selection of a wide array of clothing known for its fine Canadian quality; that was unique and worth spending on.
Over the years, the Canadian clothing industry has changed, and so have our local companies. Most of the clothing manufacturing has gone to China. This has led to a large majority of the stores moving out of that big commercial building and spreading across town.
There is however one specific clothing company that has recently piqued my interest: Lollypop. Lollypop Children’s Wear is a big clothing company founded in Montreal and run by the Moskovitz family, and has seen immense growth and innovation in the recent years.
Their brands like Monte Carlo, Rif, Peekaboo, Fragile and Dot, have become highly popular. Their fame and success reaches beyond their local Montreal clientele and now spans across the globe. Their line is sold across Canada, United States, Israel, Europe and Mexico. Wherever there is a need for modest wear, Lollypop is there to fill the void. Lollypop’s clothing line consists of many different labels, with some made in China, and some of their more exclusive items made in Canada. They carry a full weekday and Shabbos line for children, teens, and adults.
Besides selling to boutiques internationally, Lollypop proudly has two of their own flagship stores, one located in the heart of Montreal and the other in Toronto, called The Orange Square. Both boutiques are beautifully set up with large aisles for convenient shopping.
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Although they have branches across the globe, the glue holding Lollypop together is the huge state of the art factory in Montreal, right next to our international airport. It is equipped with the latest technology to be able to do everything in-house. This is where the magic happens. It begins from a simple idea, continues to a long, arduous process, and then finally a masterpiece is created.
The process of designing, sample making, cutting, sewing, and shipping, all take place in the Montreal headquarters. Montreal is where the business began, so it is no wonder that it remained the heart for Lollypop’s development. As far as I have heard from Jewish boutiques owners in Montreal and beyond, it is safe to say that most religious teenage girls and women have at some point in their life worn a Lollypop garment.
Being that Lollypop has several different clothing lines, using a variety of labels, people may not even know that the label they are wearing is Lollypop, but if it is of top quality, modestly fashionable and sold at a local religious clothing shop, the chances are quite high.
I was intrigued as to how this company went from a warehouse in a commercial building, to a highly popular international brand, producing a full line of clothing each season in both Canada and China. What started as a small clothing factory, has now become an empire.
Lollypop was founded in 1976 by Mr. and Mrs. Moskowitz, Jewish immigrants to Canada. I enjoyed talking to the Moskovitzs because I gained an inside understanding of Lollypop’s evolvement and growth.
Lollypop has been years in the making and began with a Jewish couple’s sheer determination and persistence. Mrs. Moskovitz was born in Romania and comes from a family heavily involved in the textile industry. Her family moved to Argentina, and opened a textile business, so over the years she acquired and finessed the skills and experience she would need to eventually open her own clothing factory in Montreal, Canada. Mrs. Moskovitz acknowledges that more than skill and talent, it was her willingness to work hard that brought her to where she is today.
“Although my parents were well to do, and able to hire help around the house, I carried those responsibilities. This taught what it truly means to work hard and take responsibility in life. When I was growing up in Argentina, there were no supermarkets to buy our kosher foods from, so I made everything myself.”
Mrs. Moskovitz credits her parents for instilling in her the abilities to work hard and possessing a strong drive for success.
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“With hard work you can make something from nothing.”
It is with that simplistic, yet inspiring attitude that upon their arrival to Canada so many years ago, the Moskovitzs set out to start a clothing factory of their own. When the Moskovitzs started their company, they would sew the clothing samples themselves, put it all in a suitcase and walk around to local Montreal boutiques looking for customers.
They got lots of rejections before one Jewish store owner took a chance on them. “If I don’t help you, (as a Jewish woman) who will?” She had said and much to the Moskovitz’s surprise, she then proceeded to place a big order and it was a slow, yet steady growth process from there.
But despite all the changes and innovations, the bedrocks under which Lollypop has been built has never changed.
“We have always strived to provide good quality clothing, which are Tzniusdig and durable, and that will never change!” Mrs. Moskowitz remarked passionately.
In fact, in the fitting department, Lollypop has their own standards to which they hold themselves accountable to. They hired a big team for quality control. Each sample is inspected carefully and fitted, to ensure the highest quality and fit.
Lollypop’s high standards for Tznius has never wavered. It is clear to all their customers that they are selling a Tznius clothing line, no matter what. In addition, Lollypop offers several skirts lengths to accommodate a variety of Tznius standards.
It is widely known that Lollypop is a thriving multinational business, but when I got to closely observe the behind the scenes, I drew a simple conclusion, Lollypop is more than just a business, at the heart of it all lies one big family, eager to help each other out.
With the third generation of the Moscovitz family now bringing modern tech-savvy marketing to the fore, Lollypop Children’s Wear continues to grow and build relationships with customers. (Photo: Supplied)
Despite the company’s immense growth, the Moskovitzs are a family first.
The entire operation consists of Moskovitz children and grandchildren, all working together to take care of the business their grandparents founded with so much sweat and toil. Each member of the family has their own niche, but collectively, they work to build Lollypop as a whole. The founders have entrusted the day-to-day operations to their children.
Mrs. Moskovitz, the matriarch and founder of Lollypop expressed, “I wish this on every one of my friends. My children have an unbroken love and devotion toward each other.”
In fact, as I walked through the company’s headquarters, I noticed photos of the Moskovitz children and grandchildren hanging across the factory walls. It became obvious to me that Lollypop is a part of the Moskovitz family chain.
That left me to wonder if this steadfast commitment to one another is what brought the company to such success.
As of now in 2021, a third generation of Moskovitzs have joined the family business, bringing their tech-savvy ideas to the table. With their young and fresh perspectives, they successfully run the marketing, social media, and customer service departments.
With social media becoming the hot new way of advertising, Lollypop is not lagging behind. Lollypop has invested lots of money in their seasonal photoshoots to allow their customers to view their latest clothing line on their social media platforms. If you are like many millennials out there, you probably enjoy browsing on Instagram, and Lollypop is right there with you. For Lollypop it is all about perfecting their customer service. Therefore, with Covid-19 still around, they have created an awesome new website for their clientele to enjoy. Thehushshop.com is their ‘one stop website shop’, for all your clothing needs.
Seasonal photo shoots on the Lollypop social media platforms showcase the cute and durable kids wear. (Photo: Supplied)
It is obvious that Lollypop is keeping updated with all the latest trends to be the best.
Devorie Moskowitz, the daughter-in law of the founders, explained to me how true that is. “In this line, we must be quick on our toes. Styles come one day and will be gone the next. What seems exciting and beautiful during one season, will lose its allure very quickly. It is all about being ahead of the game, with fresh, new, and creative ideas. Take colors for example, it may seem simple, but I assure you it is not. Each season brings different shades of color with it. One season it may be a dark shade of pink, but the next it is strictly light. We need to be on top of our game with our fit, quality and certainly our style. This
Despite the constant work, Devorie revealed what makes this all worth it. “When I observe a family taking a stroll on Yom Tov, all bedecked in Lollypop’s finest, I feel proud and content. Although, I have worked on these clothing several months before, it takes a new beauty when I see it on actual people. It is satisfying to realize that my hard work is what enhances a Yid’s Yom Tov.”
I came to realize that people would not believe the amount of work this process involves, starting from the raw idea to the finished product customers buy at the store.
“We have acquired a certain trust amongst our customers because we are always eager to listen to feedback and fix our mistakes. Our customers have become our friends.” the Moskovitzs told me and shared sage business advice: “Live it! When it comes to your business, feel it in your heart so that customers will feel it too.” It sounds simple, but not easy to implement.
Lollypop has expanded beyond the imagination.
Their clothing line is highly sought after and widely popular. The Moskovitzs are holding strong, by encouraging and lifting each other up. They are growing their business as a unit, a strong family.
Of course, as a religious family, the Moskovitzs reiterate the importance of placing Hashem in the center of their lives. They remain calm knowing that whatever happens is always a part of Hashem’s big plan.
“When we say Hashem is helping us, it is incorrect. He is doing everything; we are only following Him”, is the Moskovitzs’ motto. The Moskovitzs daven constantly for Siyatte Dishmaya, for they know that ultimately it is Hashem who decides how successful our day to day lives will be!
Lollypop is located at 6590 Park Ave, Montreal, Quebec H2V 4H9. Their phone number is (514) 277-4700. Instagram: @lollypop.montreal — Their new website is at thehushshop.com.
Libby Scher is a freelance journalist living in Montreal. She writes about her local Hasidic community and has been featured in many Jewish publications.
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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
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