Waaban. In Anishinaabemowin, it refers to the first light of day. A new beginning. A sense of direction. Moving forward with intention.

That idea stayed with me and led to a question: what would it look like to bring Indigenous design, representation, and Canadian manufacturing together in something people use every day?

As I reflected on that, I started to look around the room. The spaces we spend our lives in. Where we work, where we make decisions, where we share our lives with family and friends. These are the spaces where important conversations happen, where we feel, and where we carry the moments that matter.

These are the spaces Indigenous design belongs in.

At the center of it all is the chair. We spend years of our lives sitting, yet the things we sit in are rarely designed with the same level of care, meaning, or intention as the spaces around them.

That needed to change.

Built in partnership with ergoCentric, a leading Canadian manufacturer, the chair is made here. Nearly every component is sourced in Canada, and each chair is made to order. It is backed by a 10-year warranty because anything used every day should last.

Working with Mi’kmaq artist Tracey Metallic, Indigenous design takes form in something that fits naturally within the spaces people already use. The Waaban Chair carries presence. It invites conversation and leaves an impact, even when you’re not in the room.

That same thinking extends to what the chair supports. A portion of every purchase goes to Indspire, supporting Indigenous students across Canada, including those pursuing design, engineering, and the trades.

Every element is deliberate: the manufacturer, the artist, the design, the outcome. Together, they define the standard behind the chair.

I’m Steven Vanloffeld, founder of eSupply Canada and the creator and launch partner of the Waaban Chair.

I hope you enjoy our chair.