What to know
- The fan-favourite ‘Heated Rivalry’ fleece jacket worn by Shane Hollander is officially becoming merch after thousands of fans pushed for its release online.
- Accent Aigu Entertainment has partnered with Canadian apparel brand Province of Canada to produce and distribute the jacket, making it an officially licensed piece tied to the Crave series.
- The jacket will be made in Canada, and 10 per cent of proceeds will be donated to a charitable organization that will be announced later.
- Pricing, sizing, and a release date haven’t been revealed yet, but fans can sign up on Province of Canada’s website for updates on availability and pre-orders.
The #releasethefleece petition succeeds! The Fan-favourite “Heated Rivalry” fleece jacket will be available to purchase soon.
Accent Aigu Entertainment and the apparel company Province of Canada partnered up to release the iconic fleece jacket seen in the popular Canadian show as official merch.
The book series-turned-Crave TV show has sparked an online petition on Change.org to sell the fleece jacket that was worn in a scene by professional hockey player Shane Hollander, played by Canadian Hudson Williams. The hit show, based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, follows two male and closeted hockey players who fall in love.
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Petition founder Farrah Sanjari created the movement in response to a Team Canada Threads post on New Year’s Eve that invited discussion, garnering over 600 comments. As of publication, there are 6,202 supporters.
In an Instagram video posted shortly after the petition began circulating, Sanjari shared that thousands had signed and used hashtags #fleecegate and #releasethefleece to spread the word
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“Fans are the heart of ‘Heated Rivalry,’ and this is entirely because of them,” Executive Producers and Co-Presidents of Accent Aigu Entertainment, Jacob Tierney & Brendan Brady, said in a press release.
Tierney and Brady add, “We look forward to bringing it to life with the creativity and care fans expect, while also supporting a meaningful cause.”
One petition supporter from Toronto named Hannah commented, “This show had personally impacted me and given me so much pride for my country and the talented artistic voices we have. I feel that not only is this fleece stylish and comfortable, but it would be a quiet nod to fans of the show and Canadian art in general… In addition promoting queer media is so important especially considering the representation this show has for young queer athletes.”
The jacket will be produced and distributed out of Canada, and the partnership will donate ten per cent of all proceeds to a charitable organization to be announced at a later date.
“Producing the fleece in Canada was a shared priority, and a key part of making this piece feel meaningful and true to the story behind it,” Julie Brown and Jeremy Watt, co-founders of Province of Canada, said in a press release.
For more details regarding pricing, availability, and release date, sign up on the Province of Canada’s website.
