Founded in 2008 by Drake and Oliver El-Khatib, OVO which stands for October’s Very Own, grew from being a casual blog to a global athleisure and streetwear empire founded on simplicity, luxury, and Drake’s roots in Toronto.

Since OVO’s inception, the golden owl has been the brand’s insignia. Creating a sense of belonging for those that recognize the gold owl as synonymous with Drake, the OVO symbol is discreetly embedded within the owl itself. 

Soon after its creation, the OVO owl began garnering widespread attention in Toronto. In 2010, OVO collaborated with Canada Goose to release the OVO Chilliwack Parka. A year later, amidst the release of the Take Care album and the second annual Toronto-based OVO Fest, the brand partnered with Canadian retailer, Roots. Through Roots, OVO released the first OVO varsity jacket that was teased in Drake’s music video for the song Headlines.

In 2014, Drake became the Global Ambassador for the Toronto Raptors and as the NBA team reached new heights that season, Raptors games quickly became centre stage for the latest OVO drops. Any Raptors fan will likely remember the year OVO gave out 1,200 OVO x Bounce branded lint rollers before Game 5 in response to Drake’s antics - lint-rolling his pants mid-game - during the 2013-2014 NBA Playoffs.

That same year, Drake crowned himself the '6 God' and the first OVO Flagship store opened in downtown Toronto. Capitalizing on its success in the athletic arena, OVO collaborated on its first sneaker with the Jordan Brand the following year. In true OVO fashion, the shoe debuted during the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, which took place in Toronto. This release set the pace for many of OVO’s sneaker releases coinciding with key moments in the NBA. Released in both black and white colour-ways with gold accents, the branding on the shoe remained simple with OVO printed on the translucent outer sole, embodying the longstanding OVO motto of ‘if you know, you know’.

In 2017, Drake released the album More Life featuring several UK Grime artists including Giggs and Skepta, alongside the opening of OVO’s first European flagship store in Soho, London. Soon after, the brand revealed  collaborations with major footwear brands Clarks and Timberland. Having gained popularity beyond the city of Toronto, both Drake and the OVO brand became widely recognized and the brand was propelled into the world of streetwear fashion.

Proven to be versatile, the OVO brand quickly expanded into the global streetwear scene and began working with Takashi Murakami, DSquared2, and BAPE. Most recently, OVO announced a footwear collection releasing with Japanese brand Suicoke. It’s undeniable that OVO’s success can be attributed to its continuous growth into new spaces. What differentiates OVO is the brand’s ever-present roots in Toronto culture - the culture that created the OVO essence.