Popularity of sweater with Manitoba roots goes galactic after visit to stars

It’s the ultimate interstellar fashion moment; a vintage-inspired Mary Maxim fox knit, worn by Ryan Gosling’s character in his latest blockbuster Project Hail Mary, has sent the crafting world spinning.

Never before have the worlds of Hollywood fashion, competitive curling and vintage knitting collided in this way, as the chunky bonspiel beauty, with its ultimate “nerdy-chic” vibe, becomes the breakout star in the film’s fit selections.

Gosling was spotted rocking the sweater from the iconic Canadian brand — which has its roots in Sifton, a small community north of Dauphin — during pivotal moments in the sci-fi film, which hit big screens earlier this month.

His star turn as science teacher Ryland Grace has turned the retro zip-up into this season’s must-have item, with knitting kits currently sold out on the Mary Maxim website.

Singer Ed Robertson from the Barenaked Ladies is also a fan of the old-school cardigan, posting a reel of himself wearing the sweater on the Canadian band’s Instagram account, jokingly claiming he wore it first.

The eye-catching fox-themed knit, based on a Mary Maxim design, retains the original version’s cream colour palette, traditional shawl collar and ribbed cuffs, but with one important twist: the first pattern featured wolves, which were swapped out by the wardrobe department for foxes, allegedly based on a request by Gosling himself.

Knitters in the film’s wardrobe department created five handmade replicas of the sweaters for the movie, based on The Martian author Andy Weir’s 2022 novel.

The cardigan’s viral success is a combination of the move towards “slow fashion,” coupled with Gosling’s star power.

A current penchant for all things Canadian — note the craze for the Team Canada fleece actor Hudson Williams wears in one episode of the Canadian gay hockey romance Heated Rivalry — has also added to the fashion frenzy.

Originally a wool mill company, heritage brand Mary Maxim became a household name in the 1950s for its knitting patterns.

Founded in the 1930s by Willard and Olive McPhedrain, the brand at the time was known as Sifton Products and sold blankets, wool socks, wool batts and spinning wheels.

It was renamed Mary Maxim after Dauphin-born Mary Maksymczuk Roberts, housekeeper to Willard Spencer McPhedrain, to mimic brand trends of the time.

The craft and needlework mail-order company moved its headquarters to Paris, Ont., in 1954.

Roberts died on Aug. 30, 2025, a few days after celebrating her 95th birthday.

“Being part of the whole Mary Maxim, she was so happy that they wanted to use her name. She was very proud of that,” said Mary’s son Richard Jr. in a Passages article in the Free Press.

“We took her to the Mary Maxim factory in Paris, Ont. She was able to visit and they gave her some really nice things.”

winnipegfreepress.com/avkitching