But it stuck with him. A few days later, McDougall found himself ducking into a store downtown, picking up a pair of slippers. “I tried them on…and they were terrible,” he says. “I couldn’t wear them in the house.” He kept looking. Department stores, luxury retailers, niche international brands. Everything either looked good and felt awful, or felt fine and looked boring. Some were stylish but stiff. Others were soft, but slippery. None were what he needed.
“And then I thought: ‘Why not just make my own?’” he says. McDougall had the chops to make that a reality. With over 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, working as a brand consultant, distributor, stylist, and retail entrepreneur, he had developed a reputation spotting market gaps and building brands.
That moment kicked off what would become Haus by Everton, a line of footwear that blurs the line between indoor comfort and hit-the-town design. The silhouette is familiar—a mule-style slipper with an open toe box—but the details are different: sculptural lines, a serrated sole, supple suede, a colour palette inspired by German art school Bauhaus and Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. They’re slippers, yes. But they’re also something else.
“I wanted them to feel comfortable enough to wear around the house, but stylish enough to wear out,” McDougall says. “I didn’t want it to feel like natural-footwear granola, and I didn’t want it to be whimsical either. It had to land somewhere in the middle: elevated, but wearable.”
Designing it was one thing. Getting it made was another. McDougall researched factories in Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, China—none felt right. Then a friend put him in touch with a small operation in Portugal. “The operator told me straight up, ‘We have no time for you. We’re working with Versace, Fear of God, Moschino. We’re a small shop.’” But McDougall pushed. “I said, let me come to Portugal and show you what I’m working on.”
He booked a flight and sat down with sketches, mock-ups, and a clear pitch: there was a gap in the market, and Haus by Everton could fill it. The factory agreed to give it a shot. The first run was produced in Portugal and launched in 2022.
It was a long road to get there—about a year and a half from concept to prototype—but in many ways, McDougall had been preparing for it his whole career. A former Olympic-level triple jumper, he transitioned into fashion after an injury forced him to pause training. A part-time mall job in Edmonton turned into mentorship and self-learning everything he could about the fashion industry. From there, he opened a boutique on Whyte Ave, moved to Los Angeles to work for an early streetwear label, and eventually helped grow it exponentially. He went on to consult for brands across North America and Europe, including Dutch label Gsus, Ben Sherman, and more.
But this time, he was creating something with his name on it.
“I’m not a designer,” he says. “I’m a creator. I knew what was missing in the market, and I built it. That’s what Haus is about.”
What sets Haus apart, beyond the thoughtful design and materials, is the sense of personality baked into every pair. The bold, geometric patterns. The unexpected colour combinations. The feeling that this is more statement than slipper. “When I looked at the market, everything was black, grey, beige,” he says. “I wanted to do something different. I wanted it to feel like art, not just footwear.”
Even now, as Haus continues to grow, McDougall knows what he’s building is based on the legacy he wants to create. “I’ve always stayed true to myself,” he says. “You’ll make mistakes. But if you’re honest with people, if you communicate, if you stay consistent, people will respect that. People will see that you’re not chasing trends—you’re building something real.”
Asked what advice he’d give other founders, he doesn’t hesitate. “Why are you doing it? What makes your idea different? If you can answer that—and really study the market—go for it. Tune out the noise. Everyone’s going to have opinions. But this is your story. Tell it your way.”
And then, almost as a reminder to himself: “It’s not a short game. Just stay true to what you’re building.”
