Eco Fashion Week is upon us and there’s no shortage of stylistas making the rounds at this week’s events.
Rowenta and Nicole Bridger invited me to the “Allowing Grace” fashion show held last night in Gastown. Nicole’s a well-known designer with a boutique in Kitsilano. Her new spring/summer line for next year features muted shades of beautifully draped fabrics. Socially conscious clothes are what defines her company’s culture.
The yoga-inspired show certainly allowed grace to shine. Motherhood has given Nicole new direction and focus.
She packed the Gastown event space with Vancouver’s fashion design industry, media, and other VIPs.
Nicole is a born and raised Vancouverite who studied fashion design at Ryerson University in Toronto. She received a BAA there, before heading to London to intern at Vivienne Westwood’s studio. She later returned to Vancouver with an interest in learning the business side of things. She teamed up with Lululemon Athletica to co-create Oqoqo, a casual eco clothing line.
While at Lululemon, she learned how to start a clothing line from scratch, turn a dollar in the industry, and market successfully.
In 2010, she was awarded Fashion Takes Action’s inaugural first Eco Designer of the Year.