Eco Fashion World

‘I am love’ is stitched in each piece of clothing in the Nicole Bridger line. A positive affirmation of the philosophy of the brand to take care of the earth’s people and contribute to positive change in our modern world. Though she is not the only one who has this vision, when talking with Nicole you realize one thing for sure: she is here to stay.

She knew at a young age exactly what she wanted and applied for the best fashion design school in Canada: Ryerson in Toronto. An internship with Vivienne Westwood taught her some key issues: ‘I am not a fashionista so my doubt was if I could be who I am and still succeed in this industry. Vivienne showed me that this is possible. Another thing was that I did not just want to do clothing. I have this yearning of doing something positive while I am here and eventually be able to help people. So she showed me how you can use what you love as a venue to make some kind of change. At the time I was working with Vivienne, she was going through her second bankruptcy so I learnt that is it wonderful to be creative but that it is essential to know about business in order to sustain. Back in Canada, I finished Ryerson and completed a minor in entrepreneurship as to be prepared for what I wanted to establish myself. Since I was fifteen I had been building this business in my mind, slowly taking little bits here and there. And after working with Lululemon, the time was right to start my own brand’.

Nicole is 28 now and has already built a name for herself as both an incredible designer and a successful business woman. Helped by a program that got her started as an entrepreneur, a great mentor and a line of credit from a bank, she has established a strong foundation for her company. ‘I very much enjoy the business side of my company and I also feel I have arrived at a stage of being in tune with my designs. In the beginning you have to discover who your customers are and what your signature is, but by now I have really found my style and I think people recognize it’. She used this equilibrium for her A/W 2010 collection "Healing Heart" which was inspired by her life lessons at the time of creation. During this line's development, Nicole was in the middle of divorcing her husband and found her time being consumed by the situation and doing what she needed to heal. Because of her circumstances, she didn't have much energy to put into designing an entire collection, and so she chose to tweak her top seven pieces to really portray the essence and aesthetic of Nicole Bridger.

It is really a pleasure to talk to Nicole as she combines her passion for her company and the planet with a down to earth mentality. When we talk about the development of eco fashion, she is convinced that it will become the norm. ‘It is not suddenly becoming a non issue to think about the planet, this will simply never stop. On a global scale, humans will become more educated and therefore will be living more consciously. Eventually, eco fashion will be the norm. As for me, I did not want to become an eco designer, it is simply the way I think things should be done’.

Nicole calls other brands and designers comparables instead of competitors and explains how important it is to work together to build a strong global community. ‘Of course I don’t like it when others use exactly the same fabrics as I do, but together we can prevent that factories close down like what is happening at the moment’.

Although her online sales go very well, eventually Nicole wants to open up a physical space. Not just a boutique, but a department store. She envisages building a lifestyle brand that caters to the conscious consumers of the future. Where people can connect to the aesthetics and the story at the same time. I look at the ‘I am love’ label in my shirt and believe.

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