Eco Fashion World

It was six years ago I first met Michael. Online so to say because I was in Amsterdam and he was in Vancouver. At the time, Vancouver was on the other side of the planet for me and Michael and his Twice-Shy collection seemed to be very exotic. They were one of the first pioneers in eco fashion in those days and we were excited to purchase their T-shirts and dresses for our concept store. Hence, Michael is the first I contact when I arrive in Vancouver.

We meet in Hip Baby, the store he opened last year at the height of the economic recession. ‘But it is doing so well, you won’t believe it’, he tells me. ‘Jen (his business partner) and I wrote the business plan in three weeks, presented it, and got a loan to purchase the existing store. We converted the whole space and gave it our signature feel: fun, colourful and cheeky.’ Full of toys, accessories and baby and kids clothing, including their own line Fig Kids. ‘Fig Kids is all organic and most other brands are eco and fair-trade too, but not all of it. For us, sometimes design comes first so we’ve been known to make exceptions’.

What happened to Twice-Shy, the men’s and women’s lines they started with? ‘It did not work anymore. We did that with a manufacturer here in BC and that relationship ended, which drew the energy out of the brand. But Fig Kids did well as did our corporate branding line Clean Slate. And the amazing thing is: when one door closes, another one opens. Within no time, we had the opportunity to take over this store. Something we had not really thought about, but it literally fell in our lap. And next week, we’re opening a second store, in Victoria’. He smiles a confident smile.

Educated as a writer, Michael was a ski bum in Whistler for years before diving into this eco fashion adventure. ‘And look at me now: I give cloth diaper-folding-workshops to young parents!’ He shows me the ‘Great wall of diapers’ with a range of washable nappies, from simple organic cotton to deluxe bamboo. ‘I am the Cloth Diapering Dad on Twitter and LOVE it. Because there are so many ways to have kids and still be green. And your kids inspire you to be even more eco-conscious, like my daughter Ibi does.

He shows me around in the store and knows the story behind every product. ‘Look at this princess dress, isn’t it beautiful? A lady in LA makes them herself; they are all one of a kind. This is an example of a product that may not be eco or fair-trade certified, but is hand-crafted with love, and we like to support other small business owners doing cool stuff.’ Shopping becomes so much fun with this enthused entrepreneur that I have hope for a bright future for my own baby. And the best thing is: Michael opens a web shop soon. To bring Vancouver a bit closer when I am back in Europe.

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