Stereotypes, the Stampede and cold, starry skies. CAROLINE GAULT sets the fashion scene in the Wild West
The first time I felt the thrill of shopping was at a newly opened Reitmans store in rural Alberta. It was 1996. I was nine years old and living in Drayton Valley, a rich oil town of 7,000 people, 150 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. My mom, an Irish city girl from Dublin, had declared my sisters’ hand-me-downs unfit for my long limbs and resolved to give my wardrobe a makeover. Before Reitmans, there was only SAAN—the now-defunct discount store founded in Winnipeg, with the second letter A in its orange sign perpetually burnt out.
In Alberta’s capital city, the prospect of fashion retail was somewhat brighter. Edmonton had the largest shopping centre in the world: The West Edmonton Mall, which opened in 1981. It housed everything from theme parks to noonhour sea-lion shows, as well as coveted chains including Banana Republic, French Connection, Club Monaco and Gap. To me, at that time, the fashion possibilities seemed endless. And yet, the clichés of the city snowballed: Bluecollar rednecks who wore mostly parkas to endure freezing temperatures under the big prairie sky.
Let me clear up a few things. These days, the scene in Edmonton is much more haute than hick. Often, a night on the town includes a stop at an art opening, where a style-savvy crowd ranges from retro to rocker to punk to princess. It’s a melting pot of trend-driven looks and resourceful creativity—we work with what we have. Local and Canadian designer wares coexist with international brands on Whyte Avenue, 124th Street and Jasper Avenue in what’s considered, more than ever, a thriving retail scene. Post-recession, progressive new shops such as Coup Garment Boutique began disseminating upscale labels from New York (3.1 Phillip Lim) and Paris (Iro) in the old warehouse district on 4th Street Promenade, while tried-and-true shopping destination Holt Renfrew continues to offer a high-end global fashion experience. The sheer size of West Edmonton Mall is a reflection of Alberta’s booming economy. Since 2009, it has welcomed heavyhitting U.S. retailers including Anthropologie, 7 for All Mankind and J.Crew. Simons, the 170-year-old department store from Quebec, selected West Edmonton Mall as its first out-of-province outpost, offering a mix of affordable in-house brands and luxury international ready-to-wear labels. As for the rest of the city, Colliers International, a Canadian commercial real estate company, recently reported that more than 3.2 million square feet of commercial development will sprout in Edmonton over the next year.
Down south, Calgary’s Chinook Centre is now home to a Tory Burch boutique, and a Nordstrom is opening in 2014. In hip neighbourhoods Kensington and Inglewood, and on stylish strips 17th Avenue and Stephen Avenue, it’s not uncommon for international designers such as Alexander Wang to share hanger space with homegrown talent like Paul Hardy.
Louise Dirks, owner of Gravitypope Shoes and Gravitypope Tailored Goods, believes that despite their close proximity, Edmonton and Calgary differ in their sense of style. One of Canada’s richest cities, Calgary loves its luxury labels (as opposed to the stereotype that everyone wears Stampede attire) while Edmonton has always been a little more sartorially adventurous. “They’re into trying new and unique [looks],” says Dirks, who grew up on a dairy farm 80 kilometres north of Westlock. In the late ’80s, before she began importing designer labels from all over the globe—Acne, Isabel Marant, Chalayan—she would travel to Morocco, Guatemala and Portugal to buy artisanal goods for her Edmonton home décor and gift shop, Polly Magoo’s. In 1990, she expanded her retail empire with the launch of Gravitypope Shoes in Edmonton. Today, her three Gravitypope Shoes and two GravityPope Tailored Goods boutiques across Canada gross $15 million a year and attract celebrity clientele such as Ellen DeGeneres, a fan of the in-house label desert boots.
Other stylish Edmonton stores such as Oak + Fort and Loft 82 also design their own in-house lines, enhancing the local fashion industry. The scene has produced emerging designers including Calgary’s Caitlin Power and Lauren Bagliore and Edmonton’s Malorie Urbanovitch and Nicole Campre, all of whom qualified for the Mercedes-Benz Start Up Program finals and were selected to show their Spring 2013 collections at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto. Of the eight finalists, half are Alberta-based.
A group of young Calgary artists who belong to PARK (Promoting Artists, Redefining Kulture) have set out to nurture the city’s talent. Led by designer Kara Chomistek, 25, this non-profit organization hosts fashion shows and art exhibits, free of charge to the participants. As they see it, Alberta’s fashion scene is on the rise and its potential is limitless.
I, of course, agree. Two years ago, I found myself stuffed into a tiny studio on Edmonton’s 4th Street Promenade interviewing up-and-coming designer Sid Neigum, who went on to win this year’s Toronto Fashion Incubator New Labels competition. To my surprise, he, too, grew up in Drayton Valley. Small-town kids making it big sounds like a cliché, but that’s a label we’re more than willing to wear.