Vancouver shop notes: 5 minutes with Nicole Bridger

For Vancouver designer Nicole Bridger, the grass is always greener on the eco-side. Last May, she claimed Fashion Takes Action’s first Design Forward award, which recognizes talented eco designers. This May, she opens her first retail store in Kitsilano (2151 W. 4th Ave., nicolebridger.com).

What made you decide to open your own store?
“It’s always been the plan to have retail spaces, just a matter of when. You think if it’s meant to happen, the right space will show up.”

You dubbed this season “Reconnect.” Why?
“I had just gone through a divorce, and it was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. It was about reconnecting with myself and finding my happiness, hence all the fun colours.”

Outside of personal growth, what inspires your designs?
“I get inspired a lot by what’s happening in society—positive things that people are doing, where we’re going, possibilities—also by colours in nature, like driving to Whistler and seeing the sunset. It’s a lot of abstract kind of stuff.”

Who is the woman who wears Nicole Bridger?
“She’s a confident woman who takes a lot of consideration into what she’s wearing and her own personal style. She’s a busy woman—a working woman, a mother. She’s got a real life. She can’t just look gorgeous; it has to function for her life.”

From burgeoning to bona fide, where is eco-fashion heading next?
“It’s just going to become the norm. It’s not going to be a ‘thing’ anymore.”

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