Bridge(r) Line

It's a rare designer who interns for Vivienne Westwood and then teams with Lululemon (on its "fashion" offshoot Oqoqo), non? It's less rare, admittedly, for a Vancouverite to produce a brand known for "sustainability", as Ms. Bridger defines it, ethical and local manufacturing:

"We create designer clothing and the socially conscious thing is just how we think everyone should be living his or her lives. We use sustainable fabrics and strive to have a positive relationship with everyone who works to create our clothing. You can trust that we are doing whatever we can to make our garments and company as eco as we can, and are always looking for ways to do it better next season."

I am thrilled to tell you this line is manufactured exclusively in Canada. I'm less thrilled to say that you can't find it in stores in TO or Mtl. and, if you order it online, unless you link up with the design office directly, you have to purchase it in USD. Which is fine if you live in USD. (To its credit, the company will deal with you directly to order in CAD.)

I, for one, can see the merger of strict, London tailoring with relaxed, West Coast fabrics. And there are a number of pieces I could see myself wearing: a black shawl cardi, the paper bag skirt above. Gotta say, though, it's not inexpensive. (The grey dress pictured retails for $248.00 US .) I know, this is the price you pay to live ethically. But I can't help imagine that, if this line was available locally, at one of my hipster haunts, it would be the kind of place I'd go during the sales to scoop up a piece or two at a pricepoint that works better within the scope of my budget. I can think of a number of places in TO this line might fly...

One other thing I really like about this brand is its website modeling campaign. The women in the web stills are lovely and actually seem to have a layer of adipose tissue standing between them and their skeletons. It's like they work out a little and eat a little and their fertility is probably intact. How refreshing.