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risk takers

The Risk Takers series looks at how a few of Canada's creative minds fearlessly went their own way.

[As part of this series, watch a video chat with InteraXon's Ariel Garten, who took a bet on mind-controlled computing, and a video chat with travel site Hopper founder Frederic Lalonde.]

Vancouver designer Nicole Bridger patiently apprenticed for others as she gained experience in both style and finance. Now, she's hoping for a Dragons' Den win.

“I started sewing when I was 13,” says Nicole Bridger, who now has her own line of clothing.

By 16, “I saw that I could do what I love and make a decent living from it if I owned my own business. I knew then that I wanted my own fashion label and I went to Ryerson University [in Toronto] for a degree in fashion design.”

She also had had another hope when she was young: “ I had an innate desire to make some kind of positive change with my time on this planet.”

Vancouver designer Nicole Bridger's clothing is made of what she terms 'ethical materials:' sourcing responsible materials and using ethical manufacturing. (Amanda Palmer for The Globe and Mail)

Today, Ms. Bridger’s label, Nicole Bridger Designs, features her upscale women’s fashion designs “for the effortlessly chic and environmentally conscious woman,” as her website puts it.

Ms. Bridger explains that her clothing is made of “ethical materials,” with 95 per cent of the production done in Vancouver at a factory she bought 2 years ago and the remaining 5 per cent made at a fair-trade plant in Nepal.

She markets her designs through a flagship store in her hometown of Vancouver, as well as online and in other stores that carry her line. Since designing her first collection in 2008, Ms. Bridger’s eco-fashion business has grown to $1.3-million a year in gross revenue, with 35 full-time employees, 10 part-time employees and 10 contractors.

Ninety-five per cent of  production is done in Vancouver at a factory Ms. Bridger bought two years ago and the remaining 5 per cent at a fair-trade plant in Nepal. (Amanda Palmer for The Globe and Mail)

In school, “there was a group of us who would use natural fibres and eat organic food, but we never thought it was a thing,” she says. Then she went to London for an internship with the famous, edgy designer Vivienne Westwood.

“She showed me that I could use the clothing as a kind of platform for the changes I wanted to see in this world.” Ms. Bridger says.

Ms. Bridger started sewing when she was 13. Today, she has her own label and has won the international Eco-Designer of the Year award from Fashion Takes Action. (Amanda Palmer for The Globe and Mail)

At the same time, “I also saw her going through a second bankruptcy and realized I wouldn’t be able to do any good if I didn’t know how to run a business.”

Ms. Bridger decided to open in Vancouver because “I need to be close to the ocean, forest and mountains.” She contacted Dennis (Chip) Wilson, founder of Lululemon, which was taking off as an international megabrand when Ms. Bridger was ready to start her own firm.

“I had worked a few summers for him when they were just starting up,” she says. “He told me: Don’t start a business yet, come work for me. I agreed to come on for a year as long as I could learn everything there was about starting your own line and business. I ended up staying for two years.”

During their time together, they also started eco-fashion line Oqoqo, which gave her another hands-on learning experience.

Ms. Bridger was firm about her vision from the start: “I knew I wanted to create my own clothing line that was consciously made. Eventually I want to have 60 stores internationally with our own factory and fabric mills. I wanted to create an ethical lifestyle brand that a client can rely on for well-designed goods that are made responsibly.”

The company's mantra is 'I am love,' which, aside from ethical manufacturing, refers to 'people align with their spirit through a philosophy of self-love.' (Amanda Palmer for The Globe and Mail)

The first Canadian to win the international Eco-Designer of the Year award from an organization called Fashion Takes Action (in 2010), Ms. Bridger says she always wanted her company to stand out through its eco-principles. “There is so much bad that goes on in the making of fabric and clothing that I want to show that it’s possible to do it in a different way.”

“Our mantra is ‘I am love,’ which is about coming from this pure place. … I say that, ‘We do what is right for the Earth, its people and spirit.’ We source responsible materials, we use ethical manufacturing and we help people align with their spirit through a philosophy of self-love.”

Peace and love aside, Ms. Bridger has had to keep a sharp focus on planning and financing.

Ms. Bridger's flagship store in Vancouver sports the #IAmEnough Instagram campaign hashtag  intended to build women's confidence. (Amanda Palmer for The Globe and Mail)

“I did the self-employment program here in Vancouver that’s funded by the government – a six-month course where you had to write your business plan. I got my first loan of $25,000 from the Canadian Youth Business Foundation [a not-for-profit organization that receives federal funding],” she says.

“Later on I got a $150,000 line of credit from the bank but only if my father co-signed it – the banks are not willing to take much risk. Last year I got a $150,000 loan from the Women’s Enterprise Centre [another business support group.] I am now seeking strategic investors for growth,” she says. “And I’ll be on [CBC’s] Dragons’ Den this season.”

She says her best move in recent days was to hire an accountant, who comes in part-time to manage cash flow: “It’s a game-changer.”

Ms. Bridger’s business has grown to $1.3-million a year in gross revenue, with 35 full-time employees, 10 part-time employees and 10 contractors. (Amanda Palmer for The Globe and Mail)

Ms. Bridger insists that “I am not a fashionista,” but she likes her work so much that “sometimes I pinch myself to remind me that it’s real. I’m going to give this my all.”