Vancouver Fashion

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body politic: an ethical state of fashion

June 23rd, 2010 | Published in Boutiques

Words by Serena Mason. Photos by Kathy Nguyen.

As I step into the warm, chic sanctuary that is Main Street eco-boutique body politic, the rain that was an insistent dribble suddenly unleashes into a full torrent. So it is a perfect time to sit with owner Nicole Ritchie-Oseen, our hands wrapped around steaming cups of coffee, and discuss her store – its rocky beginning, its mission, and its future.

Ritchie-Oseen is warm, charming and incredibly well spoken as we delve into her path from Sociology undergraduate to prominent boutique owner. “I kind of came at it sideways,” she laughs. Graduating with a degree in Sociology but looking for something more, something true to herself, Ritchie-Oseen looked to her childhood for inspiration. “I always had a love of fashion. I thought I had my own distinct style at age six – neon socks and all,” she recalls. Coupling her return to her childhood passion with the self-awareness that she would like to be her own boss, it was a natural conclusion that she should start a boutique – but what kind?

“It was in conversation with my mom that she suggested that if I was to have a clothing boutique, I should look for, as she termed it at the time, ‘ethical’ designers.” She wasn’t initially thrilled with her mother’s suggestion. The important thing was not to sacrifice body politic extra image style and up to that point she had not yet seen eco-fashion with shape or tailoring available. However, she began her research in 2004 and saw that great things – just the things she would love to sell – were coming from Europe. Her mandate that everything she sold in body politic be North America-designed and -produced made her hold off on these European labels, but she knew the movement toward a more urbane, polished eco look had been set in motion.

There are many types of bravery, and following her dream and opening body politic in December 2008, in the midst of a cruel winter and a major economic downturn is, without question, an act of bravery on Ritchie-Oseen’s part. “Just getting the doors open was my proudest moment. If I’d waited for the perfect time… I probably still wouldn’t have opened.” It is the strength of her convictions and also the beauty of the designer lines she chose that kept her business alive through the uncertainty of the recession.

body politic carries over 30 eco-fashion lines, all produced and designed in North America. Vancouver favourites such as Lav & Kush and Nixxi hang alongside pieces from organic pioneers Stewart & Brown and edgy New York labels like Feral Childe. There are basics, stand-out, knock ‘em dead pieces, and one-of-a-kind accessories. What sets body politic apart is that it fills the eco-niche, but at a higher end. The pieces that Ritchie-Oseen has chosen are still accessible, but the pure fashion – the tailoring, the attention to detail and fabric, the high-fashion inspiration – has not been submerged just because the lines are “green.”

Looking to the future, Ritchie-Oseen is excited for body politic’s newly launched online store. Having built a reputation within Vancouver as an eco-fashion destination store, body politic can now be accessed by people all over the world. “I really wanted the online store to become a resource for people looking for eco-fashion,” she explains. “It’s all in one place and it kind of takes the guess-work out of it.”

It is with profound reluctance that I leave body politic that day. Not just because of the way the rain is flowing down the side walk, but because a visit to body politic feels like a conversation with a well-dressed, well-spoken friend. You talk about things that are important: the environment, politics, mindful consumption. And you talk about things that are unabashed fun: what top would go best with that fabulous skirt and how should you accessorize the whole outfit? It is this feeling that keeps us coming back, again and again.

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