After heading to other cities to shop for streetwear, three 20-something Winnipeggers decided to take matters into their own hands by opening up Ordnry Clothing in the spring of 2012. 

“We were all shopping elsewhere because there just wasn’t an outlet to buy the type of clothing we like here in Winnipeg,” says Adrian Kinnavanthong, who co-owns the shop alongside Jon Blumberg and Nick Welch.  

“We saw the need and eventually the opportunity came for us to open up a store in the Exchange.”

Kinnavanthong says Ordnry Clothing is heavily influenced by NRML, a three-storey street wear boutique that’s been operating in the downtown core of Ottawa since 1997.

“Nick actually moved out east for a few years,” he says. “NRML really caught his eye and when he came back he wanted to open a store that would bring that type of clientele and culture to Winnipeg.”

While Ordnry doesn’t have nearly as much interior space as NRML, it’s still a contemporary urban lifestyle boutique that holds a wide selection of baseball caps, pants, hoodies and shoes from a variety of different brands.

Most recently, Ordnry brought in jewellery from a Toronto-based line called Vitaly, and some new apparel from Civil Clothing, a company that was established four years ago in Los Angeles.

The store caters more to men than women – something that isn’t the case for all boutiques – and this year they opened a barbershop on a balcony that overlooks the main floor.

“I think it was a no-brainer since fashion and hair mix so well together,” Kinnavanthong says. “We wanted our customers to be able to do their shopping and get their hair cut in just one stop.”

Aside from the barbershop, Kinnavanthong says there’s more that helps Ordnry Clothing stand out from the pack.

“We really have our own identity and culture. We’re bringing in some trends and brands Winnipeg hasn’t really seen yet, but we know can catch on at the same time.

“We also bring in a small amount of clothing, unlike the bigger stores in the mall that sell items in mass quantities. We really try to have that feeling of being exclusive.”

Kinnavanthong says one of the most popular items Ordnry sells are jogger style, skinny fit pants made by Zanerobe, a men’s only fashion brand based out of Sydney, Australia.

These relaxed fit pants sell for $124.99, and while they’re made out of chino cloth, still have the elasticized bands you’d find on an actual pair of sweatpants. 

Ordnry is also in the process of developing its in-house clothing line.

“I think eventually it’s turning into a full line, but it basically started off as promo wear,” Kinnavanthong says. “Alongside social media and word of mouth, we just hoped those items would help draw more attention to the store and what we were doing.”

Published in Volume 68, Number 9 of The Uniter (October 30, 2013)