Two decades of independent fashion

Out of the Blue celebrates 20 years of keeping Winnipeg looking stylish

Emma Waters-Wolfe and the rest of the Out of the Blue family have been making locals look good for 20 years. Shannon VanRaes
Out of the Blue in Osborne Village. Shannon VanRaes

Twenty years ago, Wendy Waters travelled to Berlin where her love of vintage fashion bloomed.  Dissatisfied with her line of work, Waters returned home anxious to build a career that would allow her to balance family life and exercise her creativity at the same time.

Waters made up her mind to open a store fusing vintage sensibility with a grassroots approach to business.

In an era of big box stores and shopping malls, it has become somewhat rare to see an independently owned, local business stand the test of time.

Out of the Blue is a definite exception.

The shop opened its doors in 1991 in the midst of a recession, when Osborne Village was littered with empty storefronts.

At approximately 600 square feet, located below Kustom Kulture on River Avenue, the shop attracted clientele by selling vintage clothing appealing to those open to new ideas about fashion and music, or those who subscribed to a unique world view. 

Over time, community began to develop among the staff and store patrons.

Waters describes one of the most rewarding parts of owning the shop as “the ability to talk to the customers, get to know them, and see them graduate, get married and start a family.”

We revisited the past by listening to a lot of music, stuff like Ani DiFranco, and reintroducing the line of reworked vintage clothing.

Wendy Waters

After a year the shop moved onto Osborne Street where it began changing direction away from solely vintage fashion to new pieces with a classic flavour. 

Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources (trade shows, travel and independent craft shows), Waters, despite being a self-described “techno-peasant,” also began to see how the Internet played a role in keeping on top of what’s on-trend.

On the heels of yet another move more than a decade later, this time to a storefront position on the east side of Osborne, the staff began preparing to celebrate the store’s 20th anniversary. 

“We revisited the past by listening to a lot of music, stuff like Ani DiFranco, and reintroducing the line of reworked vintage clothing,” Waters says. 

The store also celebrated by creating custom, commemorative t-shirts depicting early phases of the store, and holding a special event for the store’s regular customers - complete with cupcakes.

Colourful, sharply dressed mannequins grace storefront displays peering out onto the hub of Osborne Village. Recently, the shop has begun to undergo some significant renovations to the space.

“We’ve moved the change rooms and increased the number from two to four, which has in turn increased our floor space,” Waters says. “In preparation for the holiday season we will also be bringing in more giftware and reworked vintage clothing.”

The entrepreneur added she is looking forward to the future and to continuing to develop the Osborne Village institution.

“Thank you to those of you who have kept us in business for all of these years,” Waters says.

More than 20 years in, Out of the Blue is still keeping Winnipeggers on the cutting edge of fashion, all while making them feel like a part of the family.

Published in Volume 66, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 19, 2011)

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