When Movement Global opened its doors on West Fourth Avenue’s shopping strip in August 2014, it came not as a newcomer testing the waters, but as a success story expanding due to popular demand. Its unique line of clothing that can be worn for exercise, streetwear or evening wear had built up a strong following since 2006 through a store on Bowen Island.
The clothes at Movement Global are cut and sewn locally in Vancouver, with nearly everything made with bamboo-based rayon, a fabric with a distinctive feel somewhere between cotton and silk. “People call it vegetable cashmere,” says Amrita Sondhi, the store’s owner, manager and designer. “The fabric is bamboo so it grows with no pesticides. It’s strengthened with a bit of organic cotton, which is wonderful. Our clothes are ecologically conscious.”
The approach is what Amrita calls “interchangeable separates”: headbands, tops, pants, skirts, dresses, yoga pants, hoodies, and leggings that can work together or individually. Most of it is for women, but about 15 per cent is for men.