When a famous biker, Arlen Ness, took notice of one of Torontos women designers, it helped to launch a clothing line that successfully filled a niche in the fashion market.
Chopper Courture is a unique line of Rock 'n' Roll inspired clothing that aims to give women luxury and style with an edge. But what makes the line stand out from the rest is that the garments are made entirely of eco-friendly materials.
Irene and Viggo Zingenberg are the duo behind Chopper Couture; Irene is the designer and Viggo handles the business end. In 1992, Irene launched a line of workout wear called Body Active that grabbed the attention of Arlen Ness, a custom motorcycle builder who has a worldwide reputation as an innovator and sought-out builder of themed, named custom bikes. This attention was a huge break for Irene.
"His company had been using her clothing and embellishing it with their logos so Irene signed a licensing deal with him," Viggo said.
In 1999, Arlen Ness Chopper Couture was born and soon other motorcycle companies took notice, drawn to the sophisticated active wear for their female clientele. However, when the line began to catch on with mainstream retailers, the name was shortened to Chopper Couture.
Viggo said the business, based on Portland Street downtown (within a bike ride of home) quickly expanded, becoming established in the U.S. and even shipping to Europe. However, in 2007, the couple decided to change a key element in their clothing and suddenly people at home in Toronto started taking note.
"We started doing eco-fashions, adding bamboo and lyocell, which is made from sustainable beech (trees), into the styles, that's when it really started taking off," he said.
Subscribing to an eco-friendly lifestyle, Viggo said it was important that their clothing respected that philosophy as well. Besides that, he said, it made sense to use eco-materials. "It breaths better, it keeps you cool in the summer, in the winter and fall it warms you, it has better UV protection, the colours don't fade as fast and because bacteria can't grow on it so it doesn't smell, it's also hypo-allergenic," he said.
Lyocell, he said, has all the benefits of bamboo but with the added benefit of having a great draping quality for women's clothing, providing supreme comfort. "It also fits very nice and it looks expensive," he said.
While most of the clothing is shipped to businesses outside of Canada, Copper Couture is slowly developing clientele within Ontario and Toronto. One of those Toronto businesses is Natalie Stephenson's Heart on Your Sleeve, a downtown vegan store that carries only ethical fashion. Stephenson said Chopper Couture's eco-friendly clothing is the main reason she recently began selling some of their pieces.
Stephenson, who launched her store last summer, said because she only sells products that are eco-friendly, non-harmful to animals and local or Canadian-made and designed, she's always on the lookout for products that fit her criteria. "A lot of the time when you're looking for ethical products you have to compromise something for another," she said. "For example, it's locally made but not eco-friendly...but Chopper Couture has all the qualities I look for."
Besides being eco-friendly, Stephenson said Chopper Couture's clothing is truly unique with an edgy, L.A. feel to it. Having a store in Kensington Markets, she predicted her clientele will be drawn to the line once the spring season arrives. "I think there will be a certain clientele that warms up to it," she said. "It's a funky line, kind of weird and it's got that biker-feel to it; it's definitely different than the other lines I carry in the store."
Viggo said the designs on the clothes are original pieces of art that are silk-screened onto the fabric using organic inks. Each line is inspired by rock 'n' roll and has a unique theme.
The four lines a year include everything from hoodies, T-shirts, tank tops, capris and pants to more sophisticated silhouettes like scoop and cowl neck-shirts, which offer a dressier look. "Our pieces are sophisticated and elegant but still have that sort of 'don't mess with me' edge," he said.
While some naysayers feel that fashion cannot be eco-friendly as clothing can end up in a landfill, Viggo said lyocell and bamboo emit less gas in the landfill and quickly biodegrade. Also, he said their clothing is high quality and timeless so women are more likely to give the clothing away, rather than throwing it out.
"We have higher price points because we are using expensive fabrics and print methods and adorning some of the designs with pearls and Swarovski crystals, so people tend to hang on to them a bit longer than a $9.95 T-shirt," he said.
Viggo said goals for Chopper Couture, which is manufactured at a Scarborough location, include doing more business locally and hopefully to be embraced as "true Toronto fashion." As well, the company plans to expand into parts of Europe including Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Visit www.choppercourture.com
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