Modrobes was
Lululemon avant la lettre and
sans yoga. An independent shop, run by
Brock University graduate designer Steven Sal Debus, Modrobes was a Queen West staple from its opening in a 400 square foot shop just west of John in 1997, to its expansion into a spot almost five times that size in the space now occupied by Adrenaline Tattoos. The big shop closed in 2005, but thanks to a winning appearance on CBC's
Dragon's Den, Modrobes is back, re-funded, in a 1,200 square foot shop in the old
Rotate This space at 620 Queen West.
Following the theme of the new clothing line, which Debus calls eco-sportswear, he designed the shop himself. "It used as much recycled material as possible," he says. "Basically, it's made of old metal and old barn board."
This is the least expansive store he's ever put together, he says. The big one that shut in 2005 cost him $250,000 to design and implement; this one, which opened April 10, cost $20,000.
The clothing is made mostly from recycled plastic bottles � 18 make a jacket, 16 for a pair of shorts � and is priced between $14.99 for an "organic t-shirt" and $150 for the jacket.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Steven Sal Debus
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