Studio Hexe & 601 Royal
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Announcing a pair as a “power couple” might sound as outdated as calling a female entrepreneur a “girl boss,” but fuck it: part indie fashion kids, part vintage peddlers and part novice designers, Olivia Podmore and Colin Bridger are Calgary’s fashion power couple.
As Studio Hexe, the pair crafts original designs out of military surplus with a Y2K edge (hello Avril Lavigne wrist warmers), and as 601 Royal, they sell high-end European and Japanese designers out of their boutique just off of 17th Ave.
“For this fashion show, we reworked a 1960s military sleeping bag for the puffer skirts. Our biggest thing is giving old material new life — mainly military,” say Bridger and Podmore.
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As the Studio Hexe models strutted down the runway to screeching dystopian sonics, it was the crocheted balaclavas reminiscent of Pussy Riot and puffer skirts that remixed the ubiquitous Aritzia Super Puff that stole the show. Impressive designs from label mates who only picked up a sewing machine one year ago.
“Right when we first started dating, we realized we were both really into clothing; we started looking into the reworked world,” says Podmore, who taught herself to crochet during COVID.
“We started sewing in a spare room in my parents’ house,” laughs Bridger.
After venturing to Japan and checking out the artful, anti-elitist fashion scene over there, the pair was inspired to start 601 Royal as a community hub for all the fashion heads in YYC. Stocking mens- and womenswear, they line their shelves with everything from designer vintage to streetwear.
“Calgary does have a niche fashion community, and it’s cool to see it growing. There’s a lot of people that are into very niche things, like collecting Helmut Lang. They’ll be in the store every few weeks, like, “do you guys have anything new?” says Bridger.
“We want to bring in the items that the fashion kid sees online and thinks they’re never going to get to see — their holy grail. Whether they have the money or not, they can come, try it on, just feel it and look at it.”
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