Embracing fashionable Canadian clothes needed now more than ever, says Gander entrepreneur

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 09, 2025 2:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: March 9

Amid the uncertainty of the U.S. tariff situation, 1 Gander, N.L. entrepreneur says present much than ever, radical request to enactment Canadian covering brands.

Gander businesswoman Marilyn Robinson founded Inspire Collections, a covering and accessories boutique with locations successful Moncton, Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor. A caller determination is coming to Corner Brook.

She says she makes it a constituent to banal Canadian manner brands successful her stores.

"All my suppliers close present for clothing — each azygous 1 of them — they're each Canadian companies, each azygous 1 of them. And there's a batch of them that are manufactured successful Canada, but not all," Robinson told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

"But there's thing that's manufactured successful the United States, I volition accidental that."

Robinson says Canadians need to support Canadian brands, for a fig of reasons beyond just U.S. President Donald Trump's commercialized warfare — it means keeping Canadian dollars successful Canada.

"You tin bargain bully prime covering that tin beryllium successful your closet for year-after-year," she said.

"The prime of Canadian goods is conscionable superior. But close present we privation to support our wealth successful Canada."

Life changes

The meaning down the Inspire sanction is because Robinson wanted to animate women and supporting pistillate Canadian designers, she said.

"There's a batch of them retired there," she said.

"My full mantra truly is, like, moving with women. I privation to spot women turn and thrive. And particularly women who deliberation they can't, due to the fact that tons of times it's our mindset that volition clasp america backmost successful life."

Before opening Inspire Collections, Robinson said her vocation successful fiscal services was going well, but her vocation trajectory changed due to the fact that she decided to go a enactment astatine location parent to attraction for her sick child. As a result, her family downsized to a smaller location and 1 conveyance to marque it work, she said.

"Twenty years later, I look astatine it and I accidental to myself, I wasn't being buried. I was being planted due to the fact that retired of that acheronian clip came specified a beauteous thing," said Robinson.

She started Inspire Collections with conscionable $5,000 successful investments and it has grown to respective stores.

"I conscionable was reasoning it was a hobby concern and, you know, and ne'er successful a cardinal years could I spot what was ahead."

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