The idea was simple enough: create a collection of basic clothing to suit as many women as possible.
Deep Cove designer Jan Stimpson hadn’t seen anything like it in stores and personally felt limited by what she saw when she went clothes shopping. So, 15 years ago, the fashion industry veteran founded the Sympli brand.
“Sympli was sort of born out of the need to do something a bit more basic and to further accommodate the needs of as many women as possible,” she explains.
It started with a handful of T-shirts, pants and skirts, all with an emphasis on fit. She introduced more pieces shortly after, including the ever-popular Soft Chakra Tunic. Today, Sympli boasts a selection of layering pieces in more than 300 designs and 30 colours meant for mixing and matching. There’s also a plus-sized division, Sympli Grand, which launched in 2011.
“We just kind of grew pretty quickly right from the very beginning,” Stimpson says.
Like any business venture, the road to success was not without hurdles.
“When you grow really quickly, cash flow can be an issue, so we went through a period of time when we were really running short on cash flow,” she recalls. That meant having to eliminate quite a few staff, but, fortunately, she was able to hire them all back after six months or so.
Then there’s the challenge of keeping production in Canada – an increasingly difficult task with much of the textile industry based offshore.
“We’ve managed to do it, so that’s great,” she notes.
With winter behind us, Sympli is launching a spring/summer 2016 collection that stays true to the brand’s mission of accommodating a range of ages, shapes and sizes.
“This spring was really no different from any other season in that respect,” Stimpson says. The latest collection follows Sympli’s “fit formula,” offering each piece in three different fits: snug, relaxed and tunic. Most of the garments are made from a poly-blend fabric with some stretch.
“We always try to keep the line very drapey, which accommodates the luxury of the fabric. We always want the styling to offer some forgiveness over the body while maintaining kind of a slender, curvaceous feel,” Stimpson says. “The weight of our fabric is very important to us. We monitor that really closely to make sure that we maintain the same weight and get the same drape.”
Stimpson doesn’t typically look to fashion fads when developing her seasonal collections. That said, she will interpret trends to suit her needs. This spring, she’s focusing on a more feminine look, incorporating mesh and soft colours. And in addition to her best-selling staple garments, she’s introduced some novelty pieces, like the long-tailed Tuxedo Jacket.
“To be honest, not every woman’s going to wear that, but it does pique the interest of the woman that wants it,” she says.
Stimpson says it’s important to work from existing designs to ensure the current season’s styles complement those of previous seasons.
“The line is made such that if you buy a piece two years ago, you can buy something this year that you can wear that piece with,” she says. “The fabrication wears really well and so these pieces stay integrated into a woman’s wardrobe and they just want to add to it and build and layer.”
As always, Stimpson’s ultimate goal is for wearers to feel comfortable and confident.
“We want them to be able to put on whatever they feel that day,” she says. “When you put something on in the morning, if it just doesn’t fit or you’re not 100-per-cent comfortable in it, to be honest, I don’t believe your day starts as well as it otherwise could.”
Looking ahead to the next 15 years, Stimpson is keen to grow and evolve the Sympli brand.
“Going forward we’re looking at some natural fibres that we could bring in in the future,” she says, adding that she’s also interested in breaking into the European market. “There’s lots of room for expansion and growing.”
Sympli is available in stores across Canada and the United States. North Shore retailers include Phoenix, BJ’s and Caposhie in West Vancouver, and Twiga, Nina’s Boutique and Little Pink Door in North Vancouver. Visit sympli.com for more information and a full list of retailers.
