Winnipeg streetwear brand finds silver lining amid lockdown

Manitoba · Jun 30, 2020

Adrian Kinnavanthong & Nick Welch of Ordnry Clothing in Winnipeg

Website: https://ordnry.com/

Instagram: @ordnrylifestyle

Faced with nationwide retail shutdowns, Ordnry owners Adrian Kinnavanthong and Nick Welch were forced to reexamine delivery models for their celebrity-lauded streetwear label – discovering some unexpected ideas that would have otherwise gone unexplored.

"Time away from your establishment could be a blessing in disguise; a chance to create new strategies and develop new directions to overcome future struggles.” - Adrian Kinnavanthong, co-owner of Ordnry Clothing.

For the #1 streetwear brand in Canada, customer experience is everything. Ordnry has been worn by the likes of Madonna, Odell Beckham Jr., and Tory Lanez to name a few of their famous fans. But when they were forced to shut down their flagship location amid COVID-19 restrictions, the team had to totally reimagine their approach.

"The personal engagement is gone,” said co-founder Adrian Kannavanthong. “The in-store experience, the shopping experience…the overall communication with our customers and community is all different.”

Forced to adapt, Ordnry did what they’ve always done: get creative. "It’s about turning a negative into a positive. This is giving us time to rebuild and create, allowing us to see things from a different angle.”

With their retail space closed until further notice, much of that shift depended on developing smart online alternatives that upheld the brand’s high standard of style. 

"We shifted a lot of our services to focus on the online shopping experience,” Adrian explains. The brand also began offering same day drop-offs for local online purchases, as well as providing a new pick-up service. They’re also offering free shipping worldwide. 

The logistical challenges of running a lifestyle brand without human contact took some time to figure out. However, the team’s creative process has in many ways been invigorated by the pandemic. “We have more time on our hands now, and in our opinion, it’s amazing,” Adrian explains. “We are learning new things all the time, building on our skillsets and keeping our tools sharp.”

For these lifelong creators, it’s all a matter of perspective. 

"Times may be hard at the moment, but stay optimistic, reflect and rebuild to be better.” They describe finding an invaluable creative takeaway in “just knowing and understanding how precious time is. Invest in something you might have questioned before in yourself. Create.” 

The team is doing just that, finalizing plans for their next drop.

"Stay safe and stay tuned! We have some amazing news, some major announcements and more amazing collections coming! We are all Far From Ordinary!” 

You can shop Ordnry’s latest collections online and ship anywhere in the world. You can also follow them on Instagram.

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