IRRICANA, Alta. – A flare for fashion that works on the farm or for a night on the town has turned into a profitable business for two friends who call themselves farmers’ trophy wives.
For the last two years, Jennifer Friend and Cathryn Hagel have built a business called Mink and Manure that grew from a desire to find fashionable, well fitting clothes that were serviceable for busy women who like western fashion.
“We had to go to 12 different stores to find it all because we do like the western flavour but we don’t dress completely western,” said Friend.
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After one year in business they had earned back their initial investment because they found other women had the same desire.
Running their own business out of a small boutique in Irricana and through home parties works well because they are both on maternity leave from their city jobs and can bring their babies to work.
As working mothers, they wanted easy-care clothes that have a touch of glamour for rural women who may have to chase cows, get on the tractor or entertain unexpected visitors.
They started with purses and accessories and have expanded to one-of-a-kind jewelry from local artisans, designer handbags, jeans, jackets and tops from across Canada and the United States.
Friend has a degree in project management and Hagel is a nurse. Their sense of fashion came from knowing what they liked and what looked good.
“Everything in the store we pick out ourselves. It’s stuff that we love. We don’t pick out anything we wouldn’t wear,” said Friend, who raises rodeo bulls with her husband, Russell.
Most of the jeans are Hollywood style and come with beadwork and fancy stitching as well as plainer designs with a bit of stretch to fit curvy figures.
“It took longer to get into jeans to find ones we liked,” said Hagel, who with her husband, Troy, has a mixed operation of grain and cattle.
“It’s high fashion and classy but fun. Bling is the word we like to use,” she said.
Their target audiences agree and women from teenagers to grandmothers swarm them at farm events like bull sales and rodeos. If their business continues to succeed, they hope to expand and hire women to run stores in selected locations.
