Welcome to our Style Spotlight series. We’re connecting with people from different walks of life to explore how fashion and style have shaped their lives, revealing stories of resilience, purpose, and self-discovery.
Trying on the tops her team curates is all in a day’s work for Tricia Lake. Her base layer needs to be versatile — but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
Whether it’s juxtaposing a t-shirt and jeans with bold silver jewelry, colourful footwear, or mohair scarves, she always finds a way to make even the simplest outfits look interesting.
There’s a balance of boldness and subtlety about her, a duality mirrored in her approach to style.
Take the latest photo on her Instagram: for a gala she paired a short and frilly red dress with strappy gold heels and a white purse.
It’s not something you see just any 50-year-old wearing.
“I’m trying not to limit myself just because of that milestone birthday,” she says. “I believe you should wear what you want, and if you feel confident, other people notice.”
And she did pull it off, if the trail of compliments beneath the photo are any indication. She started learning about this link between confidence and style before she learned how to walk.
“My earliest memories are sitting in the living room where my grandmother worked, playing with fabric,” she recalls.
Growing up with her grandmother in Grenada, Tricia was surrounded by the hum of sewing machines, piles of colorful fabric, and the magic of watching an outfit come to life from just a few pieces of cloth.
For her grandmother, style was never about trends; it was about care, craft, and creating clothing that helped her loved ones put their best foot forward.
In Grenada, dressing was intentional and thoughtful, even for everyday tasks.
“At that time, you got dressed up to go anywhere,” she recalls. “And even last year, the new prime minister wore sandals to church and it had the whole country talking.”
So when Tricia joined her parents in Canada at age 8, the November temperatures weren’t the only thing she found shocking.
In Winnipeg, people dressed for comfort, first and foremost — something she noticed even as a child.
“It was just like a t-shirt and jeans, you could show up wherever you wanted however you wanted.”
But even thousands of miles away from her grandmother, she still found herself drawn to the sewing machine. Every year, she would enter a doll-making contest at a local summer fair.
“It was just me, a junior high kid, and all these older ladies,” she laughs. “And I actually won them all.”
It didn’t take long for her to graduate from dolls to garments. But Tricia’s early years experimenting with style was just as much about helping others find confidence as it was about her finding her own.
“I made a ton of my own clothes,” she recalls. “And I made clothes for my brother, my sister, and my friends.”
After graduating, her passion for style took her to fashion school in Toronto, where she studied buying.
She learned everything from spotting trends and choosing fabrics to managing supply chains and developing products.
Tricia might not have realized it at the time, but she was likely chasing the same thrill and fulfillment she found in helping friends and family feel their best.
“When people look good, they feel good,” Tricia says. “I feel amazing when I’m wearing something I like. I think there’s something really powerful about what style can do.”
Tricia got the most out of her time in Toronto and southern Ontario.
When she wasn’t working or studying, she would explore the city’s flea markets and boutique shops or help organize fashion shows with friends. It was a busy and exciting schedule she loved.
So when she returned to Winnipeg and settled into a full-time job, she had trouble adjusting to what felt like a more monotonous and regimented schedule.
“I was bored out of my mind,” she says. “I felt like there was nothing to do.”
She decided to recreate some of that excitement herself by launching Canadian Fashion Development. The nonprofit organization connected young designers with independent retailers.
The main component was Preview, a fashion show that gave local designers the opportunity to showcase their work.
Organizing the event was stressful to say the least, but it turns out any worries she had were unfounded.
“I was thinking ‘this is going to be awful, nobody’s going to show up,’” she recalls. “And then it was packed. Totally full. And it was really cool. Everyone had a great time.”
She hosted Preview for three years, helping multiple designers sell their products at local boutiques.
Her nonprofit work not only cured her boredom, it also helped bring new enthusiasm to her career.
“It’s never about whether I like something necessarily,” she says. “It’s about what the customer wants and how I can help her feel her best.”
Every choice she makes, every collection she curates, is infused with that same intention she observed from her grandmother — an eye for quality, a respect for individuality, and a dedication to creating pieces that will last the test of time.
Today, she brings that approach to a national audience as senior buyer at Bootlegger. Her curated collections help thousands of customers discover the confidence she’s always found in style.
But in recent years, Tricia has felt an urge to help people through community initiatives again. This time she sees the opportunity in Grenada, where her journey began.
She's searching for ways to take advantage of the new government’s plans to stimulate the local economy.
“There’s tons of talent there, and it’s just about making sure they get the exposure and resources they need,” she says.
For Tricia, fashion isn’t just about clothing — it’s always been about building community and lifting people up.
Helping others find their style and voice is a legacy she’s carried with her from her grandmother’s living room in Grenada to Canada and, if things go her way, back again.
By John L. Bruce
