Mondetta has been a fashion brand based out of Winnipeg Winnipeg since the 1980s. Their flag-based shirts and jackets have been a staple for years although they a number of different brands that they sell. The 2014 Winter Olympics featured their clothing on the athletes. In 1995, Mondetta World Cafe opened in The Fork partnered with Danali which was founded the same years as Mondetta in 1986, That store and restaurant closed in 1995. Danali continues to be a clothing store at Kenaston and Grant and is opening a consignment store on Corydon in the fall. After Danali will be located in the former October Boutique after the former owner retired after nearly 25 years.
Over the decades Mondetta has managed to stay relevant and get their lines of fashion in various stores in Canada. The head office is in Winnipeg and the core ownership group has remained intact. It therefore seemed appropriate that their new venture would be launched in the city.
The new venture is a 1,200 square foot men's business and casual dressy aimed at Gen Z and Millennials. There are suits in the $200 to $400 range and there are some suits out there in the $5,000 to $6,0000 or higher range. Tip Top, RW&CO and Moores are the most well know places in Canada to find suits as well as rental formal wear. Aldo Formal Wear and Mallabar's are also important because men will always need some places for events like weddings, funerals and grads. For more in the pricier business suits there is Harry Rosen which has been in Winnipeg since 1986. And for local flavour and often bespoke you have Danali, Eph Apparel, Hanford Drewit and Vittorio Rossi.
Mondetta wants something in the middle and are looking at suits in the $900 range. But they also want to create an atmosphere as seen in their supplied pictures posted here. The location chosen for this venture is True North Square at the corner of Carlton and Graham. Opening will be in the fall and it remains to be seen whether Graham's closure might affect traffic. Businesses along the former bus route have complained that customers have dropped 80 per cent. The city has said for them to be patient for when workers return after the summer break.
The choice of location for Modern Ambition at True North is an interesting one. There are a number of head offices located in the nearby towers. The Canada Life Centre is just steps away. Restaurants and retail are nearby. The Liquor Mart is on the other side of the wall along with the square itself. Mottola Grocery all features prominently.
Aside from the diverted bus traffic on Graham, the long time obstruction of construction (or lack thereof) of Sutton Place Hotel and Suites. It is now headed into 8 years of squat. The owners have said it will be this year that it is complete but that seems wishful thinking. They also said maybe 2026. Perhaps that is possible since the company's other project The Sandman Signature Hotel is complete. That one took about 5+ plus years to get done.
If indeed the hotel and apartments are completed in the next 12 months along with Chop restaurant, then Carlton would be a far more active place with people making their way down it for the hotel, restaurant and Convention Centre generating traffic. As it stands down, it is a permanent construction site. As far as security goes, try and linger in True North Square too long and watch security exit
Mondetta has generally been ahead of the curve and finding a retail location and a format that they take across Canada. There are a lot of projects all coming on stream in the next 12 to 18 months downtown. Portage Place, The Bay and Sutton Place should be reaching completion all around the same time. Men do need suits and a place they feel comfortable buying them at. Perhaps, with even more people returning to the workplace, the downtown area will be easier and the desire to explore the area greater. And more people in the office might mean more people need suits or dressy casual. At any rate, Mondetta's Modern Ambition will be there to make it possible.
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