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Winnipeg-based](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4307683_web1_ModernAmbitionCalgary-storefront.jpg\")
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Winnipeg-based Mondetta Clothing is growing its Modern Ambition arm with new stores in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary and a mobile sales shop based out of a converted RV.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very proud that a Canadian brand is \u2026 expanding and getting that recognition,\u201d said Georgi Gvakharia, Mondetta Clothing\u2019s senior vice-president and global head of retail.<\/p>\n
Mondetta opened its first Modern Ambition store in downtown Winnipeg (223 Carlton St.) last year. It\u2019s felt the \u201cBuy Canadian\u201d sentiment surging through the country amid tariffs and antagonization from the United States.<\/p>\n
Customers also seem drawn to Modern Ambition\u2019s prices, which are typically lower than other luxury brands, Gvakharia said.<\/p>\n
Mondetta aims to open its 1,400-square-foot shop in Toronto next month. Locales in Calgary and Vancouver \u2014 both 2,700 sq. ft. \u2014 are under construction and could open in August and September, respectively.<\/p>\n
Modern Ambition will be on Robson Street, a well-known Vancouver shopping corridor. Its RV may be unveiled in Winnipeg later this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the geopolitical and economic state across the board right now, I think it\u2019s great that we can create so many Canadian jobs,\u201d Gvakharia said.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Mondetta Clothing spent $500,000 renovating an RV to take its menswear brand, Modern Ambition, to cities throughout Canada.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Mondetta announced its expansion Friday. It came during a week of business growth-focused events, including in Winnipeg, hosted by Alberta-based ScaleUP.<\/p>\n Simon Rady, a Mount Royal University entrepreneurship professor, founded ScaleUP to share \u201cbest practices\u201d of business expansion with executives.<\/p>\n It started as an Alberta project in 2024; it includes an award ceremony to recognize business growth. Last year, ScaleUP expanded through Western Canada.<\/p>\n Three Manitoba companies won in Alberta this week. Roughly a dozen Manitobans attended the ceremony and a ScaleUP summit, which included a keynote lecture from Mike Fata, founder of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods. (The company was sold to Tilray Inc. in 2019 for $419 million.)<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of focus in the ecosystem tends to go on early stage, new venture creation,\u201d Rady said. \u201cThere typically isn\u2019t anything there for (businesses) in that small- to mid-sized phase.\u201d<\/p>\n There seems to be new momentum to support Canadian companies and keep them sovereign, Rady said.<\/p>\n Kay Gardiner, a Manitoba Chambers of Commerce program director, attended ScaleUP\u2019s Alberta events. Mondetta was not an attendee.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is definitely on everybody\u2019s minds \u2014 we\u2019ve seen what having a reliance on one neighbour as our market can look like,\u201d Gardiner said. \u201cTariffs, uncertainty \u2014 having all your eggs in one basket, if you will, can be very dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n In December, the Manitoba chambers hosted an Alberta Chambers of Commerce delegation. It\u2019s working with peers in Alberta and Saskatchewan on future programs, Gardiner said.<\/p>\n Rady has clocked an \u201cincreased openness\u201d from entrepreneurs looking at new markets.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s opened up the horizons \u2026 to move into Europe, the U.K. and also into Asia,\u201d he said. \u201c(There\u2019s) a recognition from those countries \u2026 that Canada is a very important market for them as well.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s hoping to expand ScaleUP\u2019s events further into Winnipeg. ScaleUP hosted a networking dinner in the capital city in February.<\/p>\n It ended its June week of events with a Winnipeg mixer on Friday.<\/p>\n Many businesses have put their expansion plans on pause amid uncertainty, noted Maryam Memar Zadeh, a University of Winnipeg operations management professor.<\/p>\n The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement appears in flux. U.S. President Donald Trump has floated he won\u2019t renew the trade deal when formal negotiations begin next month.<\/p>\n A greater presence from ScaleUP is \u201cpromising news\u201d for Winnipeg businesses, Memar Zadeh said: \u201cThese type of programs allow industry people (to) get exposure to the knowledge of management, organization, leadership. I think it\u2019s a key to survive in this really harsh environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaning into artificial intelligence will bolster businesses looking to grow, said Kiran Pedada, a University of Manitoba business professor.<\/p>\n \u201cScaling is always challenging,\u201d he said. \u201cScaling means you\u2019re actually moving from early adopters to a mainstream market.\u201d<\/p>\n National Bank is seeing more firms expanding within Canada, said Jamie Comstock, vice-president and head of commercial banking for the bank\u2019s Alberta branch.<\/p>\n National Bank sponsored ScaleUP\u2019s events. It had a team on site, ready for new clients. \u201cUncertainty brings opportunity,\u201d Comstock said.<\/p>\n Valley Fiber, Taiv and Build Inc. took home ScaleUP awards on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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