The first day Marilyn Cobban sold clothes from her Volkswagen van at the Balfour ferry landing just outside Nelson, she brought in $500. It was more than enough to turn the electricity back on in her cabin. That was 25 years ago. Word spread fast from the people waiting for the ferry who tried clothes on in her “Buggie,” as she affectionately called it.
Today, Blue Sky Clothing comprises 10 stores in BC, a warehouse in North Vancouver, a thriving online business and numerous wholesale locations throughout North America. Her stores alone employ 70 people.
But wait, there’s more. Every year, Marilyn visits employees and family members who run the manufacturing component from their villages in China and Indonesia to ensure fair trade practices.
Since that first successful day at Balfour, Marilyn “wanted to know why we didn’t have clothing to fit beautiful people like my mum,” and this question triggered her vision: to supply comfortable clothing that is fashionable and fits everyone. Seems like a no-brainer but ask a customer whose size is 4X how hard it is to find a beautiful dress she feels comfy in. That was Marilyn’s goal, and by all accounts she has achieved it.
Right from the get-go, Marilyn wanted her own clothing label. In 1997 she took a course on how to write a business plan and soon afterward acquired the Blue Sky label. Quite an accomplishment for someone who left home in Calgary at 14 years old.
“I rented a house with a few friends and cleaned hotel rooms and waitressed until I was 17,” she says. “I always juggled two jobs at the same time because I was tough. And I still work a lot, but it’s a cake walk now.”
At age 17, Marilyn decided to go back to school. Since she only had a Grade 8 education, she moved to Nelson, where Selkirk college offered a program to finish high school.
“Manpower gave me $50 per week, enough to live on,” she quips.
During those years away from her family, Marilyn stayed in touch with her mother. “Mum and I always loved each other but I didn’t contact my dad much; he was busy with a new life,” she says. Even though divorce can be hard on teenagers, Marilyn managed to get her high school diploma. She also got married in Nelson, but her husband was killed in a job-related accident. “For the next six years, I really struggled with booze and drugs, but knew I had to make a change,” she confesses.
Marilyn believes telling her story could help someone. She says alcohol was her “true love” and cocaine was a vehicle to drink more. She started drinking at 12 years old.
“I loved it more than my friends did,” she recalls. “The ability to stop and have a social drink was never there. Ever since I can remember I tried to be a social drinker but never accomplished that. I also remember my dad leaving home when I was six years old, leaving Mum with four kids. I am the third girl, so I never had new clothes. I always loved clothes, but only wore hand-me-downs.”
“When I was 13, my mum married a bad man and we moved to Castlegar. We had no money, and he physically abused my mum. With friends’ help, we got him out of the house.”
Marilyn ended up leaving home at the tender age of 14. To this day, she believes that “lots of people, women especially, are stuck in their lives. If I can be slightly inspirational to help someone move past the fear of trying something new, getting sober, starting your own company, quitting your job as a waitress, you too can create something from nothing.”
“I think I tried to drink myself to death, until my girlfriend gave me a book titled You Can Heal Your Life and I was determined to do everything that Louise Hay advised.”
Hay, a New Thought Minister, self-help author and the founder of Hay House publishing, argued that your thoughts and your quality of life are directly related and that negative beliefs — like believing we’re not good enough or blaming others for our problems — bring more problems into our lives. Marilyn got the message – almost. She stopped drinking heavily but couldn’t get completely sober.
“I thought positive energy would ensure success, so that’s how I started my vision: comfortable and natural clothing to fit beautiful people. I wanted to be kind to people, from the textile mills to my customers to the planet. But I didn’t have much money,” she adds.
Because she could only sell at the ferry landing a few months a year, she investigated how clothing is made and that took her to Indonesia, where she finally got sober.
“I was sitting in a restaurant and noticed people going upstairs,” says Marilyn. “I followed them up to an AA meeting, where I found my brothers and sisters who gave me the support and tools I needed to accomplish sobriety. In 2003, I finally got that monkey off my back.”
“I can’t believe I made it without smashing into a brick wall, that I came through pretty much unscathed. Except for the people you hurt along the way. I’ve done the 12 Steps and I’m a huge fan. I learned to dig deep inside, pull the filter out, pick off the nasty bits and put it back inside when cleaned. And move forward.”
Marilyn leapt forward. She turned an old shed at the ferry landing into a store that is now 26 years old. It has changed over time with bigger and better renos every year. About 10 years ago, she built an extension to make it 700 sq ft. Next up, she opened a store in Nelson. Most of her customers were women from Alberta who had summer cabins there, and they are repeat customers to this day – she has a large fan club. In Nelson, in 2010, she became reacquainted with her childhood sweetheart over lunch and married David Cobban.
Soon after they reconnected, Marilyn and David walked down Commercial Drive in Vancouver — she had the two Kootenay stores back then – and saw a storefront for lease. Next up, they found a store in North Vancouver that wanted to sell their inventory, but they weren’t made with natural fibres, which Marilyn firmly believes in. So, they bought that store, minus the inventory.
Marilyn also believes in affirmations. “I make affirmations of what I want, and when you keep saying them over and over again, they will happen,” she explains. “I have said more than a million times, ‘I love and approve of myself therefore I am a successful businesswoman.’ Affirmations have pushed me forward into what I want, and the vision I had materialized. But you have to really want it and work hard.”
And since she was 17, Marilyn has worked hard, although she doesn’t see it that way. As for challenges, Marilyn says she writes them down and does affirmations. “Like Wayne Gretzky said, ‘you have to see the puck in the net.’ I see the puck in the net and move forward. Instead of mind grinding, I focus on solutions. Problems are issues that have solutions.”
David believes Marilyn is successful because she listens to people and she charges the same amount for clothing regardless of size, from x-small to 4X, even with the disparity of fabric. There’s also a unique connection with customers.
“This may sound cheeky, but a bunch of guys wouldn’t engage with each other, like saying, ‘Your butt looks great in that outfit.’ But women can say that. I remember when ladies made their husbands take them to the Kootenays just to shop at Balfour because it was the only place where clothes fit them. Not every item is made in 4x, but one lady asked for 6x undies and Marilyn made them just for her. Marilyn is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. She is ambitious, but kind at the same time.”
Omar McBride, an employee at the Blue Sky warehouse, concurs. “When I applied for this job, I was straightforward with my goals: I wanted to find a place to call home. David asked about my driving record, and I said I had been sober 10 years. Marilyn reached over the table, took my hand and said, ‘Sixteen years for me.’ I believe that honesty clinched the deal.”
Building Blue Sky from the ground up, Marilyn changed lightbulbs and put TP in the bathrooms. Now Omar does that. “I’ve learned a lot at Blue Sky in the past four years. As we get older, we want comfort, and we aren’t going to suffer for fashion anymore. At the same time, Marilyn realized that you don’t need to stop being fashionable, so she created all these popular styles and prints. Then there is the human part of her vision: she supports families in the fair-trade economy. Knowing that we are able to provide incomes to a significant amount of people in two villages — China and Indonesia — is heartwarming.”
And another heartwarmer: With the help of her older sister, Marilyn runs the “Sock it to Literacy” program every year. Through this program, Blue Sky gives one dollar to local literacy programs for every pair of Merino wool socks sold. Last year they donated $26K – that’s a lot of socks. “If you can’t read you can’t succeed,” says Marilyn.
Lisa McFarlan sees a lot of retired customers at the Blue Sky store in Victoria. “We also get shopping parties, such as sisters and daughters with mums jockeying for the fitting rooms. Our biggest sellers are Indonesian batiks and summer sundresses, and bamboo undies fly off the rack.”
Bamboo–linen blends are a hit with everyone: just wash and hang to dry and the wrinkles fall out, unlike linen. No ironing appeals and bamboo appeals for anti-bacterial and moisture wicking. And all-natural fabrics for those who experience hot flashes. And the size range allows everyone to look and feel good in their own skin.
“I think one reason that Blue Sky is successful is due to my lack of schooling,” Marilyn says. “Blue sky clothes fit really well because I never learned how to make patterns. Instead, I look at people’s bodies and translate that image into the shape of the garment, to how people really look. When you get up to a larger size, you want something longer to cover your tummy… Most manufacturers don’t make plus sizes.”
“My goal was to have a shop where my mum and my niece could find the perfect fit. I have never had a customer come into the store and not find something that fits them well. And we wanted natural fibres and clothes that fit at a reasonable price. Clothes that single mums with four kids could buy and feel beautiful, so you can get up in the morning, put on a dress that makes you feel good and gives you a positive outlook for the day.”
“Blue Sky is successful because Marilyn believes everyone should be comfy and look good,” says Omar. “And be good to each other.”
SIDEBAR:
If you were to meet your 20-year-old self, what advice would you give her?
“I may tell her to think about her thoughts and where they take you. I would try and tell her about the law of attraction.”
Who or what has influenced you the most? And why?
“My mother, she wouldn’t have won Mother of the Year, but she unconditionally loved her children and thought we were all great no matter what. She had an awesome temperament. Her body shape was the reason I started Blue Sky.”
What are you most grateful for?
“My health, my husband, family and all my employees. Blue Sky would not be here without all those things. I love Blue Sky and am so grateful for all the help I have had along the way.”
What do you do to stay grounded?
“Sleep, eat healthy and exercise.”
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I had the good fortune to meet Marilyn when she opened the North Vancouver store. I’ve never looked back; I am a regular customer and love to share this treasure with my friends. She is an inspiration and I admire her tenacity, compassion, and honest connection with humans from all walks of life. Her employees reflect that authenticity.