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A P R I L / M AY 2 0 2 5 N i c o l e R o b e r t s o n P h o t o
QUALITY TIME
time off riding from the age
of 20 to 30. "I wasn't loving it
anymore," she says. "I always
loved the horses, but it just
became this thing: I work
there, I ride."
Around the time she
launched Brunette the Label,
she realized something was
missing in her life. "I was
driving past the exit of where
I used to ride, and this light
bulb went on in my brain," she
remembers.
Alden called her former rid-
ing trainers repeatedly to gain
access to her previous barn,
Thunderbird Show Park ("they
took six months to get back
to me"), but soon enough she
was leasing a horse a couple of
days a week. A few years later,
she bought her own. Now, she
owns three.
"It's been a lifelong obses-
sion that's had a lot of barriers,
but I just keep going," she
explains. "Like lots of things in
Miriam Alden isn't shy
about her unyielding passion
for her favourite hobby. "When
you're a horse girl, it's an
obsession that doesn't leave,"
says the founder of Vancouver-
based fashion brand Brunette
the Label. Of course, some
obsessions come with a price.
"At nine or 10 years old, I
used to take the bus to Port
Coquitlam [from North Van-
couver]... so that I could go
riding while my parents were
at work," she recalls. "I worked
there on the weekends from
8 a.m. to 6 p.m., mucking
out 30 stalls just to be able to
afford to ride."
Alden's determination led
her to showjumping com-
petitions throughout North
America where she excelled,
competing at some of the
highest levels—like moving
onto the grass ("which is a big
deal because it means you've
been bumped into a bigger
division") and training beside
long-time best friend and
future Olympian Tiffany Foster.
But even with that passion
and determination behind her,
Alden eventually took some
HARNESSING
PASSION
Brunette the Label founder,
CEO and creative director
Miriam Alden's not-so-secret
pastime might be the key to
her brand's authenticity
by Dani Wright
W E E K E N D W A R R I O R
Brunette the Label is a
size-inclusive (XS/S to
4XL/5XL) clothing brand
based out of Vancou-
ver. Alden founded the
brand in 2014 with a
loungewear aesthet-
ic, but new launches
include an ode to
her horse passions
with pieces inspired
by vintage country
and equestrian style.
Josephine, Alden's
long-time heart horse
(a popular term for a
horse that the rider
feels a deeper connec-
tion with) is featured in
the brand's most recent
campaign.
"We're a fashion
brand for everyone. We
offer everything from a
basic tee to knitwear to
outerwear," she says.
WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT
