News
2008 ARC Finalists
Cadillac Fairview is pleased to announce the 2008 ARC (Achievement in Retail Concept) Award finalists. From a field of 27 entries, four finalists were chosen, and they share one thing in common: they’ve turned traditional retail on its head and encourage Canadian consumers to take a walk on the retail wild side.
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Queen of the Boudoir
During a business trip to London, England, oil and gas executive Jean Florendo did a career about face when she walked through the doors of high-end lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur. Just one look was all it took and Jean decided to say goodbye to greasy overalls and to slip into something more comfortable and distinctly more feminine.
Jean says she was “swept away” by the unique and intimate in-store experience offered by this saucy and playful luxury lingerie retailer which led to her becoming the Canadian licensee for Agent Provocateur.
Agent Provocateur was launched in 1994 in the UK by Vivienne Westwood’s’ son Joseph Corre and Serena Rees. It hit the big time with patrons such as Kate Moss, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham. Today, Agent Provocateur has stores in the UK, America, the Middle East, Russia, Hong Kong, Europe, and now Canada. The product line includes exquisite lingerie (in a variety of sizes), and books, fragrances, shoes, jewellery, and other beauty products.
The first Canadian Agent Provocateur in November 2007and it has become Vancouver’s go to spot for high end, high style lingerie. Based on the “Dream of Venus”, a surrealist fantasy, the inspiration is a magical fairytale landscape that unfolds on entering the front doors and stepping onto the custom made fuchsia-on-pink floral carpet.
It features “The Enchanted Forest”, a 3D black lacquer forest, complete with a bed overgrown with ivy, and trees reaching out from the walls. The store creates a unique, and sublimely seductive, retail experience. The lingerie is displayed on the walls like art and is organized by collection. The goal of the store was to create an intimate in-store environment that celebrates female sexuality and encourages customers to explore and discover.
These Boots are Made for Splashing
Rainy days and Vancouver are synonymous, and even die-hard fashionistas have to face up to daily doses of light drizzle or torrential downpours that can ruin a fabulous pair of Manolo Blahniks or a chic suit. But now there’s hope: Introducing Gumdrops, a new wet weather boutique that carries chic rain gear to keep you warm and dry. What’s behind the delicious name? Gumboots + Raindrops = Gumdrops.
Originally from Australia, where she had experienced a five year drought and water rationing, owner Shanda Jerrett embraced Vancouver’s rainy weather by declaring, “If you can’t beat em, join em”! She opened Gumdrops in October 2007. The store features hip rainwear designed to shield men women and children and man’s best friend from the elements. It is a one stop shop for funky and stylish boots, umbrellas, raincoats, hats and other weather friendly essentials like backpacks and laptop cases.
This store explodes with colour, fun and vibrant design. It features puddle shaped ottomans handmade by Shanda and a wall of whimsical rubber boots. Shoppers can choose boots adorned with Ed Harvey inspired rock and roll tattoos (guitars, skulls and roses), daisies, ladybugs, cupcakes, and even a colourful knee high lace-up boot from Danish designer Ilse Jacobsen. And for die-hard traditionalists Shanda stocks English Wellies in basic black.
Shandra offers weather weary Vancouverites some tips for beating the rainy day blues: Change your attitude and remember if you can’t beat it, join it. With the right rain gear anybody can get wet in style and give the darkest rainy day the boot.
Pierced Hearts and True Love
It used to be if you had a tattoo you were automatically classified as either a sailor, prisoner, biker or a woman of “ill repute”. Thankfully that stereotype has been blown apart by TV shows like Miami and L.A. Ink and by the popularity of skin hugging T-shirts featuring tattoo art from Ed Harvey “the godfather of modern tattoo”. Convention has been overthrown, and today people from every walk of life now proudly sport beautiful body art permanently embedded in their dermis.
Ion Nicolae opened Blackline Studios in June 2006, because he felt there was a gap in the traditional tattoo parlour industry. Even though tattoos have moved to the mainstream, most parlours still reek of their taboo past, and Ion wanted to change that perception. His unique vision was to create a high end ‘Body Art boutique’: a sleek tattoo and body piercing haven, that carries complementary lines of chic and fashion forward clothing, accessories and jewellery.
Blackline, located in Toronto’s trendy King West Village takes the tattoo parlour experience upscale in a lounge like environment that also functions as an art gallery and event space. The store targets hip urbanites who want posh tattoos (both permanent and temporary) and piercings and who want them done to exacting standards in a clean and comfortable environment. And for those tired of a tattoo, Ion also offers laser tattoo removal.
The store features an open concept retail sales floor with tattoo artists’ art on the wall and fashion apparel on floor fixtures. The treatment rooms feature bright natural light and stainless steel counters which meet hospital standards and are continuously regulated. This is definitely not your deadbeat dads tattoo parlour.
Think Pink.
Founded by childhood friends Les Mandelbaum and Paul Rowan in 1979, Umbra is a world leader in casual, contemporary and affordable products for the home. Many gurus of design have worked their magic at Umbra, including industrial designer and self styled “poet of plastic”, Karim Rashid who designed the iconic and award winning Umbra Garbino Garbage can which now has a permanent home in NYC’s Museum of Modern Art.
Always one step ahead, the Umbra principals recently made a bold decision to supplement their third party retail partners with a concept store that is all Umbra, all the time. Why? Because many retailers carrying Umbra products can only display a limited number of products. This means that design savvy customers see only a small portion of the total Umbra line and never get the full-on Umbra experience. Well that’s a thing of the past, because Umbra recently came out of the shade.
The 7,000 square foot two-level Umbra flagship store in downtown Toronto is an award winning structure. Umbra, in collaboration with Kohn Shnier Architects and interior design firm Figure 3, created a retail environment that showcases Umbra’s full line of home accessories, and inspires the designer within us all. A hot-pink translucent exterior cladding is perfectly complemented by an interior that is sleek, minimalistic and white. The building was designed from start to finish in just five months
Experiential is the best way to describe the store. It includes a functioning design space where customers can see designers at work and an open concept lounge area that features a multi-media wall. The interior of the store is a perfect environment to showcase moderately priced home products that appeal to a youthful audience for whom style is a requirement.