Women’s fashion retailer Aritzia is opening a new concept store dedicated exclusively to its private label brand, Babaton. The new 1,800 sq.-ft. boutique will open at CF Toronto Eaton Centre this fall.
“Babaton has been around for a number of years and the new boutique is really due to the success of the brand and the demand that we see for the brand,” said Oliver Walsh, chief marketing officer at Vancouver-based Aritzia. “It very much has a minimal, modern aesthetic, with a focus on simplicity and quality. And it’s resonating incredibly well in the marketplace.”
The new retail concept will allow customers to see the various Babaton collections housed together at the same time, including its capsule collection 1-01 and a new sub-brand Aritzia is launching this fall called The Group. “Babaton will continue to be housed within Aritzia stores, but it definitely gives opportunity for the pure aesthetic of the brand to be brought to life,” said Walsh.
This isn’t the first time Aritzia has spun off its in-house brands into their own retail concepts. There are six TNA stores and six Wilfred stores in B.C., Alberta and Ontario, and there are plans to expand Wilfred, said Walsh.
Also on the books are new Aritzia locations, relocations and store expansions in Canada and the United States. Aritzia recently opened its expanded store on Robson Street in Vancouver, which is now 13,000-sq.ft. on one floor, and is currently expanding its Soho location in New York.
Last month, Aritzia opened a new store in Boston, and has plans to open in Long Island, N.Y., and Walnut Creek, Calif. Walsh said Aritzia will have around 80 locations in Canada and the U.S. by the end of the year. “The U.S. is a big growth market for us… and we’re thinking about an international expansion in the future,” said Walsh.
On the marketing front, Aritzia recently rolled out its summer campaign, “Escape, Create,” which has the theme “Nowhere to go but everywhere.” The campaign was shot by Dutch photographer Annemarieke Van Drimmelen and shows off Aritzia’s summer collection in natural settings.
“We kept coming back to this notion of escapism and creation,” said Walsh. “In today’s oversaturated world of constant connectivity and immediate availability, where is it that one can go to be truly creative? Often it’s when you switch off and disconnect and escape that you think your most creative thoughts.”
Images from the campaign, as well as a video, are being pushed out through Aritzia’s digital and social channels. The images are featured in stores as well.
“We don’t buy traditional media in that form,” said Walsh. “It’s really our owned properties that we use in order to tell that story. We’re not someone who goes and buys a whole bunch of billboards and gets the message out like that.”
Bicom handles public relations for Aritzia.
