Esprit, the once-fashionable-then-beleaguered fashion ttailer is back.
In partnership with Montreal-based Freemark Apparel Brands (FAB), Esprit opened new locations at West Edmonton Mall and Metropolis at Metrotown in B.C.—the brand’s first North American locations since shuttering operations in 2011 due to dwindling profits.
“It was a corporate decision to pull out of [Canada and the U.S.] and focus on their European and Asian business,” said Lawrence Routtenberg, VP of sales and co-owner of FAB. However, under the leadership of Jose Manuel Martinez Gutierrez, who became CEO in 2012, there was interest in re-entering the North American market.
This time, though, “they didn’t want to own and run it themselves,” said Routtenberg. “They were looking for local ownership and partners, which is what Freemark Apparel Brands does very well.”
The new Esprit stores are bright and modern, with handcrafted décor accents and architectural details that are meant to pay homage to Esprit’s West Coast roots.
“It goes back to the natural roots when Esprit was launched in the early ’70s out of California,” said Routtenberg. “There are a lot of natural colours, woods and a very blended environment that makes the apparel speak for itself.”
To promote the new store at West Edmonton Mall—the first Esprit to open—the retailer held a meet and greet with Edmonton Oiler Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on May 5. Esprit is also running its global campaign, “I’m Perfect” in Edmonton, with billboards, transit shelter ads and radio spots.
“The whole concept is imperfection is perfection,” said Routtenberg. “The campaign is based on hundreds of different images and looks and each one of them claims that ‘I’m Perfect.’”
Esprit’s wholesale business launched six months ago, and the brand is being sold in around 250 specialty boutiques in Canada.
Esprit will hold its grand opening at Metropolis at Metrotown later this month.
A store at Square One in Mississauga, Ont. is scheduled to open in the fall. “We’re working on a cautious, but fairly robust expansion across Canada,” said Routtenberg.
