focus on: aritzia.

inn 1984 brian hill opened the first aritzia boutique inside the reputable hill’s of kerrisdale department store on the west side of vancouver.

the store’s have an indie vibe; however, the stores are modelled after the cities they reside in drawing a parallel between the stores and the customers who shop in them.

no two boutiques are alike.

a strain of creativity runs through the heart of every aritzia store, ”they are sponsor to FUSE at the vancouver art gallery, and play indie and electronica tracks. artists such as amy winehouse, patti smith, stars, bat for lashes, simian mobile disco, peter, bjorn and john, lily allen, justice, daft punk, mgmt, bloc party, vampire weekend, santogold, crystal castles, team canada and m.i.a.. can often be heard in their stores.” (wikipedia)

unfortunately, because they change their stores to match the culture in their residin cities, much of the initial vancouver heritage is lost. when aritzia opened up in toronto, the stores, and it’s concept, became very mainstream.

it was no longer an indie company from vancouver, it was now a mainstream conglomerate for the mass consumption.

in my first year of university i noticed girls wearing TNA and talula – none of which were girls who would ever be into the stores out in vancouver – or the indie culture that goes along with the companies mantra.

how is it that the branding and mantra behind aritzia has become lost?

regardless, aritzia has made a name for itself, as celebrities all over the world are now wearing the brands, which have become synonymous with this canadian company.

initially i hated this company and everything it stood for; however, after doing some research into the companies history and it’s branding i’ve now become more aware of the company and what it stands for.

aritzia is a green company, “[it] claims it has a commitment to sustainability. their stores use low energy lighting, earth-friendly paint and wood-free shopping bags.” (wikipedia)

check out aritzia’s website here.

as of lately aritzia has even been features on MTV’s peak season – as characters elle and amanda rock their TNA hoodie’s.

although its hard to see an indie company go mainstream – it’s also really nice to finally see a canadian company prosper.

[Via http://thenightlyspoon.wordpress.com]