Sources at Prada confirm that the luxury Italian brand will open an 8,200 square foot flagship in Downtown Vancouver. It will be the second free-standing location in Canada for Prada, following its Toronto Bloor Street flagship which opened in 1997.

Prada will locate in the corner retail space of The Carlyle, a luxury complex at the southeast corner of Alberni Street and Thurlow Street. Prada will locate next to upscale brands Tory Burch and De Beers, as well as a number of other luxury brands which will be revealed shortly. The immediate area features luxury stores such as Burberry, Escada, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Montblanc and others and this spring, a 12,000 square foot Dior flagship opens at the nearby Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Also joining the area this spring will be Canada'a first location for luxury Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, as well as Chinese jeweller Lao Feng Ziang.

Sources at Prada inform us that the Vancouver store will feature men's and women's ready-to-wear, as well as footwear and accessories. The store will open towards the end of this year. Prada declined to provide official comment for this article, except to say that more information will be revealed closer to the Vancouver store's opening date. A source at the New York City headquarters, speaking off the record, explained why Prada chose Vancouver. Prada's Vancouver concessions, located within Holt Renfrew, continue to see robust sales. The city boasts a population of loyal Prada shoppers, as well as a growing number of affluent tourists. The Alberni Street retail space itself, being on a corner with high exposure, presented a desirable opportunity for Prada, at a rent substantially less than what is being paid for many of its flagships.

Canada's first Prada location opened in 1997 at 131 Bloor Street West in Toronto. The 2,500 square foot location was substantially expanded in March of 2009, bringing the store to an impressive 5,890 square feet.

Prada, Toronto. Photo: blog.gogo-vacations.com — *Prada, Toronto. Photo: blog.gogo-vacations.com*

Prada also operates several concessions in Canada, all located within Holt Renfrew stores in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Vancouver's Holt's boasts Canada's only Prada men's shop-in-store concession, and its new Yorkdale concession spans an impressive 3,000 square feet with its own mall entrance. Prada recently re-opened its Montreal Holt Renfrew concession, showcasing the brand's bright new store design featuring black-and-white checkered flooring.

We'll update you with further details on Vancouver's Prada flagship as they become available.