Fashion-forward Toronto-based women’s shoe brand Zvelle has opened a pop-up retail space in New York City’s Soho area, in collaboration with four other brands. Zvelle opened its first pop-up in the fall of 2015, after launching as an e-commerce brand.

The 4,000 square foot space, coordinated byMontreal-based fashion designer Marie Saint Pierre at 70 Wooster Street, will be activated until October 30, in a partnership with Montreal-based Lampi Lampa sculptural lamps, Montreal-based artist Fran Lamothe, as well as France's OOB Magazine. The pop-up is being described as “a collective space with a distinctive point of view.”

Zvelle has been experimenting with pop-ups since late last year and has extended its Yorkdale Shopping Centre pop-up until the end of 2017. The brand was founded by entrepreneur Elle AyoubZadeh in 2015 as an online-only brand selling directly to consumers. In September of 2016, it opened its first pop-up at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, followed by a temporary space at Toronto’s CF Sherway Gardens in November of 2016.

Ms. AyoubZadeh said, “We want to be around 100 years from now and when you have that long term perspective it is important to stay focused and patient. Our goal since the start has been to make the best products in the world, crafted by artisans and bring them to our customers at attainable prices. This is the reason we did not go in to wholesale immediately.”

Wholesale is now also in the works for Zvelle, with Ms. AyoubZadeh saying, “We are currently exploring some wholesale partnerships that will allow us to expand in the right way. I have always envisioned Zvelle as more than footwear and we started with footwear because it is one of the most complex categories and we wanted to share our own point of view.”

The pop-up marks the first time that Zvelle has collaborated with another brand. Montreal-based women’s fashion brand Marie Saint Pierre, which is celebrating 30 years of operation, is offering a variety of looks in the Soho pop-up. It’s the first time that the Saint Pierre brand has hosted a pop-up in New York City, though the brand already has an American presence — in 2015, Marie Saint Pierre opened a flagship store in Miami’s Wynwood area.

“I am delighted that our first ever brand collaboration is with Maison Marie Saint Pierre. I have the utmost respect for Marie Saint Pierre as a designer, entrepreneur and a woman who has lived her life and made her mark on the world of fashion and business on her own terms,” said Ms. AyoubZadeh. She went on to say, “We share the same maniacal passion for craftsmanship and quality and creating works of art for a woman of substance who wants to invest in things she can continue to treasure for years to come. Marie and I are both fearless in our pursuits just like the women wearing our brands.”

Ms. AyoubZadeh says that she has lofty goals to expand her brand further into Canada as well as internationally, and we’ll be following its progression as it continues to see success. Zvelle’s shoes are considered to be of high quality, stylish and practical, at an accessible price point. We recently profiled the company when it opened its current Yorkdale space, in an article that also discussed Zvelle's progression from being a pure-play online retail to an omni-channel brand with physical stores.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: October 11, 2017