Italian luxury brand Eleventy has opened its first store in North America at Toronto’s Yorkville Village. The 2,200 square foot space is operated in partnership with local retailer TNT The New Trend. It's the first location in North America to feature Eleventy's full line of men’s and women’s fashions, in a retail space that was designed by Parisotto + Formenton.

“Since the launch of Eleventy North America, Toronto has been our top performing market. This is an exciting opportunity to offer the full line to the city that has shown its appreciation for Eleventy from the very beginning,” said Geoff Schneiderman, President of Eleventy North America. “The partnership with TNT to open our first freestanding boutique is a very natural marriage between the brands,” added Mr. Schneiderman.

Canada represents an impressive 35% of Eleventy’s North American business, with much of those sales coming out of Toronto.

Eleventy was founded in 2007 by Marco Baldassari and Paolo Zuntini, and it’s particularly known for its upscale casual fashion design with a soft sartorial style. In an interview, Mr. Baldassari explained that he was a big fan of Toronto, referring to it as being “vibrant” and “cosmopolitan”. He also said that the country could see more Eleventy partner boutiques similar to that with TNT The New Trend in Toronto.

Eleventy has a network of 20 mono-brand boutiques in Europe and Asia, and is sold in over 500 speciality and department stores worldwide. The line is relatively new to North America — Eleventy USA launched in 2016, and it’s carried in upscale retailers such as Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Mr. Schneiderman explained how the brand’s quality is on par with some of the world’s top luxury brands, but at prices that are 1/3 to 1/2 that of pricier competitors. Eleventy strives to provide “the best possible quality at the best possible price,” he said. Collections are made in Italy, including fashions, footwear and accessories.

*Left-to-right: Marco Baldassari, Aiden Assaraf, Geoff Schneiderman Arie Assaraf, and Earl Rotman.*

On the evening of September 18, Eleventy held an opening party with notable guests that included Toronto Blue Jays star pitcher Marcus Stroman, Eleventy’s CEO and Co-Founder of Eleventy Marco Baldassari, President of Eleventy North America Geoff Schneiderman and Chairman of Eleventy North America Earl Rotman.

Toronto’s Yorkville Village is nearing the completion of a substantial multi-million dollar overhaul that includes new interiors, new retailers, and a variety of services catering to affluent shoppers in the area. We’ll be profiling several of them in the coming weeks as construction is completed on what is shaping up to become one of the most unique shopping centres in Canada.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: September 22, 2017