By Craig Patterson

Luxury fashion brand Bottega Veneta, known particularly for its woven leather goods, has opened an impressive standalone flagship store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The brand is also expanding its operations in Canada by adding concessions to Holt Renfrew stores in Toronto and Vancouver.

Bottega Veneta’s 4,700 square foot Yorkdale store, which includes 3,035 square feet of retail space, features an expansive 40-foot wide facade and soaring ceilings reflecting the latest design aesthetic for the brand. The store’s facade is inspired by the Bottega Veneta intrecciato weave that is used as a trademark for the brand’s leather goods, with diamond-shaped cuts throughout its surface.

The impressive interior features high-quality materials throughout the store which features a series of rooms carrying a range of product categories. Much like the the Bottega Veneta brand itself, attention to detail includes custom-made door handles sheathed in leather, oak tables, and handcrafted vitrines. The store’s walls are covered either with ultra-suede or hand-made light beige Marmorino, and custom-dyed pure New Zealand wool carpets are featured throughout. Metal fixtures in matte black contrast with the bright space, flooded by natural light from the mall’s corridor skylights. Fabrics used in the store include raso di satin, suede and mohair for seating, all with shades of gray and light brown like Flagstone, Roccia, Argile, and Dakar.

Vergo Construction, which has built stores for several luxury retailers in the mall including Chloé and Ladurée, built-out the Bottega Veneta space. Design firm dkstudio was responsible for execution, construction documentation and contract administration of the project.

“The Canadian market continues to grow and exhibits great potential,” says Bottega Veneta CEO Claus-Dietrich Lahrs. “We are pleased to now provide our clients in the Toronto area with a flagship store where they can shop a comprehensive selection under one roof.”

Yorkdale’s new Bottega Veneta carries an expansive assortment of fashions and accessories for both women and men. The front part of the store is dedicated to leather goods such as handbags and wallets, with an expansive selection also contained in storage drawers in a variety of colours. Two other rooms feature an assortment of Bottega Veneta footwear as well as fashions, including a full range of ready-to-wear for both genders. The store also has a fragrance wall, eyewear, as well as an area displaying products from the Bottega Veneta home collection.

The store is located in Yorkdale’s 2012 expansion wing across from the mall’s Holt Renfrew store, which is being expanded eastward to house new concessions for Gucci and Fendi. Flanking Bottega Veneta on each side are a Hugo Boss store to the east, and a soon-to-open Valentino flagship to the west.

The Bottega Veneta brand first entered Canada through Holt Renfrew decades ago, and the brand is expanding its presence at Holt Renfrew through a concession partnership. Several months ago, a Bottega Veneta accessory area was unveiled in the renovated accessory hall of Holt’s flagship at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver and on November 1, the area became a leased concession that is operated directly by Bottega Veneta. A similar arrangement will happen at Holt Renfrew’s downtown Toronto flagship at 50 Bloor Street West, where an entirely new Bottega Veneta concession will be built on Holt’s street-front level as part of that store’s multi-year renovation.

*Bottega Veneta concession at Holt Renfrew in CF Pacific Centre (Vancouver). Photo: Lee Rivett*

A smaller Bottega Veneta boutique also operates at Vancouver International airport. The concession, which carries mainly accessories, is part of the World Duty Free group of stores that are located behind security gates and are accessible to those traveling internationally.

At Saks Fifth Avenue’s Canadian flagship at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, there is a full Bottega Veneta shop-in-store on the ground floor alongside some of the world’s top luxury brands. That shop-in-store will continue to be operated by Saks and not as a concession like at Holts.

Craig Patterson, now based in Toronto, is the founder and Editor-in-Chief Retail Insider. He's also a retail and real estate consultant, retail tour guide and public speaker.

Follow him on Twitter @RetailInsider_, LinkedIn at Craig Patterson, or email him at: craig@retail-insider.com.

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