Kanuk will open its first U.S. store in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. The store will be the Montréal-based, outerwear brand’s first retail store outside of its Quebec hometown.
“Our new SoHo store is an exciting new chapter in our evolution from a small outerwear manufacturer to a global Canadian brand,” said Richard Laniel, president, Kanuk.
Designed by architecture studio Atelier Barda, the 4,000-square-foot space reflects Montreal’s winter climate. The merchandise is highlighted in a white-domed space illuminated by controlled lighting inspired by art installations. The light is used to blur the boundaries of architecture, creating the illusion of the coats being suspended around the room. The fitting room’s full-height monochrome curtains complete the customer experience.
“Inspired by Montreal’s retro-cult character, the team of designers drew from the idealistic vision of the 60s and 70s that transformed the urban face of Montreal at that time and still inhabits the city today,” said Cécile Combelle co-founder, Atelier Barda. “The tension between utopia and nostalgia was something we wanted to explore in order to design a space that freely reinterprets Kanuk’s history as much as its current evolution.”