Jenna Marie Wakani
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
French footwear designer Christian Louboutin opened his first freestanding Canadian boutique last month in Toronto's tony Yorkville neighbourhood. Crimson-carpeted to match the luxury label's signature red soles and accented with haute woodland accents to set a whimsical forest scene, the split-level space offers women's shoes on the first floor and men's on the second, along with a selection of statement handbags and small leather goods. 99 Yorkville Ave.
WARBY PARKER
Web-born eyewear brand Warby Parker recently landed on Toronto's Queen West strip with its first offline retail space outside the U.S. Inside, you'll find well-priced frames for men and women, including three unique-to-Canada models: The Durand in Moss and the Chamberlain in Jet Black, as well as the Haskell in Crystal, a pair of mirrored-lens sunglasses sold exclusively at the Toronto store. Designed with public libraries in mind, the store features an illuminated "reference desk" sign, colour-blocked book displays, and an assortment of classic and Canadian-authored bestsellers available for purchase. 684 Queen St. W.
TYLER HAYWARD
SHOES.COM
Shoes.com moved from cyberspace to streetfront when it turned its Toronto pop-up into a permanent space this past July. With a second location set to open in Vancouver this month, the B.C.-based e-tailer is expanding its cross-channel shopping experience with seasonal footwear and a rotating assortment of new and locally made products sold alongside computer stations where customers can click through the site's more than 500 coveted accessory brands online. 356 Queen St. W. in Toronto, 779 Burrard St. in Vancouver.
CANADA GOOSE
Canada Goose will make its standalone store debut inside Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre on Oct. 18. Employing homegrown materials like marble and maple wood, the outerwear giant plans to transform the 4,000-plus square feet into an Arctic-inspired space. It will also honour its nearly 60-year history with an exhibition of archived designs ranging from the Snow Mantra (first worn by industrial workers in the 1980s) to the internationally acclaimed HyBridge Lite. Aside from the latest collections of weatherproof parkas, lightweight down jackets and technical shells, the brand's first flagship will carry several collaboration pieces co-designed by the likes of Jose Bautista and buzzy French brand Vêtements. 3401 Dufferin St.
ESPRIT
Esprit made its Canadian comeback this spring with two new stores in Vancouver's Metropolis at Metrotown and West Edmonton Mall. Following a five-year break, the fashion retailer is re-establishing itself with its fine-tuned approach to West Coast style. Plans are in place to open a third Canadian location in Toronto later this year. 4700 Kingsway in Vancouver, 8882 170 St. NW in Edmonton.