The Chelsea boot is available in a wide variety of colours.
Loding
100 King Street W. at First Canadian Place and 133 Avenue Rd., 416-962-0133, loding.ca
The owner
Yannick Bigourdan
In a nutshell
We specialize in men's shoes and high-end clothing by offering a fixed, single price point for each category of stock in order to ensure transparency and luxury.
The story
Loding is originally from Paris and was brought to Toronto. I shopped at Loding for almost two decades prior to bringing the brand to Toronto.
Any year that I didn't venture to Paris I was stuck, so I guess the first reason for bringing the brand to Toronto was for my own personal benefit.
When you're the new kid on the block there's always hesitation, but every month we see growth.
We see first-time buyers come back for more – the best is when they bring a co-worker or friend with them.
(David Thomson of Woodbridge Co., the company that owns The Globe, owns a share of Loding in Canada.)
The stock
We look at what's trending in our Parisian stores while listening to our Canadian market as well. We have a full-time patina artist who can transform any leather good into a one-of-a-kind piece. Patina is the artistic colouring of footwear and leather items.
The philosophy
Every pair of shoes costs $330, every shirt costs $95 and every belt costs $80. The brand strives to give each customer a one-on-one experience similar to a high-end retailer, while maintaining a reasonable price point. The stores are small, while still allowing each item to remain visible. It's meant to be a simple and easy shopping experience.
The buy
The Chelsea boot is the one shoe I literally have in every colour, plus even a few in custom patina. It's so versatile, the rubber sole is a great bonus and I can dress it up and down easily. It's certainly become a staple in my collection.
This interview has been edited and condensed.