Canadian Cool

Everyone thought Covid was the final coffin nail for brick-and-mortar retail. For ARITZIA, a nearly 40-year-old Vancouver-based fashion outlet, it proved quite the opposite.

Dressed in a stylish navy suit and matching cravat, Brian Hill settles down in his usual seat in the corner of the vast 12,000-square foot commissary in Aritzia's downtown Vancouver headquarters. In front of him baristas pour custom drinks for his staffers. To the side, a master sushi chef slices fresh king salmon and bluefin tuna. Behind him are floor-to-ceiling windows framing a breathtaking view of British Columbia's snow-capped North Shore Mountains.

The space was personally designed by Hill, 62, as part of his grand vision for Aritzia, his fashion brand. For 39 years, the Canadian entrepreneur has been obsessing over every detail of his company, from the minimalist silhouettes of his Divinity Kick Flair jumpsuits to the cash register setup at his sleek retail stores. There are now 115 Aritzia "boutiques" (Hill dislikes calling them stores) scattered across Canada and the lower 48, peddling $148  "expertly tailored" Program Pants and a $328 cocoon wool coat once worn by Meghan Markle. The mission? "Everyday luxury" at an "attainable price." After each location is hand-selected, a small army of architects and designers maps out the interior. That includes an in-house carpenter who works on all the displays. Once open, every boutique has a personal stylist with whom customers are pushed to interact. There are intentionally no dressing room mirrors, which forces shoppers to head into a communal space. Some locations have complimentary coffee bars. Others serve alcohol.

"I think we have to understand that the retail stores aren't just for selling clothes. The e-commerce site is for that," says Hill, who is Aritzia's executive chairman. "It has to be an experience. There's an option now, so you have to give people a reason to come back to your stores. It's not easy, but if we can continue to do that, we'll be successful."