Chaoran's Sustainability Blog

Italian luxury brand Prada has opened its 8,200 square foot North American flagship boutique in Vancouver “Luxury Zone” – Alberni Street. It’s the latest luxury brand to open in the city’s burgeoning “Luxury Zone”.

Prada Vancouver Flagship on Alberni Street

The Prada Vancouver flagship is the second free-standing boutique in Canada, following its Toronto Bloor Street flagship which opened in 1997. And this is the fourth Prada authorized boutique in Vancouver, followed by other three Prada-owned concessions located in Holts Vancouver. Specifically, Prada operates several concessions in Canada, all located within Holt Renfrew stores in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Vancouver’s Holt’s boasts Canada’s only Prada men’s shop-in-store concession, and its new Yorkdale concession spans an impressive 3,000 square feet with its own mall entrance. Prada recently re-opened its Montreal Holt Renfrew concession, showcasing the brand’s bright new store design featuring black-and-white checkered flooring.

Prada Holts Vancouver Concessions (Accessory Boutique and Womenswear Boutique)

Prada Toronto Free-standing boutique and Holts Yorkdale Concession

The new Prada free-standing boutique locates in the corner retail space of The Carlyle, a luxury complex at the southeast corner of Alberni Street and Thurlow Street, and it locates next to upscale brands’ free-standing boutiques such as Tory Burch, De Beers, Moncler, Burberry, Versace, Brunello Cucinelli, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Tiffany, Hermes, Montblanc and Escada. As well as a number of other luxury brands which are not far away, such as Louis Vuitton Masion, Christian Dior Couture and Gucci boutique located at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fendi and David Yurman concession at Holt Renfrew, Christian Louboutin and Delvaux concession at Nordstrom.

Vancouver Luxury Zone

Even though Prada has already opened three concessions at Holts Vancouver, why Prada chose to announce a bigger free-standing boutique located in Vancouver “Luxury Zone”? From my point of view, Prada’s Vancouver concessions, located within Holt Renfrew, continue to see robust sales. The city boasts a population of loyal Prada shoppers, as well as a growing number of affluent tourists. The Alberni Street retail space itself, being on a corner with high exposure, presented a desirable opportunity for Prada, at a rent substantially less than what is being paid for many of its flagships. Additionally, since many luxury fashion brands open Vancouver’s market even the whole Canada’s market in Vancouver “Luxury Zone”, apparently it is a tendency for more luxury retailers to open their free-standing boutiques there, especially brand like Prada who already has a successful market in Vancouver through opening brand-owned concessions within high-end department store.

However, about a dozen animal rights activists gathered outside Prada’s flagship store in Vancouver on the opening day, March 11, to protest the company’s treatment of ostriches.

Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) lined up outside the store at Thurlow and Alberni, and hauled a life-size ostrich replica to the protest outside the store’s grand opening. The objective for PETA to do that is to ask Prada to drop exotic skins completely. From their point of view, it’s the 21st century and people can choose to be cruel or kind, and there are so many luxurious, high-end vegan textiles that there is no reason to use real animals, like a live ostrich, to turn into fabric.

Apparently, how to strike a balance between high-end fashion and sustainability is increasingly disturbing. This is a long way for high-end retailer to think and conduct a better way for their customers.