BRIEF: Barneys New York Not Coming to Canada as Planned, Poppy Barley Launches Cactus ‘Leather’

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Barneys New York Not Coming to Canada as Announced

Photo: Barneys New York

Authentic Brands Group (ABG) announced in late 2019 that it had successfully acquired the Barneys New York name for $271 million, following Barneys’ bankruptcy. In a partnership with HBC-owned Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York had been set to open more than 40 ‘Barneys at Saks’ departments in the US as well as in Canada which would have included an initial three locations in Toronto and Calgary.

Last week it was revealed in WWD that the Barneys rollout will now be limited to two Saks locations in the US for the time being. That includes a 54,000-square-foot Barneys at Saks on the fifth floor of the Saks flagship store in Manhattan, which opened last week, as well as talks of a 14,000-square-foot Saks building in Greenwich, Connecticut, which will open at Barneys on January 25, 2021.

Barneys had been expected to open combined women’s/men’s fashion departments at Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Canada, including in the Saks flagship at CF Toronto Eaton Centre/Hudson’s Bay, at Saks CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto, and at the Saks store at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary. Sources said that Barneys would have opened as departments in the ‘contemporary’ fashion departments in these stores.

“Beyond the Fifth Avenue and Greenwich locations, Saks has no plans as of now for additional Barneys sites. That’s to be determined based on the degree to which customers take to Barneys at Saks,” as per an article in WWD.

Poppy Barley flagship in Edmonton. Photo: Poppy Barley
Poppy Barley flagship in Edmonton. Photo: Poppy Barley

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Canadian Luxury Brand ‘Poppy Barley’ Launches Cactus Leather Accessory Line

The Card Holder and Convertible Belt Bag. Photo: Poppy Barley
The Card Holder and Convertible Belt Bag. Photo: Poppy Barley

Edmonton-based footwear brand Poppy Barley continues to innovate within the world of sustainable fashion with the launch of its first plant-based product line, PB PLNT. The new concept kicks off with an all-new accessory collection made of Laguaro, Poppy Barley’s eco-conscious cactus leather, and features the Multitasker Backpack, Convertible Belt Bag, and Card Holder.

Unlike traditional leather alternatives that are commonly marketed as “vegan leather” and made from materials like PVC and PU, which are toxic plastics derived from oil, Laguaro is a sustainable and environmental powerhouse. Each PB PLNT accessory is made from harvested Mexican cactus leaves, leaving the rest of the cactus intact, and with cacti being one of Mexico’s most abundant plants requiring little water, this new material just might be the most sustainable plant-based leather on the planet.

PB PLNT parallels the luxurious look and feel of Poppy Barley’s classic leather goods and the accessories are about 80% biodegradable, with Poppy Barley aiming to reach 100% in the near future. The brand also has plans to introduce other innovative plant-based leathers in future collections.

“Our customers have been asking for a leather alternative since day one, but there was never an option that we could stand behind — until now,” says Poppy Barley Co-Founder Justine Barber. “After years of researching and testing, we discovered cactus leather basically next door to our manufacturing facility in Mexico. We finally found a leather alternative that wouldn’t compromise quality or our values when it comes to environmental impact. We believe the future of fashion has no choice but to consider the Earth and humanity, and we want to lead the way.”

PoppyBarley operates stores at Southgate Centre in Edmonton and at CF Market Mall in Calgary. The retailer’s online website is poppybarley.com.

BV x eliteGen event image
BV x eliteGen event image

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Bayview Village & eliteGen Partner to Host ‘Pamper in Prosperity’ for Chinese New Year

Bayview Village in Toronto is celebrating Lunar New Year virtually this year, and is one of the first shopping centres to begin promoting the Chinese holiday in Canada.

From February 6 to 11, Bayview Village is partnering with eliteGen to host ‘Pamper in Prosperity‘ — a series of live virtual sessions to help refresh, rejuvenate, and discover your best self, all from the comfort of your own home.

For $28, customers can purchase an exclusive self-care kit ($200 value) featuring beauty, food, and wellness goods from Bayview Village tenants. For that price customers will also receive access to all six sessions. There will be a daily grand prize draw (valued between $130 to $200) and additional giveaways for attending the sessions throughout the week.

Available for curbside pick-up at BV on Friday, February 5, the self-care kit includes the following products:

• Folha floral kit, PUSATERI’S FINE FOODS

• SkinCeuticals Simply Clean face wash, HAMMAM SPA BY CÉLA

• 16oz fresh juice and 2oz booster, ELXR JUICE LAB

• Powder Kiss lipstick, MAC COSMETICS

• Limited edition Lunar New Year donut, BLOOMER’S

• 1-year magazine subscription (6 issues), ELITEGEN

Follow @bvshops for the latest updates and to hear about other exciting initiatives for 2021.

Exterior of Simons store at Square One in Mississauga. Photo: Simons
Exterior of Simons store at Square One in Mississauga. Photo: Simons

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Simons Saves the Corals with New Collaboration

Exterior of Rocky Mountain Soap Company store in Burnaby. Photo: Ivanhoe Cambridge
Exterior of Rocky Mountain Soap Company store in Burnaby. Photo: Ivanhoe Cambridge

In collaboration with Glowing.org and Pantone Color Institute, Quebec City-based retailer La Maison Simons has created an eco-friendly clothing collection made principally of organic cotton and recycled polyester, all in a concentrated effort to protect our ocean’s endangered coral reefs.

Marking Simons’ first Vision project of 2021, the initiative is part of the brand’s trendy and fashion-forward Twik department.

According to non-profit organization The Ocean Agency, our current environmental situation is putting the ocean’s coral reefs in danger. Determined to fight back against this disturbing phenomenon, Simons will be donating $5 to The Ocean Agency for each piece of the exclusive collection that is sold.

Simons is starting the new year by rethinking its focus and is now committed to reducing its water consumption and carbon footprint. “This new space, a place where we can share our social and environmental efforts, was born out of our deep-seated belief that fashion can be both sustainable and a source of beauty,” Simons said in a press release.

To shop Simons’ Vision projects visit www.simons.ca/en/vision–vision

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Rocky Mountain Soap Company Leaves Metropolis at Metrotown

Simone Rocha for H&M collaboration. Photo: H&M
Simone Rocha for H&M collaboration. Photo: H&M

Canadian company Rocky Mountain Soap Company has just announced the closure of its Burnaby store near Vancouver. The location, which is set to close permanently on January 28th, 2021, is located in Metropolis at Metrotown and has been there since the winter of 2017.

The all-natural skin care company originated in Canmore, Alberta, and despite the Burnaby closure, will still have a very active presence across the country with 137 locations, including 11 standalone stores, selling the brand’s soaps and bath products across six provinces and two territories.

The brand was founded in 1995 and in 2017 launched a major expansion plan after taking a couple of years off to reevaluate and perfect its product and customer service experience, as well as upgrade various systems and processes.

Retail Insider recently conducted a photo tour of Metropolis at Metrotown to provide an inside view of the shopping centre with retail insights leading up to the Christmas holiday season. You can enjoy that here.

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H&M Partners with Simone Rocha

H&M has added yet another designer to its list of high-fashion crossover projects, this time collaborating with Irish designer, Simone Rocha. The collection between the Swedish fast-fashion retailer and UK-based womenswear designer comes after previous highly-successful H&M partnerships, including Commes des Garçons, Giambattista Valli, and Karl Lagerfeld.

The collection will include womenswear, menswear, children’s clothing, and beauty — many of which are new segments for Rocha.

While the offering hasn’t been revealed just yet, H&M says that we can expect Rocha signatures like delicate tulle dresses, tartan tailoring, beaded shirting, cable knits, trench coats, sparkling jewellery, and pearl-embellished shoes. And it will all come in a romantic colour palette that mixes cream, pink, red, and black.

“Simone Rocha has been on the H&M wish-list for some time. This collaboration offers a new audience the chance to own a very special piece of design history. All of us at H&M have been so inspired to work with a female designer who spends so much time thinking about contemporary femininity, and womanhood, and who is so committed to excellence in craft and design, from the process of developing special fabrications, to pushing silhouettes, shapes and embellishments. Every garment within this collection is unique, special and the result of years of work and meticulous research,” said Ann-Sofie Johansson, from H&M.

The collection debuts March 11, 2021, and will also celebrate a decade of the Simone Rocha label. H&M operates stores throughout Canada.

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