Maison Kitsuné enters the Canadian market with a store and a café in Vancouver – WWD

Maison Kitsuné pushes upwards – towards northern Canada, that is. The Franco-Japanese brand has opened its first standalone store in the Canadian market with a 2,500 square foot location in Vancouver.

Located at 157-159 Water Street in historic Gastown, the opening also marks Café Kitsune’s first Canadian location, with a boutique and café located side-by-side.

The cafe and shop were designed by Kitsuné co-founder Masaya Kuroki, who drew inspiration from mid-century Vancouver lakeside homes with oak paneling, raw concrete flourishes and leather details orange.

Kitsuné’s general manager for the Americas, Vinod Kasturi, said the deal made sense “from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. We have some interesting data points on the events side, we’ve been hosting parties in Canada for over a decade. We have roots there and seeing kids and adults come to our club nights in Vancouver and Toronto has allowed us to develop a strong brand there, plus we have wholesale relationships in major [Canadian] cities.”

The new Maison Kitsuné boutique in Vancouver.
Courtesy of Kitsuné

Vancouver was particularly attractive as it allows for some crossover with Kitsuné’s strong hold in the Asia-Pacific market. “We have quite a presence in Tokyo, Seoul and mainland China. Vancouver offers more direct flights to mainland China than any other city in North America and Europe. This really translates into the local retail sector, where you see a strong market for luxury goods and some of the best performing locations for Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton and Celine,” Kasturi said.

“I think the local Canadian dollar economy is incentivizing foreigners to spend there and it’s paired with some really unique consumer behaviors that have produced some interesting brands like Aritzia, Arc’teryx and Lululemon,” he said. -he adds.

Kitsuné partnered with Chip Wilson’s real estate investment firm Low Tide Properties to find its location. The building he’s moved into, a rehabilitated historic building, has prominent neighbors upstairs, including Microsoft’s Vancouver headquarters.

It’s a boon for the new Café Kitsuné, which will bring natural wines, coffee and sake service to an area renowned for its food scene and nightlife. Lunch service and local discounts will also be available, with a menu designed by Chef Lina Caschetto and Director of Wine and Sake Layla Frances-Smith.

“Gastown is a cool place in Vancouver with lots of restaurants and independent designers, and with most places we like to find an iconic section of town that speaks to local architecture. Here, there are cobbled streets and heritage Victorian architecture. It’s also a pedestrian city, so we’re always close to the luxury stretch. They told us the main office tenant was Microsoft on the upper floors and they were looking for a hospitality provider and we thought this was the perfect opportunity,” Kasturi said.

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