Credit: Michael McCullough
Street shoes get their own table in the middle of Arc’teryx’s new Metrotown store
Performance clothing maker targets mainstream consumers with everyday streetwear at its new Metrotown outlet
Performance clothing brands like the North Face and Canada Goose long ago noticed that more of their jackets could be spotted on the streets of big cities than above treeline. North Vancouver–based Arc’teryx Equipment decided to go with the flow by unveiling its first “lifestyle” concept store, at Burnaby’s Metropolis at Metrotown mall, on November 28.
Instead of clothing and gear for mountaineers and trail runners, the 2,000-square-foot outlet focuses on streetwear—raincoats, sweaters, earth-tone sneaks—made with the same materials and specs that Arc’teryx uses to keep hard-core adventurers warm and dry (and with similar premium price points, natch). The inventory is split 50-50 between men’s and women’s wear, in contrast to the male skew in the company’s five other B.C. outlets geared to outdoor enthusiasts.
Arc’teryx, owned by Finland’s Amer Sports (itself a subsidiary of Chinese group Anta Sports Products), is in no way abandoning its core clientele, company reps make clear—just expanding the distribution channels for its growing lifestyle collection. “It’s been an incredible 17 years since opening our first store in our home province of British Columbia, and our hope with this store and our lifestyle collection is to make Arc’teryx apparel accessible to everyone, everyday,” said VP retail Megan Cheesbrough in a release.
There will be a grand opening for the general public at the store on December 14.