Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Canada’s busiest mall, has the highest sales per unit area of any mall in the country. It was a suitable venue for the flagship and first North American store for the Canadian maker of premium sportswear, such as puffer jackets and fur-lined parkas, footwear and bags.

The 2,750-sq.-ft. store, located across from competitor Canada Goose, was, according to the Toronto Star, the costliest to build, per square foot, of Yorkdale’s approximately 250 stores.

First-time shoppers may be excused for confusing the venue with a chichi art gallery, thanks to the wall and curved bulkheads clad in smooth, grey cold-rolled steel sheets. They look raw from the rolling mill, with the undulating rivulets of stain accruing along the edges during pickling, a step in the manufacturing process that removes surface scale.

The slickness of the steel sheets complements the rustic flooring, whose uneven end-cut black locust block tiles emulate weathered cobblestones.

The principal display fixture, a leather-wrapped raceway, hangs by hand-stitched leather straps from the blacked-out ceiling, which minimizes floor clutter.

Mirrored glass vitrines display limited-edition items as if they were precious relics.

Download Project PDF