Montreal fashion retailer Aldo Group has opened a series of new footwear and accessories outlets across Canada called Locale. These boutique-style concept stores – carrying some 75 brands, including Fred Perry, Toms and Marc by Marc Jacobs – were created by New York branding and design agency Pompei A.D., which is responsible for hundreds of retail concepts including Anthropologie (92 stores in the U.S.) and Urban Outfitters (95 stores throughout the States and Europe).
The concept of Locale is based on the spirit and experience of an atelier. Riffing off loft spaces, galleries and workshops where artists and designers meet to create, socialize and share ideas, the store’s materials and fixtures are designed to inspire while being fun and whimsical. The display fixtures on the floor, wall and storefront are sculptural, while the cash desk, overhead beams and pendant lighting evoke mid-century workshops.
To invite passers-by in and experience the shop even before entering, operable storefront windows provide a barrier-free atmosphere that lets passersby view people trying on shoes in the front-and-centre main lounge. Large “community walls” made of chalkboard, brand inspiration boards and libraries of fashion magazines lend the spirit of an art and fashion collective, while each shop’s environment draws inspiration from its urban location with rotating work by local visual artists.
There are seven Locale outlets currently open across Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.