Italian luxury brand Prada has opened its first location within a Canadian Saks Fifth Avenue store. The ground floor accessories boutique at Saks Queen Street/CF Toronto Eaton Centre could be the first of several for Saks, as the retailer further expands operations into Canada. 

Toronto’s 170,000 square foot Saks flagship opened on February 18 of this year, though ground floor concessions for Prada and Dior were both latecomers. Dior still has yet to open and when it does, it will be one of two Dior concessions within the downtown Saks — this fall, Dior will also open a ready-to-wear women’s boutique on Saks’ third floor. 

Prada currently doesn’t have a concession within Saks at CF Sherway Gardens in suburban Toronto, Saks’ only other full-priced Canadian store. Prada could eventually open within other Canadian Saks stores, as the retailer expands operations outside of Toronto. Sources say that Saks is expected to soon announce a store location in a major Canadian city that will open in February of 2018, measuring in excess of 100,000 square feet. 

Prada is in the process of significantly expanding its Canadian operations. The Toronto Bloor Street flagship is adding a second level, growing the store from 5,889 square feet to 13,640 square feet, making it the largest in Canada. Prada opened a large two-level flagship in downtown Vancouver in March of this year. 

Prada currently operates concessions within five Holt Renfrew locations (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto Bloor Street, Toronto Yorkdale, Montreal). Last year, sources said that Prada would open an expanded ground-floor concession with a streetfront entrance at Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street flagship, featuring accessories, footwear and ready-to-wear. It’s unclear if that’s still the case. The Prada concessions within Holt Renfrew’s Vancouver store will expand as the store grows and renovates, and sources at Holt Renfrew say that Prada will open in an expanded Ogilvy/Holt’s in Montreal in 2017. 

Launching in Calgary early next year will be inaugural biannual fashion trade show, PARKSHOWEXPO, that will celebrate Canadian fashion and encourage brands and retailers to keep dollars within the country. Taking place from February 27 to March 1 of 2017, the event invites buyers, retailers, designers, brands and consumers from across the nation to participate, bringing together the fashion industry under one roof for an inclusive business-to-business fashion exchange.

More than 350 fashion brands and distributors will showcase Autumn/ Winter 2017 men’s and women’s outerwear, attire and accessories to 2500+ industry professionals. Arts, culinary and educational programming will complement the trade show allowing national and international attendees a refreshing dialogue on Canadian fashion.

“There are no current opportunities within Canada where all the members of the fashion industry can come together, and much less for the consumer or international retailers and distributors to access Canadian brands,” says Megan Szanik, co-founder and CEO of PSE “PARKSHOWEXPO is flipping the traditional model on its head. We’re gathering all members in one place so we can inspire, connect and educate our colleagues on the changing fashion business. We believe that in this economy, it’s not only smart, it’s essential for Canadian retailers to keep dollars close to home and to showcase and encourage the export of sought after fashion that is designed and made in Canada.”

Apart from industry events, the public will be invited to explore style-focused installments, including PARKSHOP – the world’s biggest Canadian brand pop-up shop.

Brands, designers and retailers interested in participating in PARKSHOWEXPO can find more details at parkshowexpo.com.