Upscale Italian fashion brand Golden Goose, known particularly for its pricey sneakers, will open its first standalone Canadian store soon at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. It’s the latest luxury brand to move into Yorkdale, which has become Canada’s epicentre for luxury brand stores.
The Golden Goose store will span about 1,600 square feet in a retail space immediately south of the Louis Vuitton flagship store that opened in October. Yorkdale’s Golden Goose will feature a full range of fashions for men, women, and children including the brand’s popular sneakers, ready-to-wear clothing, bags, and accessories. The store was expected to open this month though there may be delays given recent COVID shutdowns.
The store was expected to open this month but because of pandemic related lockdowns, the opening has been delayed. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to announce a province-wide 28 day shutdown that will see Golden Goose’s opening delayed until early 2021.
Golden Goose was founded in Venice, Italy in the year 2000 by Alessandro Gallo and Francesca Rinaldo. The company was owned by Italian fund DGPA SGR between 2013 and earlier this year when Golden Goose was sold to investment firm Permira. The deal closed in June and Permira is now spearheading a direct-to-consumer store expansion which launched under the previous owner.
Globally, Golden Goose operates about 95 stores in major markets. Seventeen of those stores are located in the United States. Two Golden Goose stores are located in New York City — on Madison Avenue and in Soho, with other stores located in primary and a few secondary markets. Enclosed shopping malls house the majority of Golden Goose’s US stores including the Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Lennox Square in Atlanta, Northpark in Dallas, Scottsdale Fashion Square near Phoenix, and Houston Galleria, among others.
More Golden Goose Stores Could Open in Canada
More Golden Goose stores could open in Canada. Given the number of locations in Asia, the Vancouver market could very well become home to a Golden Goose retail store. Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville area, which continues to add new luxury brand stores, could be another target. Given that Golden Goose has opened stores in markets such as Nashville, there is a possibility that the brand could eventually open mall-based stores in markets such as Edmonton and Calgary and the Montreal market might also support at least one Golden Goose storefront.
In Canada, Golden Goose footwear is available at various retailers. Hudson’s Bay carries an expansive assortment for women, while Holt Renfrew carries the footwear line for both genders. Nordstrom and other retailers in Canada also carry the pricey Golden Goose sneakers that are typically priced in the $600 to $900 range depending on style. Some might be turned off by the ‘aged’ look of many of Golden Goose’s footwear styles which appear to have been worn previously with an element of being ‘dirty’.
Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre has become the epicentre of luxury brand retail in Canada, housing more luxury stores than Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville area and downtown Vancouver. Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville, which will see the addition of Isaia and The Webster stores in 2021, will see a unique resurgence that could see the neighbourhood gain market share.
