Fashion-foward boutique I Sarti Italian Menswear continues to expand its footprint in the Greater Toronto Area with the opening of its third location at the Royal Bank Plaza in downtown Toronto.
Antonio Caputo, owner of I Sarti, said whatever a customer finds in I Sarti is exclusive.
“Nobody else has it in Canada,” he said. “It’s all from Italy. Italian designed and we have it exclusively. We’re not afraid to bring in colours, patterns and styles because we never play safe. We just try to be different and try to make people as fashionable as we can.”
Prior to opening a retail location, Caputo was in the wholesale business but he decided to go into the retail area.
“It doesn’t matter how many locations we are going to open in the future. We’re going to try to keep it as a family business experience. We always do start with an espresso as a welcome to the customer and we never push people. We never try too hard to make the sale to the point to bother the customers,” he said.
Caputo said he likes the potential of the brand’s latest location because of the amount of traffic in the area. Although the traffic is not yet at the level it was prior to the pandemic, it is growing.
“My project is to open up more stores,” he said. “It’s going to be boutique style – 1,500, 1,600, 1,700 square feet.”
Michael Calderone, Vice-President at Toronto-based Urban Reform Realty which specializes in the retail sector, has been working with the I Sarti brand to expand in the region.
“They’re filling a great void in the marketplace right now for menswear,” said Calderone.
There’s a flagship store on Jane Street in Concord, Ontario. There’s another location at Bayview Village with the most recent at the Royal Bank Plaza in Toronto opposite Mateo Shoes. The first location opened five years ago.
“This particular location is 1,400 square feet. This is more the enclosed mall format similar to the Bayview Village size compared to the flagship headquarters on Jane Street. That floor space operates at about 5,000 square feet as well as some warehousing and back of house operations and additional custom tailoring operations there as well,” said Calderone.
“There’s been a resurgence in the core which is nice because a lot of our customers that know us from Vaughan and Woodbridge work downtown as well. And this (new location) just gives us another opportunity to reach our current network who have been great ambassadors for us from our Jane Street location to their colleagues in office in the city to now reach us with more ease and convenience.”
Jordan Karp, Executive Vice-President, Head of Canadian Retail Services at Savills, which is leasing space at Royal Bank Plaza, said the Plaza space had historically for decades been a menswear location with Robert Jones until its closure in March due to a retirement. The store was originally going to close last Fall but it stayed open until March because it was too busy.
“Menswear has proven to be successful there. We did renew Brooks Brothers for a couple of years less than a year ago. So menswear has worked well there. There’s a clientele that is still going to work at RBC. When you can slide someone in that can replace a tenant that had longevity that’s always a positive thing,” said Karp.
“It’s not like it was somebody that bailed and we backfilled it with a light tenant. This was a very successful location for menswear.”
In Italian, I Sarti means ‘the tailors’. Suits can be tailored to fit and entire looks can be road tested – it’s superior style for the modern man.
“I Sarti Italian Menswear believes looking great should not be difficult. Every man has the right to enjoy the feeling that wearing luxurious attire delivers. Your personal appearance is an indicator to the wider world about the person you are, and when you look good you feel good too. The luxury clothing items stocked in at our stores and made available online are created from the finest fabrics, selected individually for their form, feel and appearance. Our items are made in Italy following the tradition of world-renowned Italian tailoring and craftsmanship. Each item we stock will make you feel like a king,” says the company on its website.
“I Sarti Italian Menswear collections reflect the changing trends in global menswear. While we always keep timeless, classic men’s looks in mind, we are a future-thinking brand. Therefore, our garments are adapted to the reality of the world, tailored to suit the demands that the modern man must meet. Our work items are perfectly suited to men who want a professional appearance with style and offer real value through their durability, delivering use after use while keeping their shape and form.”
