In an industry often defined by fleeting trends and “fast” consumption, Aldila is celebrating a rare and deeply personal milestone, 40 years of dressing women across the Lower Mainland,BC, Kelowna, and Calgary.
What began in 1986 as a single shop on Vancouver’s Robson Street has blossomed into a multigenerational family legacy. Today, Aldila stands as a premier fashion destination for women over 40, boasting six locations across British Columbia and Alberta – including a landmark 25th anniversary in the Calgary community.
Aldila’s four-decade journey is a masterclass in resilience and the power of the personal touch. By defying the fast-fashion movement, the boutique has spent 40 years focusing on what truly matters: the perfect fit, the longevity of a well-made garment, and building strong connections with their loyal customers. Featuring a thoughtfully curated blend of Canadian and European designers, including Joseph Ribkoff, Dolcezza, Charlie B, and their own signature Aldila Collection, the boutique has become more than a retailer, it is a curator of a collection that effortlessly weaves into every wardrobe.
“Celebrating 40 years as a small, locally run business is a testament to the relationships we’ve built in our stores over the decades,” said Elif Costello, executive at Aldila. “Our focus on personal connection, curation, and quality proves that these are key pieces for a thriving business. In Calgary, reaching the 25-year mark makes our business anniversary even more special. We’ve grown with the Calgary women, and we are honoured to be a part of the city’s vibrant local community.”
Shawn Costello, Vice President, said “the organizational structure and all the decisions that we make are focused around our mission ‘empowering women through our clothing and service’.”
While much of the fashion world remains fixated on the next generation, Aldila’s enduring success proves that the 40+ woman is not a “niche” market, but a powerful community. By championing a demographic often overlooked by mainstream retail, Aldila has cultivated a loyal following that thrives on connection, proving that in a digital age, there is no substitute for the warmth of a local, family-owned boutique.
Elif is the daughter of the founders Hasan and Gulay (Sarihan). She has been part of the business for the last 22 years while Shawn joined the business eight years ago with his background in wholesale with Joseph Ribkoff for many years.
Elif said the retailer’s name is Italian and came from a song in the 40s or 50s. Her parents both really liked the song. So when they were trying to come up with a name, they both brainstormed and came up with Aldila.
“It’s a women’s retail boutique, but we’re full service. What we love to do is find the right outfits for our customers’ lifestyles,” explained Elif.
“We are a multi-brand boutique where about 96% of our brands are Canadian brands, and we have a little bit of European brands as well. Our focus really is on shopping Canadian. It really always has been. So this new shift that’s happened recently really wasn’t difficult for us to make changes because we were already focused on bringing in great Canadian brands, because we have a lot of them here in Canada, and I don’t know if our consumers know about that.
“We want to carry slow fashion, so that just means we’re not bringing in something that you’re going to wear one season and throw out at the end of the season. Especially in a world full of fast-fashion super giants that have come in from all parts of Europe and such, we’re proud to be a little bit more slow fashion in the sense that the trends are there certainly, but we want to make sure that our customers are buying great-quality pieces that make them feel amazing.”
The average store size is 1,600 square feet and anywhere between 1,200 right up to 1,950, said Shawn.
“We really wanted to make sure that we walk before we run. At one point we had 14 locations, but we really started to put focus on that less is more. So we have six stores, and six stores that are profitable,” he said.
“Now we feel comfortable. Staffing as well is extremely important with expansion. And having the team and people who believe in the process and the mission that we’re trying to accomplish. We are looking in Edmonton right now. We have a real estate agent there that’s been actively looking. We’ve been there, we’ve pinpointed a location, and we’re kind of sticking to it.
“We’re waiting for a lease to pop up. We’re pretty strategic like that in the sense that we’ve realized what has worked. We realized what we’re trying to do. I think we need to be in more community areas and really work with community. So we might have multiple stores, but we are active in those communities where we are, doing fashion shows, being part of women’s organizations, that kind of thing. A lot of our staff are part of some of those organizations.”
Elif said the brand tries to have a bit of a give-back component to our business as well.
“We’re just trying to find the right fits and make sure that we partner with community-based organizations because, in an age where the big guys are almost like they’re shuttering, we’re still kind of a small business. We’re trying to make that impact with our customers and our communities so people remember us as well.”
Shawn said the company has been profitable for the past six years.
“The most important part is being able to reinvest that money back into the business, and that’s what we’ve been doing. We just renovated one of our stores in Calgary because it was time. It was great to be able to say, “Okay, let’s reinvest this money.” We did a full renovation in Richmond. We were in one location for 33 years. We were at Richmond Centre Mall for 33 years, but the last few years we could tell the traffic had changed. We tried everything. We even tried a hybrid store—half the store with new goods and half the store with sale goods. We tried all these different combinations, moved staff around, that kind of stuff, to see what we were missing. But it just happened to be that the area changed, the demographics changed.
“We went to a more community area. We had our eyes set on a location for three years, and finally the landlord called us and said, ‘we’re not even advertising it. It’s yours if you want it’. I used to call him every four months, and persistence kind of pays off. ”
Elif said the brand is going into more of these lifestyle centres, getting out of the malls and more into the community hubs.
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