Three years after entering Canada with its first standalone boutique in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, New York-based fashion brand Veronica Beard has expanded to the West Coast with the opening of a new store at Vancouver’s Oakridge Park.
The new boutique marks Veronica Beard’s third Canadian location following openings in Toronto and Montreal, and establishes the brand’s first standalone presence in Western Canada. The opening also adds another fashion tenant to Oakridge Park as the massive mixed-use redevelopment continues to attract luxury, premium, and contemporary retailers from around the world.
Founded in 2010 by sisters-in-law Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, the company has evolved from a women’s tailoring label known for its Dickey Jacket into a contemporary fashion and lifestyle brand offering apparel, denim, footwear, handbags, and accessories. The Vancouver boutique is the brand’s 47th location globally.
For Stephanie Unwin, Chief Executive Officer of Veronica Beard, Vancouver represented a natural next step as the company continues to build on growing momentum in Canada.
“The Vancouver customer is closely aligned with our core demographic and psychographic, and we’ve already built a relationship with her through our wholesale partners in the market,” said Unwin.
“We’ve also seen strong engagement from Canadian customers shopping online and in our Montreal and Toronto boutiques. It became clear that there was not only customer demand, but also a genuine connection to the brand and the way it fits into her lifestyle.”
Canada Continues to Gain Importance
Canada has become an increasingly important market for Veronica Beard since the company’s arrival in 2023.
While the brand initially entered the country through wholesale partnerships, the success of those relationships helped lay the groundwork for a growing standalone retail presence. Today, Veronica Beard operates stores in Canada’s three largest luxury fashion markets and continues to see opportunities for expansion.
“We’ve seen an incredibly positive response from Canadian customers since entering the market,” said Unwin. “What’s been most exciting is seeing how the brand resonates across different regions while still reflecting each city’s unique character.”
The company has also seen substantial growth through its Canadian ecommerce business.
“As we have developed our Canadian infrastructure, we have also focused on growth within our ecommerce channel which has seen triple digit growth in the Canadian market over the last few years,” said Unwin.
The strong online performance suggests Canadian consumers are engaging with the brand well beyond the markets where it currently operates physical stores.
Building a Canadian Customer Base
Long before opening its own stores, Veronica Beard was building awareness among Canadian shoppers through a network of wholesale partners.
The brand is carried in multiple Holt Renfrew locations across Canada and has also developed a presence through specialty fashion retailers including TNT (The New Trend) in Toronto and Hangar9 in Ontario. Those relationships helped introduce the brand to Canadian consumers while providing valuable insight into regional demand before the company committed to standalone stores.
According to Unwin, wholesale remains an important component of the company’s Canadian strategy.
“Wholesale is an important part of our distribution strategy in Canada,” she said. “Partners like Holt Renfrew, TNT and many wonderful boutiques have helped us introduce the brand to customers across the country, while our own stores allow us to create a more immersive brand experience.”
She added that those partnerships helped reinforce the company’s confidence in the Canadian market.
“Our partnership with Holt Renfrew and other local boutiques has given us valuable insight into the Canadian customer in all key markets and helped build brand awareness,” said Unwin. “Following a strong response, we expanded from a limited presence to all doors, which reinforced our confidence in the brand’s long-term potential in Canada.”
Why Oakridge Park?
For Veronica Beard, Oakridge Park offered an opportunity to establish a West Coast presence within one of North America’s most closely watched retail developments.
“Vancouver felt like a natural next step for us as we continue to expand our presence in Canada,” said Unwin.
“While we’ve built strong customer relationships in Toronto and Montreal, Oakridge Park gave us an opportunity to establish a West Coast presence, and in a place that has long been synonymous with luxury shopping in the city.”
The boutique is located within Oakridge Park’s contemporary fashion district, where it sits alongside brands including Sandro, Maje, and Weekend Max Mara. The placement reflects Veronica Beard’s position within the contemporary luxury segment and complements Oakridge’s broader merchandising strategy, which includes dedicated clusters of luxury, contemporary, and lifestyle retailers throughout the development.
While Oakridge Park has attracted attention for luxury tenants such as Versace, Brunello Cucinelli, Chanel, Dior, and the upcoming Giorgio Armani flagship and Canada’s first Armani Café, the Veronica Beard location strengthens the project’s contemporary fashion offering and adds another internationally recognized brand to the growing retail mix.
Unwin said Oakridge’s merchandising approach aligns naturally with Veronica Beard’s own position in the market.
“We’re excited to be a part of its new chapter, bringing together an exciting mix of heritage and contemporary brands,” she said. “That modern approach to luxury, centered on quality, versatility, and how women live today, aligns naturally with the Veronica Beard brand.”
Looking Ahead
While Veronica Beard is not currently announcing additional Canadian locations, the company continues to see opportunities for growth across retail, wholesale, and ecommerce channels.
“Canada remains an important market for Veronica Beard, and we continue to see opportunities for growth across both retail and wholesale,” said Unwin. “We’re always evaluating how to best serve our customer, and our focus remains on thoughtful, strategic expansion that feels authentic to the brand.”
The Vancouver opening represents another milestone in Veronica Beard’s Canadian growth story. From its first Yorkville boutique in Toronto to Montreal and now Vancouver, the brand has established a presence in Canada’s key luxury fashion markets while continuing to broaden its reach through wholesale partnerships and ecommerce growth.
