VANCOUVER may be the third worst-dressed city in the world (if you believe the Internet buzz), but there's one international brand that thinks we're No. 1 when it comes to its apparel and accessories.
Salomon - the makers of sport-specific clothing, footwear and equipment - will open next week in the Village of Park Royal. The 2,000-square-foot store is the first of its kind in the world.
The West Vancouver location is the first Salomon shop to feature a new design concept that combines rustic elements like rough-hewn wood and rock with modern furnishings and fixtures.
Marie Accambray, Salomon's retail marketing manager, who flew in from France earlier this week to oversee the store's final construction, calls the new look "rustic contemporary." Salomon will be rolling out the new store design in Vancouver before opening a second concept store, in Moscow, and a third, in the French alpine resort town of Chamonix, both the following week.
The Park Royal store will feature a Footlab as well as a complete range of freeski, nordic and trail running gear. The Salomon shop will open its doors next Wednesday with a party. From 5 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 6, shoppers can check out the new gear, munch on tasty bites from Whole Foods and meet with Salomonsponsored athletes.
Among those athletes will be Whistler's Mike Douglas, the godfather of newschool skiing. Douglas is a huge fan of the Salomon brand. His association with the company started 15 years ago.
After helping Salomon develop its first twintip ski, the 1080, in the late '90s, Douglas and a breakaway faction of freestyle skiers known as the New Canadian Air Force began jumping and filming in traditionally snowboarder dominated terrain parks.
Today, Douglas runs his own video production company and works with Salomon as a product developer and producer of Salomon Freeski.tv. En route to a weekend snow sport film event in Aspen he stopped by the Salomon shop midweek for a sneak peak at the store. With boxes piled high to the ceiling, there was little to see. But a click through Salomon's website shows skiwear for the upcoming season that features bright colours and a relaxed fit. Whereas graphic prints and plaids were popular the last couple of seasons, the latest ski fashions come in clear, bright, solid colours. "Prints are fading away," says Douglas. Jackets have larger, shaped hoods that are designed to fit over helmets. Pants like the Sideways have a removable bib and a bottom hem that opens to free snow.
"The Salomon team is the best in the world for integrating ideas from top athletes into their designs, right across the brand," says Douglas, who is excited about the European debut this season of Salomon's X-Tend goggles, which boast an unmatched field of vision, flexible fit and superior fog control. (Vancouverites will have to wait for the goggles' North American launch next year).
A percentage of sales from the Oct. 6 opening night event will benefit North Shore Search and Rescue. There will also be an instore draw for a trip to Annecy, France, to visit Salomon headquarters and ski the French Alps this winter.
lchristensen@nsnews.com
