Dutch designer clothing company G-Star RAW has opened a third Canadian store, and it will continue opening locations at a controlled pace as it targets new markets. The brand is also launching an innovative collaboration this week with its celebrity co-owner Pharrell Williams, who acquired part of the company last year.
G-Star RAW, which retails both men’s and women’s fashions, was founded in Amsterdam in 1989. In 1996, the company introduced raw (unwashed, untreated) denim jeans that come directly from the factory, creating a unique product that gained considerable brand awareness. Designs are often military influenced, including the use of special pockets and trims.
G-Star operates stores and wholesale accounts globally, with thousands of points of sale. In Canada, it has three freestanding stores. G-Star’s first Canadian location opened at West Edmonton Mall in 2003 — the 3040 square foot store is in the mall’s ‘Europa Boulevard’, across from an entrance to La Maison Simons. A second G-Star location opened in Toronto at 328 Queen Street West in 2012, spanning about 3,800 square feet. This month, G-Star opened its third Canadian store at CF Carrefour Laval, north of Montreal. Our Montreal correspondent Maxime Frechette attended the opening of the 1,740 square foot store, and also wrote about it in French.