Nouvelle Nouvelle e-commerce shop already has a cross-country following.
At Vancouver’s Nouvelle Nouvelle lifestyle boutique, the focus is on small, independent lines. “We really value pieces that are made or manufactured where they’re designed,” says Amy Renee York, who co-owns the shop with her partner, Noah Heath. Over the past five years, the duo has made an effort to pare down their men’s and women’s wear offerings, focusing on the brands they’ve built relationships with. “We’re very specific about who we work with. I think since we’ve done that, the store’s been so much cooler,” says York.
York and Heath opened their first boutique in Gastown in 2007 and have been in their current location at the corner of West Cordova and Cambie for two years. “It’s basically a dream spot for us,” says York. “We love Gastown so much, it’s arguably the most beautiful neighbourhood in Vancouver with the cobblestones and the heritage buildings. We get some ocean air from across the train tracks. And it’s quite a vibrant small-business community.”
Online, their e-commerce shop already has a cross-country following. “Quite a few of our brands aren’t readily available across Canada,” York says of European labels including France’s Vetra and Wood Wood from Denmark. Some of their lines have recently introduced the same styles in the men’s and women’s collections but in cuts that are more suitable for male and female body shapes. “We find a lot of our customers, especially over the last five years, are now shopping both sides,” says York. “I really like it.”
Nouvelle Nouvelle, 302 West Cordova St., Vancouver, 604-428-9291, nouvellenouvelle.com.
Ganni Sporty Hiking Boots, $575.
Ganni Printed Leather Bag, $345.
Mondo Mondo Janus Ring, $298.Courtesy of manufacturer
Mondo Mondo Janus Ring, $298.
Style News
With the Spring 2020 season, Boss is expanding its responsible tailoring collection. It’s an initiative that builds on the success of Boss’s men’s wear traceable wool designs, where production is supervised and tracked from farm to final garment. Now, Boss is adding women’s-wear pieces to the range and creating a vegan suit, free of any animal-based materials, to its men’s-wear collection. The women’s pieces feature merino wool in blues, red and navy. Made of certified organic European-grown linen, the men’s vegan suit comes in a slim cut in beige, dark blue and black. For more information, visit hugoboss.com.
The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris has announced new digital content while the museum is closed to visitors. Each week, it is hosting three digital events to share the curations of the museum in a new remote way. These videos are available to be streamed online through its Facebook page and YouTube channel. There will also be new content posted to its Instagram account. Falling under the hashtag #LVFfromhome, these digital engagements focus on reliving select exhibitions, concerts, masterclasses and events that have been offered since the museum opened in 2014. For more information, visit fondationlouisvuitton.com.
The Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA) has launched a new Facebook Live series of videos to support and advocate for the country’s fashion industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. CAFA guest hosts will answer questions and provide guidance on issues that are relevant to the Canadian fashion industry. Specific topics include finance, mental health, marketing and legal support. Viewers can ask their questions in real-time during the “Live with CAFA” sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Facebook or can e-mail them in advance to live@cafawards.ca.
Several Canadian apparel and beauty companies are using their facilities to assist with supplies needed for efforts against the COVID-19 outbreak. Vancouver’s Vessi Footwear (vessifootwear.ca) is donating 1,000 pairs of shoes to front-line medical professionals across Canada while Toronto-based women’s-wear brand Hilary MacMillan (hilarymacmillan.com) is using its manufacturing process to make masks Canada Goose (canadagoose.com) is producing personal protective equipment including scrubs and gowns while Vancouver skin-care brand Riversol (riversol.com) is offering a free case of hand sanitizer to any community organizations in Canada still open and in need.
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