For many who consider themselves part of the “fashion set” in Canada, chances are the Montreal-based vegan accessories brand Matt & Nat has crossed your radar. Even higher are the chances that you already own one of their pieces. As Ryerson fashion students we see this brand sprinkled across our campus on a daily basis, which is a testament to how perfect their luggage is for students on the go. Derived from the idea of MATerial and NATure converging, M & N pieces use materials such as recycled plastic, recycled rubber tires, cork, cardboard, and recycled nylon that are both resilient to ware and eco-friendly. Durable, spacious, stylish and ethical, Matt & Nat pieces are no stranger to environmentally conscious style setters that don’t want to compromise on design. I mean really, could we ask for anything more from a modern accessories brand?
So imagine our delight when it was announced a few weeks ago that the brand would be opening their first Ontario retail space at Square One Shopping Mall. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the downtown core, Square One is swiftly transforming into the Yorkdale of the East, and the movement of Matt & Nat to their hallways is a further indication of that. People often assume that style inspiration and high fashion can only come from the big city core, but in actuality there are stylish people across the province (and country) so to see Matt & Nat choose a location not in the heart of Toronto is a refreshing move. So why did they decide a move to Square One was right for them? In honour of the store’s opening we connected with the General Manager of Retail at Matt & Nat, Sacha Singh, to find out just what went behind deciding on the move.
“We feel that our corporate retail stores are an important piece of our overall retail strategy when it comes to delivering a 360° experience and communicating our unique brand to our customers. It’s not about favouring one channel over another, rather having a presence in wholesale, e-comm and brick-and-mortar is what is essential to our model. Square One Shopping Centre was a logical first-to-market location as the centre boasts over 300 stores, benefits from over 24M annual visitors, has a productivity of over $1,000 PSF and is on a very short list of malls in North America that is generating over $1B in annual retail sales. We loved the co-tenancy and the customer demographics lined up nicely with our brand.”
So for those who may have scratched their head upon first finding out about the store opening, after hearing this justification, it is clear how this Mississauga destination for style was a perfect match for the brand. We can’t wait to shop there, and we hope you’ll join us!
The Square One Matt & Nat location officially opened August 25th and is located near entrance 8 on L2 between Lacoste and Wilfred.
