History
Aritzia opened its first store in 1984 in Oakridge Centre, a shopping mall located on Vancouver's West Side. [5] Since making national forays across the Canadian retail clothing landscape throughout the next two decades, the company opened its first U.S. stores in Seattle and Santa Clara in November 2007. [6]
The company went public on October 3, 2016. [7]
In 2019, major shareholder Berkshire Partners, an American private equity company, exited its stake. [8]
In June 2021, Aritzia announced it would be acquiring Reigning Champ, a menswear-focused Canadian athleisure and streetwear brand, for $63 million. [9]
In May 2022, Jennifer Wong took over as CEO, replacing longtime founder and executive chair Brian Hill. [10] Prior to taking on the position of CEO, Wong held the role of COO at Aritzia since 2007. Wong joined the firm in 1987 as a sales associate at the Robson Street store in Vancouver, one of the first Aritzia's first flagship stores. [11]
Brands
Unlike other Canadian clothing retailers, Aritzia distinguishes itself by primarily selling its own in-house fashion brands, such as Wilfred, Wilfred Free, Le Fou by Wilfred, TNA, Golden, Talula, Babaton, The Group by Babaton, 1 -01 Babaton, Sunday Best, Main Character, Community, and Super Puff. In 2014, Aritzia introduced two handbag lines: SIXELEVEN and Auxiliary. [12] Stores also carry clothing from labels such as Citizens of Humanity, Mackage, New Balance, Levi's, A Gold E, Havaianas, J Brand Jeans, Adidas, Herschel Supply Co., and Rag & Bone. [13]
Stores
The interior and exterior architectural configurations of Aritzia's stores are designed individually. After a location is hand-selected, a team of architects and interior designers create a bespoke look with a mixture of local influences, natural materials, custom furniture, and art. [14] It is intentional that there are no mirrors in most of the dressing rooms, forcing shoppers to head into a communal space. (Each store has at least one dressing room with a permanent or roll-in mirror for those shoppers wanting additional privacy). Some locations have complimentary coffee bars or serve alcohol. [15]
As of January 2021, Aritzia operates 101 stores in North America; 68 boutiques are located in Canada including 5 TNA stores, 8 Wilfred stores, and 4 Babaton stores. [16] [1] There are 44 Aritzia stores in the USA, including a 13,000 square-foot flagship location in Manhattan, New York City. [17]
In January 2017, Aritzia announced the opening of a flagship store in Chicago on Rush Street. [18]
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C$2.20 billion (2022) [2] 
