H&M and Comme des Garçons
While people elsewhere were lining up to purchase World of Warcraft’s expansion pack, young fashion-savvy consumers in downtown Vancouver lined up to H&M’s release of their collaboration with Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons. Available at only a few stores (only a half-dozen out of the hundreds of H&M locations in the States, and only three in Canada), Vancouver was blessed with the opportunity to host this event.
Comme des Garçons has been around for roughly 30 years and has been known to create extremely avant-garde fashion; pieces you can barely wear, much less justify the purchase for the average consumer. Jackets easily run upwards of 4 digits, and their wallets, lovely as they are, start at the 200-300 level. At their level of design, their pieces should be treated more as an art piece than as everyday wear that you can take to the office or the street.
Zebra Club – Customer Appreciation Night (Nov. 14, 2008)
The first time I heard of the retail shop Zebra Club (3101 Granville Street) was when someone gave me a free coconut flavored lip-chap as a promotional item for the Granville Street shop. I thought it was the best smelling free lip-chap I have ever gotten and immediately made my friends smell it too. Weirdly enough, we have a video of us analyzing and sniffing this little tube of moisturizer. Ah…good times, and thus, my strongest memory of Zebra Club. Anyway, I don’t shop much at Zebra Club, but if you do, check out their wine and cheese customer appreciation night from 6pm to 10pm. Here’s the Facebook Event.
Modern Mix Monday – Gravity Pope
Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!
I am currently in Edmonton, Alberta and strangely enough, on my first full day here, I came across a Gravity Pope warehouse sale, just off Whyte Avenue. Gravity Pope is located on the West 4th shopping district in Vancouver, but its first location was actually founded in Edmonton in 1990. The retail shop has an incredible selection of footware from “Acne” to “Zinda“. In between, there are Converse sneakers and Ugg boots. In the words of my Albertan friend with whom I have been staying, “quirky but upscale footware – located in a place where most passer-bys would see only as a hole in the wall but familiar to all the locals”.
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Speaking of shoes, on a side note, I’m only here for five days but I brought four pairs of shoes with me and I have already worn all of them at least once! Better to over-pack, right?
Holt Renfrew – Holiday Bear’s 10th Anniversary
Every year since 1999, Holt Renfrew introduces a new “Holiday Bear“.
This endearing and beloved bear has become an important heirloom piece and collector’s item. Each year, great care is taken to create a unique bear and sweater, which stays true to Holt Renfrew’s style of reflecting today’s latest trends. And no one is more ON TREND than dynamic Canadian designers Dean and Dan Caten of DSQUARED2.
For $49, the price is steep, but 10% of proceeds are donated to the Children’s Wish Foundation.
Circle Craft Christmas Market – 35th Year Anniversay (Nov 11 to 16th)
It’s that time of the year again!! The weather is getting colder, the clocks have been switched back an hour and Halloween is over. Keep reading Modern Mix Vancouver for updates on Holiday Craft Fairs happening all over the city and get your shopping done early!
For 35 years, Vancouverites have been enjoying the Circle Craft Christmas Market. An annual tradition for thousands of holiday shoppers, today, adults who attended as children with their parents are now bringing their own kids!
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From Tuesday, November 11 to Sunday, November 16, 2008 more than 260 Canadian artisans (48 new this year) will gather under the sails of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre to present their wares at Western Canada’s largest one-of-a-kind gift fair. That’s one more day than usual!
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Shoppers and attendees will find gorgeous clay work, the newest and hottest of Canadian fashion and jewellery design, stunning glasswork, handmade candles and soaps, unique clothing and toy items for children, an assortment of amazing home décor items, fine art from acclaimed visual artists, and many more carefully handcrafted items in felt, wool, wood, leather and metal. And, there’s food—delicious chocolates, sauces, dressings and more!
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Tickets for adults are $12, Students and Seniors are $8 but any ticket purchase entitles you to unlimited re-admission for any day of the show. Just don’t forget to pick up your re-entry pass before leaving the premises.
One of a Kind – Christmas Show (November 20th to 23rd) at BC Place
…consumers who realize the value of purchasing from local artisans as opposed to mass-produced, factory-made goods.