It’s a very grim time to be in the Canadian fashion industry. Hudson’s Bay was already a huge loss to both creatives and consumers alike, but SSENSE feels even closer to home somehow. I wonder if any Canadian boutiques will take this opportunity to expand + boost e-commerce?
I believe in this market, people valued Ssense more than Ssense actually valued the local market. In many ways, Ssense felt less like a retail store and more like a window to the world : a platform that connected local shoppers to global fashion rather than focusing on being rooted in the local retail space.
It just happened to have its head office here, while most global companies and their HQ's have moved out of Canada a long time ago.
At the same time, I keep asking myself: is it even possible for another luxury e-commerce player to emerge locally? One that avoids the insane duty fees that come with shopping internationally?
Ultimately, all of this ties back to another article I wrote about the retail space:
It’s a very grim time to be in the Canadian fashion industry. Hudson’s Bay was already a huge loss to both creatives and consumers alike, but SSENSE feels even closer to home somehow. I wonder if any Canadian boutiques will take this opportunity to expand + boost e-commerce?
I believe in this market, people valued Ssense more than Ssense actually valued the local market. In many ways, Ssense felt less like a retail store and more like a window to the world : a platform that connected local shoppers to global fashion rather than focusing on being rooted in the local retail space.
It just happened to have its head office here, while most global companies and their HQ's have moved out of Canada a long time ago.
At the same time, I keep asking myself: is it even possible for another luxury e-commerce player to emerge locally? One that avoids the insane duty fees that come with shopping internationally?
Ultimately, all of this ties back to another article I wrote about the retail space:
https://mariemicheleb.substack.com/p/brands-in-search-of-real-world-magic
Beau papier MM! Bien heureuse de te retrouver sur Substack 🫶🏼 I’ll read you, don’t stop writing; everyone needs to hear your voice!
Merci Myriam! Je vais continuer! x
😘