Catherine Malandrino Opens Montreal Flagship

New York-based French designer Catherine Malandrino fittingly chose Montreal as the city for her first Canadian flagship. The 2,500-square-foot store is located in the heart of the Golden Square Mile on Sherbrooke Street West.

"I find Montreal a natural link between Europe and New York, and there are a lot of people from Montreal who shop at my stores in New York," Malandrino explained of her decision to choose Montreal over the larger and more affluent Toronto.

Malandrino founded her brand in 1998, and last August it was acquired by Bluestar Alliance. Currently there are three stores in the U.S. and a few in the Middle East. Joe Hiess, president of CM Collections Inc., is her financial backer in Montreal and a licensee that owns and operates Malandrino boutiques.

"My role is to build a distribution base, and we plan to add another store here before opening in Toronto," said Hiess, who also said their emphasis is on quality, not quantity. "We don't want to overwhelm customers with too many choices. Instead, we want to show them variety."

The first floor is very similar to a New York art gallery, explained Malandrino. It is long and narrow with a Parisian look featuring round sofas and yellow glass.

"It's very spacious with white walls and high ceilings," she said. "The second floor will house a showroom for wholesale clients."