Celebrity-loved brand Smythe sets up shop in Chinook Centre
Canadian brand Smythe has become a mainstay with both celebrities and royals — ahem, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are among its fans.
The Toronto-headquartered company offers contemporary women’s designs with an emphasis on tailored blazers and coats that can be worn for years to come.
In celebration of its new store in Calgary’s Chinook Centre, which is the first stand-alone Smythe location in Western Canada, we caught up with co-founders and designers Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe to learn more.
Q For those who aren’t familiar, what is Smythe?
Andrea Lenczner Smythe is a contemporary womenswear brand specializing in sportswear, most notably blazers. Coming from two different business backgrounds and design styles, Christie and I were on a unified mission to perfect one thing: the women’s blazer.
Advanced styling, methodical tailoring and impeccable construction — Smythe launched in 2004 with the perfectly fitted blazer. Twenty years in, Smythe is now a full ready-to-wear collection designed with the same sense of mission, passion and methodology.
Q Is there a “hero” design from the brand? If so, which one and what makes it so popular?
Christie Smythe For us, it’s more about a “hero” category. We are a blazer-forward brand and celebrate this wardrobe item for its transformative qualities. A blazer can make an outfit and build sartorial strength for the person wearing it. Initially famous for the perfectly fitted blazer, we now design beyond a single archetype and explore all shapes and proportions through tailoring.
Q What made this the right time to open a store in Calgary?
Smythe We enjoy a strong and loyal customer base in Alberta. Calgary was an obvious choice when locating our second store. We wanted to give our customers the most beautiful Smythe experience, a place to explore and appreciate the brand first-hand. We can’t wait to spend more time getting to know our Calgary customers.
Q What can people expect to find in-store?
Lenczner In the fall of 2020, we launched Smythehouse, a collection of “all-time favourite” Smythe silhouettes reimagined in seasonless fabrics and colours. Until now, the collection was exclusive to shopsmythe.com and our Toronto boutique; now, our customers in Calgary will have a place to come and check it out in person.
Smythe In addition to our seasonal collections, we will have special exclusive styles, the most recent being a collaboration with Wear Cissa — a “reinvented basics” line founded by Smythe’s first model and muse, Lisa Priolo.
Q Any plans to set up shop in any other Canadian cities?
Lenczner We would love that. Stay tuned.