Canadian based outerwear manufacturer and retailer Arc’teryx officially opened a new 2,300 square-foot store in downtown Seattle, Wash. Situated at the base of the Seaboard Building at Fourth Avenue and Pike Street the new store opened September 7, 2013, marking the first Arc’teryx brand store in the U.S.
The new store opened to premiere the brand’s full collection for Fall/Winter 2013 offerings and offered customers an opportunity to learn firsthand about the company’s design process via special engagement areas inside the store. There was also a GORE-TEX Science & Technology presentations along with a special rain room available where consumers can test out the products and learn firsthand how GORE-TEX works. Designers from the company’s head office were on hand during the day to talk with customers and answer questions.
“There’s a growing, loyal following for the brand and this store is a way for us to showcase the newest and fullest assortment of Arc’teryx products to our consumers, while also allowing them to discover what the brand stands for,” said Adam Ketcheson, VP Senior Director of Marketing & B2C. “Customers will be able to learn more about our research and design processes through hands on technology engagement areas within the store as well as from trained store staff.”
All Arc’teryx product design, research and development are done in-house at their head office in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
“In our own facility, we are able to dedicate time and resources to explore unorthodox design concepts and we have complete control over the development of new products,” said Carl Moriarty, Design Manager for Arc’teryx apparel. “Arc’teryx has a philosophy of design that centers on a product’s intended use. The aim is to create something that increases the user’s enjoyment of the activity. By being functionally invisible, what people experience is the activity and their equipment simply does what it’s supposed to do.”
The Seaboard Building is an 11-story landmark building at Fourth Avenue and Pike Street that was developed and is managed by the Pine Street Group L.L.C.
