Canada Goose Opens at Mall of America
As if Minnesota couldn’t get cooler. Or should I say colder. Canada Goose—and its signature Cold Room—opened today at the Mall of America, marking the luxury retailer’s fifth store in the U.S., adding to Chicago, Boston, Soho in New York City, and Short Hills, NJ.
If you aren’t familiar, Canada Goose is the Toronto-based maker of extreme weather outerwear that is both high function and high style. Their jackets are made for the Arctic—or a February day in Minnesota—and inevitably end up in fashion shows and all over your Instagram. They’re that fancy. And functional.
The Signature Cold Room
I got a sneak peek at the store yesterday before it opened to the public. Heading straight for The Cold Room, I suited up in the heavy duty Snow Mantra Parka ($1,595, nbd), a bulky, bright red jacket with a fur-lined tunnel hood, which would come in handy. Canada Goose now has Cold Rooms in all of its retail locations, allowing potential customers to properly test the jackets before handing over their credit card and conveniently without leaving the store.
The room was set to 4°F, with the ability to go as low as -13°F. Even with the “wind chill factor” activated (a fan to make sure you really feel the cold), I wasn’t cold. Granted I had the protection of something you’d wear trekking across Antarctica on a research expedition and it was a short stint in The Cold Room, but it was damn cozy in that state-of-the-art parka. When my exposed ankles started going numb, I exited the artificial arctic and reluctantly handed it back over.
Native Artworks
As for the store itself, you might mistake it for an art gallery with its stark white walls and spotlight lighting, carefully hung jackets and perfectly placed gloves. Lots of actual art—small sculptures throughout the store and wall art—were sourced from Inuit artists as a tribute to the brand’s work with Canada’s Northern communities and its Canadian heritage.
Having dabbled in royalty, I don’t know how I will go back to wearing my own measly coats now, but it’s almost time to haul them out of storage and start properly covering my ankles again.