TORONTO — As the world reemerges from shopping at home during COVID-19, North American retailer Ardene is marking four decades in business and targeting Gen Z with the launch of its new back-to-school campaign, as well as evolving its take on lingerie and menswear.
“After COVID[-19] we needed something to celebrate,” said Kelly Solti, Ardene’s head of marketing, speaking about the campaign, which is titled “That Ardene Energy” and which launched Wednesday.
“During the pandemic Ardene surpassed 40 years in business, which made us reflect on what has kept us tuned in and growing after four decades,” she added.
Indeed, since its Montreal launch in 1982 as a jewelry and accessories retailer, Ardene has evolved into a go-to spot for young and young-minded shoppers looking for trendy yet affordable clothing, footwear and accessories.
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Ardene now operates close to 350 stores globally, including 300 units in Canada; 35 in the U.S., and 12 in the Middle East. It has between 3,500 and 4,000 employees across North America; a growing e-commerce presence, and boasts a total global square footage of about 2.25 million square feet.
Yet that growth isn’t all that inspired the campaign, according to Solti.
“It’s people. Our customers. Our employees. We listen to them. We test things out. We aren’t afraid of evolving and wanted to share that uplifting energy today in this campaign and encourage people to do the same,” she told WWD.
The campaign features a real-life group of Montreal friends to “capture the magic of what happens when you’re surrounded by people who uplift you,” said Solti.
Also, as pandemic customers return to in-store shopping, Ardene is continuing its efforts to remain relevant, and deliver what the changing consumer wants. To that end, the retailer will have two launches after the campaign — an expansion of product in its Ardene Man collection and the unveiling of its first neutral-palette line for the in-house lingerie label Rose & Vine.
“Ardene Man first launched in August 2020 and started by offering seasonal trend basics like shorts, shirts and T-shirts. But we want to grow this target market and hope to do so by having monthly drops,” said Solti, whose company opened two stores in Florida this summer, in Miami and Tampa Bay. It also has been closing smaller locations to focus on opening larger footprint stores.
In its upcoming collection Ardene Man will feature tops starting from 20.90 Canadian dollars, bottoms from $27.90 CAD, and a selection of outerwear starting as low as $40.90 CAD.
About 30 stores in Canada will receive this next drop. That figure will change as Ardene gauges consumer demand and feedback. Customers can currently shop Man online on ardene.com, on the brand’s app, and in select stores.
Arden Man’s next drop date for 2022 is still to be confirmed. However, Ardene has so far planned six more drops in 2023 estimated for March, April, May, June, August and September to ensure the continued growth of this segment of the market.
“Much of the success we’ve had with Ardene Man has been to test drive different things, much the same way we’ve done in other parts of the business,” said Solti. “But the strategy here is to go deeper into what works so we can give Ardene’s customers exactly what they want.”
In addition to the expansion of Man, in September Ardene’s Rose & Vine brand will introduce a collection of neutral-toned foundation intimates that mold to the body and complement any skin tone. Including four new panty styles and six new bra/bralette offerings, each is available in five neutral shades and extended sizes.
The collection also features new, soft seamless and mesh fabrics mixed in with the brand’s best-selling lace styles.
Looking to the future, “We may do kid’s stuff down the road, which we are talking about now,” said Solti.
“Forty years ago it was only a younger customer we wanted. But we are evolving and testing things out all the time,” said Solti. “Ardene wants to be the place where Gen Z can come to find everything they need. But even a 45-year-old man or woman could find something here at Ardene that works for them.”