Canada Goose Paris
A retail concept rooted in collective identity and the transformative power of nature
2020–2025
Introduction
Like Canada Goose, Snøhetta’s design ethos is rooted in collective identity, our enduring respect for nature, and the transformative power of landscapes to enrich society and offer cross-cultural connections. This collaboration represents Snøhetta's first comprehensive global store concept, establishing design guidelines for interiors, product fixtures, in-store graphics and visual merchandising strategies.
Our approach for the new Canada Goose stores is encapsulated in the concept boundless. The design seeks to go beyond mere aesthetics by emanating a sense of adventure, exploration, and limitless possibilities rooted in the brand’s signature look. Canada Goose was born to protect against the harshest climates, and our design celebrates this legacy by creating a space of comfort and community.
Technical details
Canada Goose
At the new Paris location, the façade will feature a robust aluminum cladding that draws on the utilitarian language of shipping containers—structures engineered for durability in extreme polar conditions. This reference aligns materially and symbolically with Canada Goose’s heritage, evoking the resilience required to endure harsh climates marked by wind, snow, and ice. The aluminum surface is subtly enlivened with mica speckles that catch the light, mimicking sun glinting off freshly fallen snow, lending a poetic dimension that tempers its industrial rigor with moments of softness.
There is an intentional and carefully choreographed entry into the store through the foyer, a threshold space that emphasizes the dualities at play. It serves as a meaningful transition and insulation from the outside world to the store within. Acting as both an amuse-bouche and a moment of pause from the busy street, the foyer is clad in wood that invokes a sense of meaning for the people of Paris—French oak often found in Haussmannian interiors. Sitting atop an oak table, the stone-work fireplace, Smouldering Among the Char and Ash, by Canadian sculptor Michael Belmore, which gives the illusion of the shimmer and glow of a dying campfire, welcomes visitors and brings a sense of the outdoors, inside.
Just past the foyer, Canada Goose’s Project Atigi, Long-Tailed Amauti (2019) is on display as the apex of warmth and protection—a form of soft armor honoring Inuit design, the first parka makers. This idea extends into our material and spatial palette: tactile, resilient, and refined. The stores shift between sparse displays and more immersive, layered environments, allowing the products to breathe or intensify. Decorating the entrance feature, Tiptoe Through the Tundra, an original drawing by Inuk artist and writer from the Canadian Arctic, Ningiukulu Teevee, is reimagined as a striking large-scale plaster mural. The composition honors the traditional Amautis through a subtle, graphic depiction of a richly ornamented garment.
At the center, the Legacy Wall anchors the space with its printed metal surface. Inspired by cartography, it transforms stories into geographies that are contextual, informative, and visually striking. By merging traditional techniques with modern digital tools, the graphics bridge past and present—precise, adaptable, and evocative—revealing heritage as a living narrative constantly redrawn. Past the Legacy Wall, this story continues along the stairway to the second floor of the store with Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka's Nuna/Land, a large-scale print crafted with handmade pigments sourced from iron ore mines in Nunavut, Canada.
We embrace moments of comfort not only through materiality but through light. Lighting within each store is fully dimmable and tunable, evolving with the time of day and seasons, echoing natural patterns to enhance the shopping experience and reinforce a connection to nature. Vaulted ceilings and shifting volumes guide the eye up and soften the overall atmosphere, creating an enveloping, cocoon-like spatial experience.
The new retail fixture system is a flexible toolkit of elements that adapt to any space, creating a recognizable brand experience across locations. As consumer demand for eco-conscious practices grows, this next-generation retail concept places responsible design at its core. Durable aluminum components ensure longevity, easy maintenance, and effortless reuse or recycling, reducing waste while extending lifecycle. A minimalist design reinforces timelessness, minimizing the need for replacement.
While the retail concept is global in scale—ranging from intimate boutiques to expansive flagship locations—each store is grounded in its local context. We integrate regional materials and cultural references subtly but with intention. With several other locations in development, this marks an exciting evolution in Canada Goose’s retail journey—a journey that remains deeply tied to the outdoors and a boundless spirit of adventure.