Remember how cold Minneapolis was when it hosted the Super Bowl last year? The head of Canada Goose does.
Dani Reiss, chief executive of the Toronto-based luxury outerwear brand, walked into the game at U.S. Bank Stadium when the temperature was -6 and windchill reading was -25. The moment helped him realize the Twin Cities would be a good place for a Canada Goose store.
On Thursday, the company will open a store in the Mall of America, its fifth in the U.S. and 16th worldwide.
"Being there then truly cemented my belief that it was the right place for us to be," Reiss said. "Consumers don't let the weather stop them here and now have the product to empower them to do so. It's a great spot for a global brand like us."
The company is 62 years old, but it became a global phenomenon after Reiss, a grandson of founder Sam Tick, became chief executive in 2001. Its most famous parka, the Snow Mantra, weighs more than 8 pounds, has a warmth factor that protects to minus-40 degrees and sells for $1,595. Other parkas start at $850 for men and women while stocking caps start at $95.
"People tell me all the time after trying on a Canada Goose jacket that it's the first time they've ever truly been warm," Reiss said.
Shoppers at its Mall of America store will get to test the performance of Canada Goose parkas and coats in a room that has been cooled to -13 Fahrenheit. Blowers can simulate wind gusts in the room.
"It allows people to engage the numerous features of our coats that some consumers may be flippant of or not necessarily realize just how necessary they are," Reiss said. "If you're not a 'gear junkie,' you may not know when to engage a snow skirt or the underarm zippers or how to appropriately use our jackets' draw cords."