The Sorel Pop-Up in Meatpacking District Is Here to Stay

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A lot of people referred to the New York store as a pop-up shop," Sorel president Mark Nenow recently told WWD about its 14th Street shop that opened back in October next to sister brand Columbia. "But it wasn't. We've got a long-term lease." The brand indicated that they were testing the market when their first-ever dedicated retail store first opened, but now it looks like they're here to stay in the trendy shopping neighborhood.

That's thanks in large part to Sorel refocusing its customer base in a very short period of time. "Seven years ago, we were predominantly a utilitarian men's business," Nenow said of the brand that was founded for farmers and fishermen in Canada in 1962. And since then, "we've made a steady and serious rotation into a fashion-forward footwear business for fashionable female customers...we realized a long time ago that we weren't going to be able to leverage our collective horsepower if the brand was just going to be about utility and men's."

And they're aiming for more than just your feet. WWD says that they'll be launching outerwear for fall, with three styles for men and eight for women, like nylon-shelled, goose-down-filled, coyote-fur-lined Joan of Arctic parka for $875. Hm—is Sorel gunning to take down Canada Goose's reign next season?