The VSP Archive now at SIMONS
While 2020 has been a year like no other, September still marks the advent of a new fashion calendar and a chance at renewal. At VSP, we always commemorate the passing of summer with a wardrobe refresh, sending our inventory team on a search for the best cozy knits and leather boots, while slowly editing out airy dresses and strappy sandals. Over the course of our thirty-year history in luxury consignment, we’ve been through this cycle many times. This September, we wanted to do something extra special for our fall collection by collaborating with another family-owned fashion industry veteran, Simons. As their first ever foray into resale fashion, Simons is now offering a never-before-seen selection of pieces curated from the VSP Archive.
Simons is an iconic Canadian retailer, with a history dating all the way back to 1840 when John Simons, the son of Scottish immigrants, first opened his storefront Simons Hard Goods in Quebec city, which later became La Maison Simons. Today that same store is known as Simons, and is run by the fifth generation of the Simons family since 1840, brothers Peter and Richard. In 1996, the brothers took over from their father, and started expanding into new cities. In 1999, they decided to venture beyond Quebec City and open a store in Sherbrooke, with another to follow on Rue Sainte-Catherine in downtown Montreal. Today, the retailer has fifteen locations across the country, each one the epicenter of contemporary and designer fashion in that city. Simons is the destination for fashion connoisseurs looking for the season’s most covetable handbags, ready-to-wear, and shoes.
The VSP Archive selection for Simons spans our greatest hits of the 70's, 80's, 90's and early aughts. We hand-selected pieces for their historical importance: from archival Jean-Paul Gaultier, Escada, and Sonia Rykiel, to more recent and avant-garde pieces from the likes of Junya Watanabe, Galliano, and Comme des Garçons. While curating the selection from our archive, we also encountered pieces from discontinued labels whose legacy lives on such as the iconic Bill Blass and dreamy Told Oldham. We picked silhouettes our clients love such as sumptuous trench coats, vintage tweed jackets, and statement fall dresses.
VSP and Simons have always shared a space at the intersection of Canadian fashion history and our communities, and now we also share the vision of a sustainable fashion future. As resale fashion becomes an integral part of a greener future for the industry, we are delighted to be partnering with Simons to expand the circular economy and to have the VSP Archive live within their iconic selection of brands and pieces.