Fashion has no gender. This seems to be the major topic of conversation in the fashion industry this year. Despite what some mainstream media and fashion blogs say, we don’t think this is just the latest “trend” in fashion. Any platform that states otherwise might be ignoring that gender roles are being questioned more in fashion, than ever before.

One thing that we know is that history repeats itself, especially when it comes to fashion. This goes all the way back to the 1920’s. Coco Chanel, arguably one of the most influential fashion designers of all time, was one of the first to inspire genderless fashion when she created her iconic suits for women. Chanel made it the norm for women to wear pants during the war, which revolutionized women’s right in the fashion world for generations to come.

Fast forward to 2016. What about those who don’t identify with a gender?

For far too long, we’ve been focused on millennials being the key players in not just the retail world, but the economy as a whole. As we enter 2017, there is a new generation that cannot go unnoticed and that is Generation Z, those born between 1995 and 2015. This demographic was born in the age of social media and have now started to have an impact on spending power.

The Gen Z attitude towards sexuality and gender is far more outspoken and is the most progressive in comparison to the other generations. More than 80% of Gen Z-ers strongly believe that gender does not define a person as much as it used to and only half of Gen Z-ers identify exclusively as heterosexual.

Generation Z, without a doubt is the generation leading and influencing retailers to take a step in a new direction – genderless fashion. The idea is for men, women and ace (identifying as both genders) to shop in one store place or section, and purchase the same piece without having to question their sexuality or how they might be perceived by others.

Call it what you want; genderless, gender-neutral, gender-free, unisex or just for “everyone”. These terms are becoming more and more popular in retail as this attitude towards gender is altering the vision for both international and independent brands and retailers. This idea is going to become more prevalent in some of your favourite stores and brand campaigns.

Fashion enthusiasts are everywhere, but one of the most incredible things about fashion is that it can be an advocate for social change. We’ve hand picked some of our favourite retailers that have been quick to take action and influence “genderless” fashion. We’re looking forward to 2017 to see who will be quick enough to react. The more exciting part will be who succeeds and why…

Peace Collective

Diesel (Gender Neutral Campaign)

Guess (His + Hers Collection)

& Other Stories (Campaign)

Calling all beer lovers, King Street West will be home to a new tap house, King Taps!

It’s no secret that most of us enjoy a mid-week drink after a long day in the financial district, or on a regular Friday night, or perhaps the occasional pint here and there. Regardless, we know how important the beer scene is to Torontonians, which is why we are thrilled to be a part of the team bringing this tap house to Toronto.

Quite literally, King Taps will be the King of taps carrying over 50 craft and international beers and 20 wines on tap. If for some (insane) reason that doesn’t do it for you, the food definitely will. The King Taps menu has been carefully curated for this Toronto location with Canada’s top culinary talents and star chefs Rob Feenie and Matt Stowe behind the menu.

For far too long, we have had a vision of animating the space under the food terrace at First Canadian Place facing King Street. We knew that there was an amazing opportunity for a patio full of life and entertainment, but we had to marry the perfect tenant to the vision.

The Beauleigh team put our heads together to ask ourselves, “What is Toronto missing?”. We live in one of the world’s coolest cities booming with unique concepts, amazing operators and award winning designers. So what can we bring to the city that hasn’t already been done before? Hello King Taps!

King Taps is part of the Cactus Club family, so you know everything from the design, down to the service and vibe is going to be unmatched. We are impatiently awaiting the opening of this new tap house in 2017!

100 King Street West, Toronto – Opening 2017

Working with Osmington as the retail consultants on the Union Station project, we have been fortunate enough to meet with some of our city’s best operators. There is not a single person or group of people that we’ve met with who do not have a connection to the station in some way, shape or form.

Whether it be meeting the love of their life in the Great Hall, a memory of arriving in Toronto for the first time, or being one of the 250,000 commuters, we are all somehow connected to Union Station.

This is why we are so passionate about the vision for Union Station. Using this iconic heritage building as the backdrop to showcase the diversity of the 6ix and to present the best of Toronto under one roof, Union Station will become Toronto’s underground city connecting the amazing people who live in it as well as those who visit.

We are lucky enough to hear stories all the time, but every day, past and present, unseen, human moments happen at Union Station and now they’re asking you share these moments with them.

Share your moments with Toronto Union on Twitter & Instagram @torontounion  and use the hashtag #StationStories.

Watch this charming love story that has stood the test of time via Toronto Union’s #StationStories.

The Beauleigh team is very excited to announce the arrival of Eataly to Canada. Not only is this the brand’s first location in the Canadian market, but it also marks the arrival of Canada’s very first food hall. It’s about time Canada caught up with the way the rest of the world eats.

As the exclusive retail consultants on the project we are proud to have collaborated with ‎the Manulife team and the team of retail designers at GH+A to be able to bring this vision to life. It has been years in the making, with the last 4 years spent reimagining this amazing iconic building. The vision was born well before Eataly’s announcement expressing their interest in our city. This is where preparation is met with success.

The goal quite simply was to create a food and entertainment destination, thereby putting a stamp on the city. Mission accomplished!

EATERTAINMENT HAS ARRIVED ON BLOOR ST!!

“If it’s not on Instagram, did it even happen?” From yummy treats to happy hours, fascinating architecture to inspiring store design and décor, many of our tenants in the PATH are considered to be some of the most Instagrammable places in Toronto.

We’ve curated a list of Brookfield’s best operators in the in the PATH for you to snap that perfect Instagram post of Toronto’s most drool worthy eats and drinks the city has to offer.

What are you waiting for? Start racking up those likes! #NoFilter

@_MamanToronto_ #MamanToronto

@greenhousejuice

@iqfoodco

@cactus_toronto #cactusclubcafe

@mccafecanada #mccafecanada

@belmonteraw #belmonteraw

@kupfertkim

@sushishop_instagram

@picnicfood

In the past we have talked about the evolution of independents and how they continue to change the face of retail in our city. The goal at Union was to create a unique destination celebrating the iconic architecture and history of the station and using it as a backdrop for the redevelopment platform.

Over the past few years we have been focused on curating this unique destination ‎with the selection of the best and brightest independents in the city.  We took an in depth look at what characteristics these up and comers have in common and uncovered the following key elements:

1.  ‎They exude originality, authenticity and attitude.
2.  They have the ability to localize by addressing the unique attributes of the neighbourhood they’re in and customizing the experience to connect with their clients.
3. They build relationships with their customers through individualized customer service. ‎
4. They have a cool factor.
5. Shopping is experiential- they create environments ensuring that the customer’s  experience is always priority whether it connects because of the names of the items on the menu, the decor, the lighting, or the staff.‎
6.  They all have a wow factor.‎
7. Their concepts are difficult to duplicate because they are so unique.
8. They always find a way to your heart… and your wallet. ‎

What is the real reason as to why so many long established retail chains have failed, leaving a void in the market and a shopping centre industry clamouring to reshape the retail landscape ‎which in some instances have become retail wastelands? All of a sudden there is a sense of urgency to reinvent the shopping centre.

Is it too little too late? Has the tide turned too swiftly? Or have we just ignored the signals? Could it be as simple as demographics? Have the two largest demographics, being the Baby Boomers and the Millennials literally upended the retail and restaurant world with their sheer numbers. Forcing retailers and restauranteurs to break all the traditional rules of how things should look and be. Is there a revolution or an evolution afoot?

Interesting questions which can simply be answered by the fact that many in the industry were blindsided. Some of the signals were camouflaged by the Great Recession of 2008 which lasted until just a few years ago. ‎And so excuses were made.

Ironically what had happened while the world was abuzz and preoccupied with the recession and the havoc it wreaked, the now Millennials were growing up and the Baby Boomers were aging. All of a sudden, young people were unable to find suitable employment or employment that excited them, engaged them and paid well. So many of them turned to self-employment using the technology that they grew up not only to promote their ideas but to test them in the real world in real time…..and so the independent was born.

A generation of young Millennials dissatisfied with the status quo and echoing the mood and spirit of their counterparts. Most of all they had nothing to lose and they had what most of the big chain retail executives did not- youth, passion and a desire to be different.

They have the spending power and are driving the way retailers must do business. Neither group can easily be ignored. Those who haven’t seen this wave coming are now having to play catch up…

Walls. What are those damn things and why are they getting in the way of me getting to the store next door?

Beauleigh has an announcement to make, so grab the dry wall closest to you. The walls are coming down at First Canadian Place… We’re serious!

Let’s just say you want to have a kick ass Sparta lunch box from iQ Food Co., but you are also craving a Gold Rush pressed juice from Greenhouse Juice. You only have 15 minutes on your lunch and you are going to waste it battling the salmon run in the PATH to satisfy your craving. Well, you can thank us, because you no longer have to!

Welcome to the new world of retail and thinking outside the box! Combine two tenants in one space. Most people would think it’s crazy, but we’re all about crazy ideas. Why? Because they work!

iQ Food Co. and Greenhouse Juice are our first ever team to tear down the walls creating a unique synergistic partnership in the downtown core.

Now open on the Food Terrace at First Canadian Place. Check it out!

Looking for a cool place for a get together? Or a place to hang out? Want to impress a date? Need a wicked outfit? The answer to these questions is probably yes, yes and YES.

You are tired of dining at the same restaurants and shopping at the same stores. You want to try something new in a dynamic environment, and you want to be the first one to post about it on Instagram. This is the new retail world. Be the first to find that new fashion store, restaurant or hangout, and tell your friends about it via social media.

Why? As customers, we all want unique experiences in cool environments.

This is why independent retailers and restaurants have taken Toronto by storm in recent years, and particularly in urban centres. And thank gosh they did, because they spice up things up a little.

Beauleigh strives to change the playing field in retail. We understand that this is what customers want and are excited to share with you our new roster of retailers in our upcoming projects. We take pride in having brought many first-to-market retailers to the downtown core and have had the pleasure of working with independents like Belmonte Raw, Pilot, Kupfert and Kim, Maman, Picnic, iQ Food, Greenhouse Juice, Hangar 9, Danish Pastry House, Uncle Tetsu, Urban Herbivore and the list goes on…

What we want you to keep in mind is that this does not mean customers won’t continue to shop or dine at the same stores or restaurants they did before. What it does mean is that they embrace the fact that they have more choices. This creates the diversity which ensures a successful retail environment.

We like to create a culture and vision inside our office. We are consistently and openly discussing new and upcoming industry trends and concepts amongst our team.  Who doesn’t like to feel like a kid again and have a massive chalkboard at your fingertips!?