They say two’s company and three’s a crowd. But not for The Canvas by Querencia. Two was just a start, and three is just the next step to helping sustainable fashion take-over the world.
Earlier this month the Brooklyn-based ethical fashion retail platform opened its third location, and its second in New York City, on Bowery in Manhattan. The Canvas’s two other locations, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Antwerp, Belgium, have both served as hubs for sustainable fashion in their respective neighborhoods since their openings. Now, their Bowery location will bring a focus to sustainable fashion in Manhattan.
Taking over what was formerly the International Center for Photography, The Canvas Bowery spans a massive 6,000 square feet. Which is plenty of room to not only display garments and products from the over 100 brands that they partner with, but also showcase art and serve as a sewing workshop and photography studio.
The color palette of the interior is bold and colorful, inspired by the graphics of the Sustainable Development Goals. Brands at The Canvas must detail their efforts to address at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals in order to join the platform. You can also see art installations from artists Danny Cole and Michael Murphy of Perceptual Art within the space. The Canvas’s brands will also have the opportunity to create installations and experiences to surround their product and display their process. And if anyone needs a little coffee while working, they can stop by RISE Brewing Co., which is the coffee partner for the The Canvas’s new space.
Separate from the retail space, there is also an area that includes a sewing workshop and photography studio, which is available for use by brands and partners within The Canvas’ platform. This area will serve as a space that can foster collaboration between The Canvas and its brands for developing new products, technologies, and content.
As a pathway to bridge its e-commerce and brick-and-mortar locations together for a cohesive experience, The Canvas has been expanding on technology partnerships enabling transparency and insights for both brands and customers. The first of its new partnerships includes Sourcemap, a “Youtube for supply chains,” which allows brands to fully display their supply chain from point to point. The Canvas Bowery location will also feature ROOTIP technology, which enables customers to view the individuals involved in making brands’ garments, their stories, and certifications. And lastly, SwapChain, a new blockchain powered swapping technology, will also be part of The Canvas Bowery experience and launching in the coming weeks.
Despite not being able to see the space in person, we got a peek (before the Bowery location even opened) at The Canvas’s new space during their latest weekly Town Hall meeting over Zoom, during which they bring together brands and partners and stakeholders within their community.
We were able to view both the retail space and its collaborative space for The Canvas’s partners.
The Town Hall focused on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in business practices at The Canvas and featured Kerry Bannigan of the Conscious Fashion Campaign. In collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, the Conscious Fashion Campaign engages leading global fashion industry events to accelerate collective action in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. Lucie Brigham, the Chief of Office of the United Nations Office for Partnerships, and Tricia Carey, Director Global Business Development at Lenzing, also participated in the roundtable discussion.
If you’re interested in listening to the The Canvas Town Hall podcast with the Conscious Fashion Campaign, you can find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
And if you’d like to see The Canvas Bowery for yourself, head to 250 Bowery, which sits at the intersection of NoLiTa, NoHo, SoHo and Greenwich Village.
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