Transportfan said:
^ I don't really like it either. Does anyone notice that Canadian branding almost always uses overtly nationalist themes?
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"Canadian" is a purely nationalist concept, so it's not surprising you'd say that. It might just be a matter of perception. When you think of Canadian fashion brands, the first ones that come to mind are those that have overtly used nationalist themes at some point like HBC, Roots or Canada Goose. They come to mind as "Canadian" before the likes of Lululemon, Aldo or Joe Fresh, not to mention Canadian retailers like Club Monaco or Harry Rosen. Those brands don't use nationalist themes because nationalism is not part of their business strategies.
 
I wonder if it just looks out of place because we're not used to seeing our flag in places like that. If the store was in the US and it was a US flag, would it look more natural? They are known to have their flag up everywhere including the exterior of their subway cars.
 
I agree it looks weird. But that is their brand. It will grab them lots of tourists which is a big portion of their target market.

I'm not saying the Eatons Centre is attractive per say but honestly compared to most suburban malls engulfed in a see of parking lots and thoughtless big box add ons. This really isn't as bad as people seem to like saying it is.
 
The flag is likely just a placeholder on the rendering. The signage will likely feature the Roots marketing of any given moment hawking leather goods, sweatshirts, etc.
 
I hate to rock the boat, but can confidently say there is a third store still to come. Uniqlo will have an entrance beside the office as planned.

MetroMan said:
I agree. Here's the current directory:

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Whoever is designing this thing has no clue what they're doing. They now put Uniqlo behind H&M in the office lobby. It's now apparent that there never was a third store. Uniqlo goes on Yonge. Nordstrom wraps around it to have a flagship atrium presence.

The hoarding on Yonge now has Uniqlo branding. Case closed.
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kotsy said:
I wonder if it just looks out of place because we're not used to seeing our flag in places like that. If the store was in the US and it was a US flag, would it look more natural? They are known to have their flag up everywhere including the exterior of their subway cars.
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They put their flag everywhere, but nationalist branding is surprisingly rare there. There's no obvious nationalism in such uber-US brands such as McDonald's or Walmart.
 
snyberTO said:
Roots is getting a makeover - I'll miss the curved glass but glad to see this refreshed.
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Smart marketing people at Roots. They know that their brand is very closely tied to Canada, perhaps even moreso than Tim Hortons. It may puzzle Canadians, but the brand 'Canada' sells. Tourists are going to eat that up.
 
Indeed, Toronto is the 4th most visited city in North America and a lot of that tourism is concentrated around Yonge-Dundas and Eaton Centre area. People will see a Roots store with a big Canadian flag and flock to shop for a souvenir Roots merchandise there.
 
eltodesukane said:
That Canadian flag shouldn't be there. It looks terrible, in your face as this. Don't mix politic with business. Stop the propaganda.
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Oh, geez. The Canadian flag is not "propaganda" (propaganda for what? Sweatshirts and leather bags?), and the sign no more mixes politics with business any more than decades of Roots signs, ads, sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc. featuring flags, maple leaves and other Canadian symbols. As discussed above, the flag is undoubtedly just a placeholder, but even in the unlikely event that it's not, Roots has for years had a successful business model relying on Canadian symbolism and this sign hardly breaks the camel's back. If a business wants to have a Canadian flag at its entrance, it should hardly generate this much angst and tsk-tsk'ing.
 
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