ROOM FOR LINDA: Linda Evangelista, one of the supermodels of the Eighties and Nineties, is the new face of The Room, Hudson’s Bay’s luxury destination.
“Linda represents sophisticated fashion. Her beauty has transcended time,” Michael Crotty, Hudson’s Bay executive vice president and chief marketing officer, told WWD. “We are seeing brands and designers looking for more mature authentic faces in their campaigns,” Crotty said, like Nars, which has actress Charlotte Rampling, and L’Oréal, which has featured a host of actresses and models, including Jane Fonda, Eva Longoria and Julianne Moore.
The Room’s spring campaign with Evangelista will run in the March issues of Elle Canada and Fashion Magazine, the April issue of Vogue, and in The Globe and Mail, and Vancouver Sun. Evangelista was shot by Pamela Hanson in New York, wearing Moschino, Erdem, Junya Watanabe, Giambattista Valli, Emanuel Ungaro, Proenza Schouler, Versace, Mary Katrantzou, Simone Rocha, The Row and Iris Van Herpen. Evangelista and Hudson’s Bay are both Canadian. Hudson’s Bay has a track record of putting Canadian models in their campaigns, including Daria Werbowy, Jessica Stam and Coco Rocha.
Two Hudson’s Bay stores, in Toronto and Vancouver, house The Room. The concept debuted in 1937 as The St. Regis Room at Simpson’s in Toronto and was rebranded as The Room in 1963. Hudson’s Bay acquired Simpson’s in 1978, thereby inheriting The Room. It was remodeled and re-launched in 2009. Despite the intensifying retail competition in Canada, “The Room has a solid customer base in both Toronto and Vancouver,” Crotty said.
