Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style

Shop Class – Neighbour

Christopher Blomquist
By

Founded four years ago by Saager Dilawri, an alumnus of the Parsons School of Design and New York-based menswear brand Unis, Neighbour ranks as one of Vancouver’s best men’s multibrand specialty boutiques thanks to its unique assortment of hard-to-find, carefully curated brands. Store manager and buyer Justin Lintag recently caught up with us about this must-visit Canadian shopping destination.

How would you describe the store’s overall aesthetic and product assortment?

Recommended Videos

The overall aesthetic of the store merges the classic with contemporary. If you look at our stocklist, you may notice that we carry labels that span the globe from Scandinavia to Belgium, Japan or England and beyond. The brands we choose are always very personal to us and in our taste. We also tend to carry designers that we can grow with and are not yet readily available to North America.

arrangement
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Who is your “typical” customer or do you even have one?

Not really, everyone is welcomed with the same attention. Our customers come from all walks of life. We just hope to provide something special for everyone.

What are some of current bestsellers item-wise and brand-wise?

Our Legacy for their ever-interesting, wearable garments. Stephan Schneider for their original design and fabric stories. Norse Projects for their wide range of staples.

What is the general price range?

Mid to high I would say.

What special services do you offer your customers?

I’m not sure if we can say that we offer “special services” per se, but we do truly strive to give every customer a very personal experience. This means being engaged and building rapport with them for the long term. Believe it or not, we even keep in personal contact with many of our online customers.

How often do you get new merchandise?

Deliveries can vary throughout the season, but you’ll find something new in-store usually on a weekly basis.

How is your online business compared to your brick-and-mortar one?

Physical and online share the same inventory, so everything that you see online can be found in our brick-and-mortar retail location.

What items will you be pushing for the upcoming holiday season?

We always try to offer a wide range of holiday gift items for Christmas. Kiosk has been amazing for objects that are interesting in design and are also useable in the real world. We are also proud of the in-house items that we produce each season like our Merino caps, lambswool scarves and Shetland sweaters.

What sets Neighbour apart from other stores in Vancouver?

Vancouver has some of the best men’s shops in the world–and it is because we all have our own identities. We all have our own vision and instinctually carry products that are personal to us. At Neighbour, we look for those designers and collections who put an emphasis on fabrics, quality, intelligent design and have an interesting story behind them.

Christopher Blomquist
Christopher Blomquist
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Christopher is a native New Yorker who lives and works (mostly) in Manhattan. A longtime fashion journalist, he served as…
College-goers will love these new HeyDude shoes [Sponsored]
HEYDUDE Collegiate Collection lined up on colorful background

Since HEYDUDE was first established back in 2008, the company has prided itself on offering great-looking shoes that are lightweight and comfortable while also being affordable. That’s always made them a great option for college students looking for a pair of shoes that match their personality while also lasting for a long time.

Right now, there’s an even better reason for college students to check out HEYDUDE –  they just announced some awesome new styles that scream school spirit. Their new Collegiate Collection allows you to show support for your favorite school with a unique design that matches the iconic logo and bold team colors of your favorite team. Each pair is priced at $75, which is an excellent value for what you get.

Read more
Birkenstock is taking on Crocs with its new $150 Lutry clog
Be honest: You're tired of Crocs and are glad Birkenstock did this
Birkenstock Lutry Clog

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Some fashion trends show up, and they just don't go away. They grab ahold of a specific part of our societal collective psyche and refuse to die. Crocs seem to be one of these trendy items that just won't go away. They took the idea of the wooden clog made famous by their medieval craze in Europe and replaced the wood with silicone. They added to the garment by adding a backstrap, allowing the wearer to put it into "Sport Mode," where they can wander Starbucks to their heart's content without losing their intricately decorated silicone slip-on.

Then you have brands that will take a fashion trend, refusing to die, and give it a little class, a little panache. You have a brand that will take what you would normally add flair to (like a bad version of Office Space) and add a simple twist of elegance that not only makes the trend more enjoyable but ensures that it stays around. Birkenstock is now going head-to-head with Crocs in an attempt to add some luxury to the world of the modern-day clog by introducing their Lutry Clog.

Read more
Brooks challenges Vuori with new Luxe Apparel Collection men’s clothing (and women’s clothing!) line
Workout clothing is now more fashionable than ever
Two people walking on the street in Luxe

There has always been a separation between fashion and function, style and getting the job done. When it came to gym clothes, men were often used to simply throwing on a ratty old t-shirt and the same basketball shorts we have always worn. The world is ever-evolving, and the fitness world is beginning to get stylish. Brands are becoming more focused on style and comfort, closing the gap between fashion and function. Vuori has long been the pioneer of the stylish comfort game. But now they have a new competitive adversary on the market.

Brooks has been a mainstay in footwear since the early 1900s when they made bathing shoes. That's right, shoes made to be worn in the rivers, oceans, and anywhere the tender footed wanted to go. They developed shoes across many industries before they took aim at the one that held their passion: running. Decades later, they are one of the leading authorities in all things running, with some of the best shoes money can buy. Their next step is the release of the Luxe Collection, a combination of men's clothing and women's clothing that is just as good on the run as on the couch.

Read more