* This story was updated
A Smash + Tess-themed "pop-up" has arrived at Guildford Town Centre in Surrey with "exclusive first access" to a new Jillian Harris-backed Garden Party Collection from the online fashion brand.
For a month starting April 18, the 660-square-foot "Spring Fling" attraction is designed "to reflect the playful and inclusive values Smash + Tess is known for," with popular rompers and more from the Vancouver-based company, launched in 2016 by mother-daughter duo Ashley and Teresa Freeborn, known for direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales.
"A couple years ago we were at Coquitlam Centre with a short-term leased space for the holiday season," Ashley Freeborn told the Now-Leader, "but this is the first time where we've done this sort of free-standing structure in the middle of a mall, and certainly not in Surrey, so pretty exciting."
To launch the Garden Party Collection at Guildford, a meet-and-greet event with Harris is planned as a $10-a-ticket event May 4 from 7 to 9 p.m., with bubbly, light bites and photo-ops. Tickets will be sold on guildfordtowncentre.com starting April 28. A week later, public sales of the clothing will happen at Guildford May 5-6 and on smashtess.com starting May 7.
Located in the mall's Centre Court area, the lavender-hued pop-up has fitting rooms and a lounge-like look and feel.
"The brand is very much a D2C brand for the most part," Freeborn said, "but I think interacting with the clothes and being able to feel the quality and just interact with people, because so much of our brand is about community-building, it's kind of exciting to extend that into the real world."
Asked if Smash + Tess would consider opening a store at Guildford, Freeborn said it's not outside the realm of possibilities.
"I think that we've been hesitant with pandemic and post-pandemic swings, back and forth, but now I think brick-and-mortar is really coming back to life, which is exciting," she said. "We do like to test these areas, you know, like, is this something that the local community wants? In the Surrey area we do have a lot of customers, so I'm excited to test this and see what they think."
We're told that Harris’s love for lush gardens and whimsical outdoor gatherings inspired the Garden Party Collection, which features four "darling designs in soft pastel hues, dreamed up by Jillian herself, and embraces the spirit of spring and summer." Items include a maxi dress, mini dress, romper and summer cardigan, all available in sizes 2XS-4X "to make everybody feel chic and confident."
