Livestock on Roncesvalles
Livestock on Roncesvalles is probably the fanciest location yet of the sneaker shop. It's much larger than its other Toronto location on Spadina. At first blush, the choice of neighbourhood might even seem a bit odd as it's populated with families (not hypebeasts), but it's well worth the trek from sneaker central (read: Queen West).
The entrance is warm and welcoming, keeping the building's original wooden floors and exposed brick walls. The rest of the lengthy room is cold and clinical (in a cool way, obviously), strewn with concrete and stark white.
Lukas Peet designed the space to be modular, utilizing customizable LED shelves and wall mounts to display Livestock's carefully curated clothing and footwear.
Of course, the sneakers are the main attraction, decorating almost every wall in all their hype-worthy glory. Adidas x Raf Simons Stan Smiths in pink ($440), Nike Huaraches in black and blue ($145) and Puma Blaze of Glorys in marble white ($180) are just some of the unique offerings.
Unlike other sneaker shops that throw in a few graphic tees and call it a day, this Livestock in particular carries a killer selection of men's clothing. Brands like Reigning Champ, Arcteryx, FUCT and Garbstore are on their roster, presenting garments much sharper than the average sweatsuit.
The women's section, although tiny, had me gawking. I saw a pair of Adidas Tubular x Primknits in grey ($210) and Reebok Instapump Fury Gallerys in all white ($180) that I never knew I needed.
The very back of the store is a lower-level pit, used as a pop-up (or pop-down?) space. When I recently visited, it was home to Illustrated Example , Livestock's exclusive house brand of hyper-functional sportswear.
Made in Canada using premium fabrics, the label offers fairly priced clothing like DWR-coated tech-fleece pants ($110), a waterproof mac jacket ($295) and everyday slub tees ($55).
Everything about Livestock's Roncesvalles location screams swanky contemporary boutique from the decor to the product, making it a destination for sneakerheads and menswear fanatics alike.
Photos by Hector Vasquez.