Brian Hill is a Canadian entrepreneur and the founder and Executive Chair of Vancouver-based clothing company

Aritzia Aritzia LP is a Economy of Canada, Canadian women's fashion brand founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Brian Hill (CEO Aritzia), Brian Hill in 1984. Aritzia sells a variety of lifestyle apparel through various upscale retail stores acro ...

. After the opening of its first location in 1984, the company has grown steadily in its thirty years of operation, servicing a demographic of young women and employing more than 2,300 staff. Unlike most comparable retailers such as H&M, Aritzia designs and produces many in house brands including: TNA, Talula, Babaton, Wilfred, Wilfred Free, Community, Le Fou, La Notte, Sunday Best, Paradise Mine, The Castings, SIXELEVEN and Auxiliary.

Early life

Family

Brian Hill was raised in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada by his father Jim Hill, the founder of the luxury retail compan
Hills of Kerrisdale
Brian worked at his father's retail store through his adolescence, often doing simple maintenance tasks, such as folding, and window washing. He learned about the retail business under the mentorship of his father, Jim, and uncle, Forbes Hill.

Education

Following his graduation from high school, attended the commerce program at Queen's University. After poor grades caused him to be kicked out of the faculty of commerce, he graduated from the faculty of economics. Upon graduation, Hill moved back home to Vancouver.

Career

The Founding and Expansion of Aritzia

Shortly after returning from school, in 1984, Hill, with his brother Ross, opened the first Aritzia boutique in

Oakridge Centre Oakridge Centre (and formerly known as ''Oakridge Mall'') is a shopping centre in the Oakridge neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located at the intersection of West 41st Avenue and Cambie Street. It was originally opene ...

, an upscale shopping mall in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, BC. Hill claimed that he saw a gap in the market, which he intended to fill, lying somewhere between luxury clothing retailers for young women and trendy retailers for young girls. In order to fill this gap in the market, Hill felt that it was necessary to develop in-house brands that could deliver what was not already available to consumers, the six private brands: Wilfred, TNA, Talula, Sunday Best, Community and Babaton accompanied by their two accessory brands SIXELEVEN and Auxiliary are responsible for 80% of the company's sales. Nearing the end of the 1990s, Aritzia was expanded nationally, and then in 2005, it was expanded internationally to establish boutiques in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. American cities with Aritzia locations include Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and New York. Figuring out how to expand into California and Florida brought some challenges due to the warm nature of the fall and winter clothing lines. Despite this obstacle, Aritzia has expanded to 105 locations across North America as of Nov. 28, 2021.

Charity involvement

In 2007, Brian's wife, Andrea Thomas Hill founded the organizatio
Cause We Care
a foundation designed to provide support to single mothers in the Vancouver area who may be struggling to provide for their children. Aritzia is a sponsor and advocate of the organization. Brian and Andrea support the BC Children's Hospital Foundation and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Brian Canadian chief executives Queen's University at Kingston alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)