South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster opened at Holt Renfrew Vancouver last week, introducing an unusual installation featuring three enormous moving human heads. The opening is among several changes at the downtown luxury department store, where Brunello Cucinelli is relocating its women’s boutique and longstanding tenants Tiffany & Co. and Loewe have departed.
The Gentle Monster installation features three oversized sculptural heads with freckled faces, slicked-back dark hair and lifelike features. Mounted on white supports above circular platforms, the heads move as part of the display, bringing the theatrical retail design associated with the South Korean brand into Holt Renfrew’s luxury shopping environment.
Photographs by Retail Insider correspondent Ritchie Po show the sculptures in a roped-off area near the new eyewear boutique, surrounded by other luxury retail spaces. Holt Renfrew signage identifies the location as Level 2, where Gentle Monster has taken over space previously occupied by Loewe, which now operates at Oakridge Park.
The Gentle Monster opening comes five months after Oakridge Park began welcoming shoppers, adding another major luxury retail destination to Vancouver. While some brands have left Holt Renfrew, others continue to operate at both properties or are investing in updated spaces within the department store.
Gentle Monster Brings Moving Sculptures to Holt Renfrew
Gentle Monster’s Vancouver opening follows its Canadian debut at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in December 2025. The South Korean eyewear retailer opened a flagship spanning more than 5,300 square feet, introducing the sculptural installations and unconventional store design that have become central to its international retail identity.
Founded in Seoul in 2011, Gentle Monster has developed a network of stores combining eyewear collections with large-scale art installations. Its Yorkdale flagship incorporates kinetic sculptures and mechanical displays, establishing a precedent for the approach now introduced at Holt Renfrew Vancouver.
The Vancouver installation features three heads of varying sizes, each mounted above a white circular base with visible structural supports. Their realistic facial details contrast with their exaggerated proportions, while the movement of the sculptures adds an unexpected element to the department store’s shopping environment.
Positioned in an open area near the eyewear merchandise, the installation is visible to shoppers passing through the department store. The boutique occupies Loewe’s former location near Balenciaga’s World of boutique, bringing a new international brand into an established concentration of luxury retail spaces.
Brunello Cucinelli Reconfigures Its Vancouver Boutiques
Italian luxury fashion house Brunello Cucinelli is reorganizing its presence within Holt Renfrew Vancouver, with a new women’s boutique under construction on the third floor. The boutique is relocating from an existing space across the hallway, following the opening of a dedicated men’s boutique on the concourse level in spring 2026.
Previously, Brunello Cucinelli operated a concession of approximately 600 square feet on the third floor, carrying both men’s and women’s collections. The men’s boutique created a separate retail environment for menswear, while the current construction project will provide a new location for the women’s collection.
Known for luxury ready-to-wear, knitwear and cashmere, Brunello Cucinelli also maintains a presence at Oakridge Park. The company is therefore represented at two of Vancouver’s major luxury shopping destinations while continuing to update its boutique environments inside Holt Renfrew.
Tiffany & Co. Ends Longstanding Holt Renfrew Relationship Nationwide
Tiffany & Co. has also departed Holt Renfrew Vancouver, ending a relationship that extended for more than three decades. The American luxury jeweller established a shop-in-shop of approximately 700 square feet at Holt Renfrew Vancouver in the early 1990s, according to historical reporting by Retail Insider.
The relationship predated much of the luxury retail development that subsequently took place along Alberni and Burrard streets. Tiffany later occupied a larger concession in Holt Renfrew’s current Vancouver flagship, which opened in 2007, and maintained its department-store presence after establishing a standalone boutique on Burrard Street.
Tiffany currently operates Vancouver boutiques at 723 Burrard Street and Oakridge Park, while its official Canadian store directory no longer lists a Holt Renfrew Vancouver location. The departure leaves the brand represented through standalone stores in the city.
Changes to Tiffany’s Holt Renfrew presence are also taking place elsewhere in Canada. At Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, the jeweller has been preparing to transition from its Holt Renfrew boutique to a standalone location.
The Vancouver closure is notable for the duration of the relationship and Tiffany’s longstanding role within Holt Renfrew’s luxury jewellery offering. It comes as the jeweller maintains its own network of Canadian boutiques while exiting Holt Renfrew entirely.
Luxury Brands Adjust Their Canadian Department-Store Presence
Other international luxury houses have been changing their representation within Holt Renfrew properties across Canada, although the circumstances differ by brand and market. These developments include moves toward standalone boutiques and changes to existing department-store arrangements.
Saint Laurent has departed Holt Renfrew Ogilvy in Montréal. The French luxury house previously exited Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street flagship in Toronto, where it operates a standalone boutique at 110 Bloor Street West.
In Calgary, Hermès is preparing a larger standalone retail presence on Stephen Avenue. Retail Insider reported in June that the French luxury house secured approximately 5,000 to 6,000 square feet at 407 8th Avenue SW for a boutique anticipated to open in 2028. Hermès has operated a concession of approximately 1,300 square feet inside Holt Renfrew Calgary since 2009.
Changes in brand representation also affect how department stores allocate their space. In Vancouver, Gentle Monster has occupied Loewe’s former location, while Brunello Cucinelli is reorganizing its boutiques without leaving the property.
Holt Renfrew and Oakridge Park Share Major Luxury Brands
Despite several departures, Holt Renfrew Vancouver continues to accommodate a substantial collection of dedicated luxury boutiques, including numerous brands that also maintain locations at Oakridge Park. The overlap illustrates the continued importance of the downtown department store alongside the newer development.
Retail Insider has identified 14 luxury houses with dedicated boutiques or shop-in-shop environments at Holt Renfrew Vancouver that also have a presence at Oakridge Park. They include Celine, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, Christian Louboutin, David Yurman, Longchamp, Miu Miu, Moncler, Prada, Thom Browne and Valentino.
These are dedicated branded retail environments within Holt Renfrew, rather than labels carried exclusively through its general merchandise assortment. Many operate under leased or concession-style arrangements.
Oakridge Park opened in May 2026 with approximately 500,000 square feet of retail space, with the completed shopping component expected to encompass about 650,000 square feet. Developed by QuadReal Property Group and Westbank, the mixed-use project is located south of downtown Vancouver, providing another luxury shopping destination beyond CF Pacific Centre and the surrounding downtown retail district.
For luxury brands, maintaining locations at both properties provides access to different shopping environments and customer catchments within Metro Vancouver. It also requires decisions about merchandise allocation, staffing and capital investment, with individual boutique performance influencing the economics of operating multiple locations.
The overlap indicates that Oakridge Park’s opening has not resulted in a widespread withdrawal of luxury brands from Holt Renfrew Vancouver. Many continue to operate dedicated boutiques downtown while establishing additional locations at the newer development.
Brunello Cucinelli is one example, maintaining representation at both properties while investing in separate men’s and women’s environments inside Holt Renfrew. Loewe and Tiffany have taken a different approach, leaving the department store while maintaining boutiques elsewhere in Vancouver.
Holt Renfrew remains one of Vancouver’s largest concentrations of international luxury brands, operating alongside standalone boutiques on Alberni Street, Burrard Street and neighbouring downtown shopping corridors. New store openings, renovations and relocations have continued across the district as Oakridge Park establishes itself as another destination for luxury retailers.
