The first phase of the renovation to the third floor of Holt Renfrew’s 50 Bloor St. W. Toronto flagship store has been completed, featuring a considerably different design than what was there before. The overhauled women’s department features contemporary fashions as well as boutique spaces for denim, H Project and SKIMS and this winter, a new men’s department will be unveiled in an adjacent area on the same floor.
The new womenswear space has a bold look with a denim focal area featuring bright carpeting and plants hanging from the ceiling — the Holt Renfrew design team worked with Studio Paolo Ferrari and master architect Gensler to create the space that is meant to evoke brand values including “warmth, sustainability, inspiration and joy”.
Various women’s departments on the third floor that were there prior to the renovation now feature updated spaces — that includes an expansive contemporary designer area with brands such as Vince, Theory, Frame, Alexander Wang, Ganni and others. The boutique for popular Kardashian-founded brand SKIMS was updated with a contemporary look, as was space for the purpose-driven department ‘H-Project’.
The Denim Lab on the centre of the floor currently houses women’s denim only, for now — this winter, men’s denim will be added to create a communal shopping environment. That will coincide with the unveiling of an adjacent men’s department, expected for on or close to December 5 of this year. Details of the new men’s store have been for the most part hush-hush for now, and construction will start soon on the space that once housed women’s contemporary fashions. So far we know that there will be a personal shopping area for men that will be accessed from near the denim area, according to a sales associate.
“The opening is very exciting for our customers, brand partners and everyone at Holt Renfrew. We are so proud to unveil the first phase of a completely revamped space of our Flagship Bloor store”, said Sebastian Picardo, President and CEO of Holt Renfrew in a statement. “This is just the beginning of what will be a new, bright, beautiful and creative place for our customers to shop. And where you’ll see our mission of empowering self-expression and igniting positive change come to life.”
“I am tremendously proud of everyone involved and want to thank our customers for their patience as we work towards the ultimate goal – a newly imagined men’s shop and a completely transformed space that will wow them.”
Sustainability was part of the building process for the women’s third floor renovation, with Holt Renfrew’s Greenbuild Guidelines being strictly followed. Sustainability elements included using efficient LED lighting tied into building automation system, HVAC modernization, and retention of existing travertine floor to minimize waste going to landfill.
Holt Renfrew continues to operate a 16,000 square foot menswear store nearby, in a standalone two-level space at 100 Bloor Street West. The store opened in September of 2014, and with its lease expiring, Holts is relocating menswear back into the 50 Bloor Holts flagship. Prior to opening the standalone menswear store in 2014, Holt Renfrew’s menswear department was on the main floor of 50 Bloor as well as part of the basement.
Holt Renfrew has been renovating the 50 Bloor flagship since before the pandemic. The second floor of the store, housing designer fashions, has seen updates including new boutique spaces for luxury brands Chanel, Gucci, Brunello Cucinelli and Celine, and a ‘Studio’ area for stylists. The mezzanine level saw a renovation in late 2018 that included an updated restaurant and women’s footwear, bags and home goods areas. Currently a Delvaux boutique occupies a space on the mezzanine along with boutique spaces for Dior footwear and Roger Vivier, and an expansive footwear area as well as bags, home goods and some food.
The store’s main floor saw an expansive renovation shortly before the pandemic that added 12 luxury brand concessions, which currently include Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Prada, Fendi, Gucci, Dior, David Yurman, Balenciaga, Burberry, Miu Miu and Bulgari. The Bulgari concession will be closing in the near future after a standalone flagship opened on Bloor Street nearby several weeks ago.
The basement level of the 50 Bloor Holts flagship also saw a renovation in the spring of 2019, becoming a beauty hall with an adjacent Chanel beauty boutique. Years prior the basement had housed menswear and home goods, as well as a cafe.
The exterior of the 50 Bloor flagship was also updated during the pandemic — the white marble circa 1979 facade was replaced by a warm sandstone and glass exterior in early 2021.
We’ll follow up on this story as renovations progress on the new third floor Holt Renfrew men’s store, expected to open in December of this year.
Related Articles:
This is stunning. Warm and inviting too, which isn’t always something that Holt Renfrew interiors aren’t always known for.