Mercedes-Benz has reopened its Studio inside Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street flagship following a brief renovation, unveiling the second iteration of the approximately 2,250-square-foot concept since it launched earlier this summer.
The new installation moves away from the inaugural Mercedes-AMG, Reigning Champ and tennis-focused theme and turns its attention to the automaker’s 140-year history. At the centre of the refreshed space is the Canadian debut of the 2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan, displayed alongside a replica of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, archival imagery, heritage displays and a virtual reality component.
Paul & Shark has also taken over as the Studio’s new fashion residency, replacing Vancouver-founded Reigning Champ. The Italian luxury clothing brand is marking its own milestone in 2026, celebrating 50 years in business with a curated Fall/Winter 2026 assortment and select pieces carrying an exclusive label developed with Mercedes-Benz and Holt Renfrew.
The September reopening provides the clearest look yet at how Mercedes-Benz intends to use the Holt Renfrew location: as an ongoing brand presence built around experiences that can be substantially reinvented throughout the year.
A Studio Designed to Change
When Mercedes-Benz Studio Toronto opened in June, the concept was structured around two distinct areas. The front portion was designed to evolve through a series of creative installations, while the MANUFAKTUR Atelier at the rear would remain as a consistent presentation of the brand’s craftsmanship and customization capabilities.
The first major change is now complete. The original summer installation centred on performance and tennis culture, bringing together Mercedes-AMG, Reigning Champ, tennis collectibles, apparel customization, racket-stringing programming and a café component tied to the sport.
The latest version replaces much of that programming with a different narrative, new vehicles, another fashion partner and a revised food and hospitality offering. In effect, Mercedes-Benz is remerchandising the Studio in a way familiar to fashion retail, where the core brand remains while products, visual presentation, collaborations and seasonal stories change around it.
The approximately 2,250-square-foot Studio occupies a prominent main-floor location inside Holt Renfrew’s flagship at 50 Bloor Street West. The department store spans more than 150,000 square feet across multiple levels, with expansive frontage along Bloor Street in the heart of Yorkville.
Its location places Mercedes-Benz directly within one of Canada’s most concentrated luxury shopping districts. It also puts the brand in front of customers who may be visiting Holt Renfrew for fashion, beauty, accessories or other luxury purchases rather than actively seeking an automotive showroom.
140 Years of Automotive History in One Space
The latest installation is built around Mercedes-Benz’s 140 Years of Innovation anniversary, connecting the origins of the automobile with the company’s newest flagship sedan. A replica of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen represents the starting point, with Carl Benz having filed the patent for the vehicle in 1886, an event closely associated with the birth of the modern automobile.
At the other end of that history is the 2027 S-Class Sedan, which is making its Canadian debut inside the Holt Renfrew Studio. The department-store location therefore has a role in a significant national product introduction, with visitors able to step inside the S-Class and examine its materials, design and interior details as part of the broader installation.
Archival imagery and milestone displays help connect the two vehicles, while a virtual reality component adds an interactive element to the heritage presentation.
“For 140 years, Mercedes-Benz has shaped the future of mobility through a relentless commitment to innovation, design, and craftsmanship,” said Alex Matthews, Vice President, Digital, PR and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Canada.
Matthews said the latest evolution of the Studio allows visitors to trace that history from the first automobile through to the new S-Class, which Mercedes-Benz is positioning as a showcase for its latest advances in comfort, innovation and design.
The S-Class also forms part of Mercedes-Benz’s wider global anniversary campaign. Three new S-Class sedans are travelling to 140 locations around the world during a transcontinental journey marking the anniversary, with Toronto included among the stops.
That program places the Holt Renfrew installation within a larger international initiative while allowing Mercedes-Benz to interpret the anniversary through a local retail setting. The contrast between the Patent-Motorwagen and the newest S-Class gives the Toronto installation a particularly clear way to communicate that history within a relatively compact space.
Paul & Shark Marks 50 Years
Fashion remains an important part of the Studio’s second iteration, with Paul & Shark replacing Reigning Champ as the featured partner. The residency introduces a curated selection from the Italian brand’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection, including select pieces with an exclusive label developed in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and Holt Renfrew.
Founded in Varese, Italy, in 1976, Paul & Shark is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The brand has built its identity around Italian heritage, craftsmanship, technical innovation and what it describes as a “Sense of Journey” philosophy.
“Paul & Shark has always looked to its heritage as a foundation for what comes next,” said Andrea Dini, CEO of Paul & Shark.
Dini said the Toronto residency creates a connection with Mercedes-Benz around craftsmanship, innovation and a shared sense of journey. It also provides another platform for Paul & Shark in what he described as a key market for the brand.
The fashion component is integrated into the overall Studio rather than operating as a separate shop-in-shop. Paul & Shark merchandise sits alongside the automotive and heritage elements, while Holts Café has introduced an Italian-inspired menu connected to the residency.
The approach preserves the basic structure established during the summer installation while changing its creative voice. Automotive design remains linked with apparel, hospitality and luxury products, while the brands and narrative surrounding it can shift from one iteration to the next.
MANUFAKTUR Remains the Constant
While the front portion of the Studio has undergone a substantial transformation, the MANUFAKTUR Atelier continues to serve as its consistent anchor. The Atelier focuses on vehicle personalization and material choice, allowing visitors to examine upholstery, fine leathers, steering wheels, interior finishes and exterior paint colours.
A featured G-Class demonstrates the breadth of available customization, while a floor-to-ceiling display presents interior upholstery and exterior finishes in a highly visual, tactile format. The concept is particularly suited to a luxury department-store environment, where customers are already accustomed to considering colour, fabrication, craftsmanship and personal style when purchasing fashion and accessories.
Within that setting, configuring a vehicle can be approached through a similar lens. Automotive customization becomes a luxury shopping process centred on materials, craftsmanship and individual preference.
The new S-Class provides another connection to that approach, with Mercedes-Benz expanding the personalization choices available through its MANUFAKTUR program. A live embroidery station also remains part of the Studio, carrying the customization theme into merchandise that visitors can personalize and purchase on site.
The Atelier’s continued presence provides continuity as the rest of the Studio changes. Vehicles, collaborators and creative themes can rotate around it while Mercedes-Benz’s focus on craftsmanship and personalization remains visible throughout the year.
From Saint Laurent Concession to Rotating Retail Platform
The Studio occupies a prominent space that previously housed a Saint Laurent concession before the fashion house shifted its presence further west along Bloor Street. Saint Laurent subsequently opened a much larger standalone flagship at 110 Bloor Street West, creating a full-brand environment separate from the department store.
The transition at Holt Renfrew is notable because the former concession has not simply been replaced by another permanent fashion shop. The space is instead being used as a platform capable of taking on several identities within the same year.
The progression is already visible. Saint Laurent gave way to Mercedes-Benz Studio Toronto in June, with the first installation centred on Mercedes-AMG, Reigning Champ and tennis. The September iteration now brings the S-Class, Paul & Shark and an automotive heritage narrative into the same footprint, with another transformation planned for the holiday period.
For Holt Renfrew, the approach allows a prominent portion of its main floor to introduce new brands, products and programming without a conventional tenant turnover. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, maintains a continuing Yorkville presence while giving customers new reasons to revisit the space.
A Different Approach to Automotive Retail
The second iteration also makes the strategy behind Mercedes-Benz Studio Toronto easier to see. At launch, the Studio was positioned as a way for customers to engage with Mercedes-Benz outside the dealership through design, fashion and interactive programming.
With its first major turnover complete, the location is beginning to operate more like a branded retail platform on a seasonal cycle. The hero vehicle, fashion partner, food offering, visual presentation and cultural narrative have changed, while the Mercedes-Benz presence and MANUFAKTUR Atelier remain.
That continuity gives the automaker an opportunity to reach customers within a luxury shopping environment rather than waiting for them to visit a dealership. The distinction is particularly relevant in Yorkville, where automotive brands, fashion houses, restaurants, hotels and other luxury businesses increasingly cater to an overlapping customer base.
“The Mercedes-Benz Studio Toronto with Paul & Shark experience is the latest curation of the best brands for our customers,” said Jerry Wu, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Holt Renfrew.
Wu said the second iteration brings together luxury fashion and automotive heritage around legacy, craftsmanship and innovation, along with a refreshed Holts Café offering.
The Studio also gives Holt Renfrew a way to introduce visible newness on its main floor as major luxury brands continue to invest in increasingly elaborate standalone flagships along Bloor Street. Rather than filling the former Saint Laurent space with another conventional concession, the Mercedes-Benz Studio provides a format that can repeatedly change its assortment, partners and presentation while retaining a recognizable identity.
Another Transformation Still to Come
The 140 Years of Innovation installation is scheduled to run through October 2026, with a third Studio concept expected to follow in November for the holiday period. That next iteration will provide another opportunity to see how far the format can evolve while remaining recognizably Mercedes-Benz.
For now, the September reopening demonstrates the premise behind the Studio with greater clarity. Approximately 2,250 square feet inside Holt Renfrew’s flagship has become a continuing Mercedes-Benz destination capable of telling a different brand story every few months.
