name holt renfrew type privately held company industry retail founded 1837 quebec city quebec canada founder william s. henderson headquarters toronto ontario canada products clothing and accessories footwear fragrances jewellery beauty products website www.holtrenfrew.com holt renfrew & co. limited commonly known as holt renfrew or holt s 1 is a chain of high end canadian department stores specializing in an array of luxury brands and designer boutiques . often compared to barneys 2 and saks fifth avenue 3 in the united states holt renfrew is controlled by the selfridges group and its chairman w. galen weston which also owns selfridges in the united kingdom brown thomas of dublin ireland and de bijenkorf in the netherlands . once furriers in ordinary to queen victoria the chain was founded in 1837 originally as a fur shop in quebec city . 4 contents 1 history 1.1 founding 1.2 furriers to the british monarchy 1.3 expansion 1.4 haute couture 1.5 new look 1.6 mod and miss renfrew 1.7 weston era 1.8 millennium 1.9 hr175 2 today 3 see also 4 references 5 external links history edit w.s. henderson & co. fur shop company receipt quebec city 1847 . founding edit in 1837 william s. henderson an irish born merchant bought out his partners in a quebec city fur shop and went into business for himself thereby marking the traditional founding date of holt renfrew . three years earlier henderson had arrived by ship from londonderry with a load of hats and caps . the merchandise sold well and other overseas crossings followed . eventually henderson set up shop at quebec under the name william ashton & co. 5 an early company advertisement noted a line of wholesale and retail garments and accessories that included ladies fur muffs boas and tippets in addition to buffalo robes and bear skins procured as well as manufactured on this premises . 6 by 1847 the store then renamed william s. henderson & co. had established itself at 12 buade street . eventually the store moved to larger premises at 35 buade where it remained for many years . over the decades that followed the store s ownership changed hands as various partners came and went and the firm s name underwent revision . w.s. henderson eventually sold the store to his brother john a montreal businessman and it became john henderson & co. in 1862 with the addition of business partner george richard renfrew the store s name changed to henderson renfrew and company . by the time of confederation in 1867 henderson had retired and renfrew and v.h. marcou whom henderson had sent to quebec to manage the business had become the new principals with the firm renamed renfrew & marcou . 7 furriers to the british monarchy edit sir john a. macdonald first canadian prime minister in a g.r. renfrew & co. fur coat by portrait photographer william james topley ottawa 1883 . by the middle of the 19th century the company had begun promoting its fur garments beyond quebec to a larger north american and european market . 8 an 1890 mail order fur catalogue listed nine different medals and diplomas won at london paris and philadelphia exhibitions from 1851 to 1888 . 9 there were also notable patrons . admirers of sir john a. macdonald canada s first prime minister had decided the coat he had worn during an 1883 visit to quebec city was not befitting his status as first minister and bought him a new fur coat from the company . 10 then in 1886 g.r. renfrew & co. received its most prestigious honour being named furriers in ordinary by her majesty queen victoria . the queen had purchased a number of fur items from the company s display at the indian & colonial exhibition held that year at london england . the quebec daily telegraph wrote at length about the appointment cover of the g.r. renfrew & co. fur catalogue from the 1890 91 season . visitors to the late provincial exhibition in this city will remember that lithographed copies in duplicate were shown of the royal letters patent from the mistress of the robes at windsor castle notifying messrs. g.r. renfrew & co. of their appointment as furriers to the queen . at the same exhibition this firm exposed a duplicate set in sable to that purchased from them by her majesty the queen in person at the indian & colonial exhibition in london . in common with many of our readers we are not of opinion that a firm any more than a private individual is the better individually for rubbing against royalty but we are speaking of business affairs in a business sense and there is no doubt that queen victoria would not have patronized messrs. g.r. renfrew & co. when she wanted a new muff nor appointed them as her special furriers unless she was satisfied that their articles were the very best of the kind manufactured and that she could not do as well elsewhere . it is upon the knowledge of these facts that we congratulate messrs. g.r. renfrew & co. and feel a legitimate pride in the success of our fellow citizens abroad . at home their success is exemplified by the large number of awards made by their exhibits and also by the splendid stock which they always keep on hand in the mammoth establishment . 11 it was in fact the first of a series of royal warrants issued by members of the british royal family . in 1901 holt renfrew & co. was appointed furriers to her majesty queen alexandra and then to his royal highness the prince of wales later king edward vii in 1903 . 12 in 1910 the company was appointed by royal warrant furriers to his majesty king george v. 13 the last of the royal warrants was issued by the prince of wales later king edward viii in 1921 . 5 holt renfrew & co. limited display franco british exhibition london england 1908 . expansion edit in 1889 the company established its first store outside of quebec city with a new retail outlet at 71 and 73 king street east toronto . 14 william henderson had by this time retired and his nephew allen e. renfrew had become partner . in 1900 john henderson holt who began his career as a company clerk was appointed president and the firm became known as holt renfrew & co. 7 by 1908 the company s structure had changed again and it had become holt renfrew & co. limited . meanwhile the company continued to display its furs at various international expositions such as the franco british exhibition held in london england that same year . described as a great merger of fur firms by the press in 1910 holt renfrew acquired dunlop cook co. limited and established new premises at montreal on fashionable st. catherine st. w. in addition to taking over the firm of w. j. hammond the largest fur house in the west at winnipeg manitoba . 15 with the death of john h. holt in 1915 a.e. renfrew was appointed company president a position he held until his retirement in 1919 . 16 holt renfrew newspaper advertisement announcing the opening of a new toronto store the globe june 20 1910 . haute couture edit in 1937 in conjunction with the company s 100th anniversary holt renfrew unveiled a new six storey montreal headquarters and flagship store . designed by the canadian architectural firm of ross and macdonald 17 the structure was built in what became known as the streamline moderne style of art deco . 18 women s wear daily wrote of the limestone structure located at the corner of sherbrooke and mountain streets as one of the most modernly and attractively appointed retail establishments on this continent and further commented that throughout the store the aim has been to secure an effect of luxury and good taste . 19 press reports also noted the new store s commitment to haute couture and how new york fashions as well as london and paris models are represented in the dress coat sportswear millinery and other fashion departments . 20 holt renfrew also retailed the work of canadian high fashion designers such as marie paule nolin whose salon and workroom were hosted by the store during the 1940s . 21 with the outbreak of armed conflict in europe and canada s early entry into world war ii holt renfrew s fashion reflected the new homefront realities . with the rationing of textiles and other materials the company s designs featured shorter sleeves and raised hemlines . retail expansion during this time was muted with the exception of holt renfrew s acquisition of simon furs of ottawa in 1945 . holt renfrew s montreal store designed by the canadian architectural firm ross and macdonald under construction in 1937 . the art deco structure was completed the same year as the chain s 100 year anniversary . new look edit the conclusion of war saw holt renfrew re emerge as canada s leading furrier and fashion retailer closely associated with the haute couture of the post war era . in 1947 on the eve of the impending marriage of princess elizabeth heir to the british throne and prince philip the company was commissioned by the canadian government to design the country s official wedding gift for the princess . president alvin j. walker flew to london england with a selection of 85 samples to personally show and take measurements for the labrador wild mink coat 22 early in the post war period holt renfrew re established close working relationships with the leading fashion houses of europe and north america . by 1947 alvin walker signed an agreement with the house of christian dior to sell its paris haute couture in canada . with dior s new look and its renewed emphasis on luxury and femininity in women s fashion making headlines it was the beginning of an extended relationship that linked the name of holt renfrew to the most famous fashion designer in the world at the time . 23 the arrangement soon evolved into an exclusive one as walker secured an agreement to solely represent dior in the canadian marketplace . newspaper ads for dior fashion explicitly noted only at holt renfrew in all of canada . 24 along with dior the couture models of other well known paris designers were also featured holt renfrew s own fashionists attended the recent winter openings of the leading couturiers in paris . the models selected by them are here ... they have arrived by air express . this collection ... the largest ever imported by h.r. . . presents a composite and perfect picture of the new fashion created by paris ... the dramatic wing line by christian dior ... the lovely subtle straightline with sudden flare sponsored by pierre balmain ... the flattering backward drapery by jacques fath ... the sylph line skirt and bryonic corsage by molyneux ... the higher waistline robert piguet ... the tubular skirt with stiffened pockets by jacques griffe ... and the most perfect black dresses by balenciaga . included are all types of costumes from the typically parisian tailleur ... for the morning promenade in the bois ... to gay short evening dresses and formal gowns with daring decolletes and short irregular trains . 25 holt renfrew also secured exclusive canadian rights to the haute couture of italian designers simonetta visconti and fabiani . 23 its representatives not only made frequent trips to the fashion houses of paris london new york and milan but also attended all major fur and fashion shows . one magazine writer commented on how the eternal watchfulness of holt renfrew buyers on the world s fashion fronts and their close liaison with outstanding designers and creators of fashions plays an important part in the rapidly growing roster of holt