Harry Rosen in a mens luxury retailers founded in 1954 by Harry Rosen. A well known Canadian retailer which has 15 stores currently operating across Canada and has its headquarters currently in Toronto, one of THE most booming and forward thinking cities in the world. There are very few luxury retailers owned and operated by Canadians exclusively in Canada so that makes Harry Rosen a very successful empire with a very bright future in the luxury goods market as it does not have many competitors within its range of goods and services. The level of success that this company has seen is astonishing as it is a relatively new venture being started in the mid 50's. Its only real competition to date has been Holt Renfrew, another Canadian luxury clothing and accessories company that has been in operation since it was founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson originally as a furriers. These retailers are not overly Canadian and do not put their Canadian roots on display as a selling point as The Hudson's Bay company might, but are no less proud to be Canadian. Being compared to various American retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney's New York, the level of prestige Harry Rosen has is evident.
The major stepping stone this company had used in order to foresee future success for this type of market was of course Holt Renfrew seeing major expansions to many Provinces across the nation, they knew they had a chance to be what they are today. Harry Rosen has shaped the way Canadians, as well as people from across the nation think of us as a people. We are a civilized people, we are mature and educated and are well put together in every sense, (not to mention painfully modest). Along with its complementary company Holt Renfrew which dedicates its time to all types of people, selling goods for men, women, and children and recently to people with less means to purchase certain products at the main stores with the introduction of hr2. This adds to Harry Rosen's exclusivity as since the company has opened it has signed with many high end brands from Europe and The United States to sell their clothing lines in Canada exclusively at Harry Rosen,Tom Ford being one of the more recent additions.
There is obviously a certain class system that Harry Rosen upholds being a high-end luxury retailer. Not everyone is able to purchase the goods and services included in the shopping experience within one of their stores. Harry has out-done himself in providing goods to his customers, including $2,000+ suits, shoes that range from the hundreds to the thousands and various accessories that the modern business man would kill for, adding to the many services including personal shopping, having a suit perfectly tailored by an expert crafts-man along with a clean shave in its Barber shop and the list goes on. It's clear that this is a gendered company as it leans towards the needs of men. This is not a huge problem as its sister company Holt Renfrew is tailored more towards women's wants and needs although it does have goods for men, the quantity of one definitely out-weighs the other. Harry Rosen made such a big impact because men did not really have a retailer that was geared towards their specific needs as the luxury goods world has obviously been leaning towards the accommodation of its female customers leaving men with little choice when it comes to dressing well for any situation. Although one might break the bank... or a few banks in order to shop in this store, it is still outfitted towards every type of guy. There is more or less something for everyone in Harry Rosen; There's something for the Boardroom business giant, the laid back sporty guy, the Hampton's Prep, as well as the modern young adult. It is a community of gentlemen coexisting as Canadians who want to represent their country in one way or another.
In a way Harry Rosen Co. has gotten so large in of itself that it is almost like a small state. It has a very large influence over many different types of people and has its eyes on their habits, likes, dislikes, emerging trends in behaviour, etc, to come up with ways to fulfill their present and future needs. As Jeffrey Painter puts it, a state is almost like an “institution” or and “organization”, this is exactly what Harry Rosen is, in that it is a governing factor in the way Men present themselves to the world on a day to day basis. This can lead to changes in behaviour as one tends to be more confident and extroverted, as well as optimistic when they feel good about the way they look. Any state which wants it population to grow and thrive wants them to be as happy as possible and along with its customer service as well as the factors of supply and demand, Harry Rosen gives its customers exactly what they need. Additionally, Dittmer states that narratives are extremely important to every individual as they add to our understanding of ourselves along with the rest of the world. This supports Harry Rosen as in essence, what ever u put on in the morning tells a story about you, it is your entire personality essentially covering your body. Whether it be an entire elaborate outfit or pants and a t-shirt, those tell two completely different stories to the people around you.
- Robert Fama
Painter, Joe, and Alex Jeffrey. 2009. Chapter 2: State Formation, in Political Geography. 2nd ed. London: Sage. p. 19-43
Dittmer, Jason. 2010. Chapter 4: “Narration of Nation in the Post WWII US”, in Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 69-90.
Strategy Magazine. Visionaries: Harry Rosen. Published January 1, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2009
Harry Rosen website- Company History
I really enjoyed reading your blog. It was very insightful and a unique expression of a nation. Prior to this, I didn't have any knowledge about the importance of the brand as a true Canadian icon and how it helped forge a style and dress sense across the nation. I also found the youtube clip fascinating.
Everytime I go to Harry Rosen, I feel horrible because there are so many nice items but I can't afford them... I agree with you that Harry Rosen has large influences over Canadians because when you want to buy a luxury good in Canada, you only have two choices. It's either Holts or Harry Rosen.
I thought this was a great blog post. I often find myself shopping at Harry Rosen for gifts, and I do definitely agree with you that this store has a large influence on Canadians. It is also extremely expensive as it carries designer clothing but we do end up getting the top quality.
Great blog post and i actually learned quite a bit. I do agree that the importance of branding is often lost on Canadians even though i may not be a regular at this particular establishment. When i think of Canadian clothing i typically limit myself to The Bay and clearly i should be expanding my wardrobe if i am looking to treat myself.
I like how you took a different approach to finding a symbol of Canada and choose a business instead of something hockey related which most people seem to have done. I somewhat disagree that it is a symbol of Canada though purely because I have never heard of it. Maybe I am just uninformed. However, it was a good read non the less and was very convincing as to why it was a symbol of Canada.