Harry Rosen Offers Home Product Through Collab With Brian McCourt
For a retailer to survive nearly 70 years, it takes a lot of hard work and the ability to evolve with the times.
That’s just what has defined the Harry Rosen business since its founding in Canada in 1954 by the merchant of the same name.
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Today, the 18-unit chain is operated by Rosen’s son Larry and his grandson Ian, who serves as president and chief operating officer.
Since joining the family business in 2018, Ian Rosen has helped transform it to better meet the demands of today’s consumer, from the addition of activewear to the enhanced digital offerings.
And now, he has tapped Brian McCourt, a Canadian designer and star of HGTV’s “Backyard Build” to curate furniture, decor and other pieces, including leather lounge chairs, hand-knotted rugs and a selection of limited-edition pillows created from traditional suit fabrics. The pieces will be sold in a pop-up at the retailer’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre flagship in Toronto as well as online.
But Rosen also made sure to blend the physical and digital by making every piece immediately shoppable through the use of QR codes. The collection also uses responsible manufacturing techniques, thoughtful design practices and tasteful product curation to highlight the importance of investing in quality product.
“The Harry Rosen x Brian McCourt Home Edit was designed to be an immersive shopping experience, both in-person and digitally,” Rosen said. “Brian and his team reimagined our Yorkdale store into an inviting living space, and online we’ve curated a gallery of shoppable vignettes that were styled by Brian. This is the future of retail; a perfect blend of experience, inspiration and technology.”
The main structure of the pop-up is 10-feet tall, 12-feet wide and 18-feet deep with six-foot mirrored arbors on either side, creating an innovative display for apparel, accessories and furniture. A pointed arch on the facade of the structure is a nod to the classic home shape, and the installation includes LED rope-lighting around the entrance to “bring a modern sophistication and emphasize the natural texture of the black tongue and groove siding. The intention was to be as sharp and as tailored as a tux made at Harry Rosen,” McCourt said.
“The displays are designed with a holistic picture in mind; not only products for different areas of the home but also the type of clothing you might wear while you were using it — for example, loungewear with comfortable throws and pillows, barware with clothing for a cocktail party,” he added.
This is the first time McCourt has worked with a retailer to create product, but it was his admiration for the company that prompted him to take the plunge.
“Harry Rosen came to me looking for a partner and I’ve always admired Harry’s approach to high-quality designs and timelessness,” McCourt said. “When you remove the type of goods we deal with — clothing and furniture — we are both about quality construction, timeless design and investing in feeling good.”
To introduce the collection, Harry Rosen hosted a launch event on Oct. 1 at the Yorkdale location that included a conversation between Ian Rosen and McCourt.
Harry Rosen operates 18 stores across Canada and carries top luxury men’s labels including Brunello Cucinelli, Zegna, Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani and Moncler.
