Holt Renfrew, Toronto

“It’s amazing how color transforms our mood,” says John Gerhardt, creative director for Holt Renfrew. Gerhardt himself experienced that power when he received a bright-green wallet as a gift. “I found myself looking at the wallet and feeling happy,” he says.
Turning joy into inspiration, he sought to remodel the monochromatic contemporary department at the retailer’s Bloor Street flagship into an area that would “inspire a sense of hope.”

With a strong nod to the ’80s, including influences from fluorescent light artist Dan Flavin and conceptual artist Barbara Kruger, Holt Renfrew peppered six primary Pantone colors on vinyl graphics, mannequins and fixturing. A white backdrop allows a green display wall or yellow mannequin to stand out, while still making the clothing the hero.
Visual props express Holt’s signature wittiness, including an oversized granite bust that could be topped with ill-mannered pigeons one month and covered in moss the next. “It’s important to be unexpected,” adds Gerhardt.

Project Participants:

Client
Holt Renfrew & Co. Ltd, Toronto: Tracy Fellows, vp, marketing; John Gerhardt, creative director; Tracey Peters, manager, national visual and merchandising; corporate and Bloor visual and merchandising team

Bangle Fixtures
Torre and Tagus, Vancouver, B.C.

Mannequins/Forms
Goldsmith Inc., New York
Bonaveri Manichini, Renazzo di Cento, Italy
DK Display, New York

Mirrors
EQ3, Toronto

Music Programming
Intertain, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Plexi Boxes
Pather Plastics, Toronto

Signage/Graphics
Dot and Dash, Toronto
BGM, Toronto

Wallcoverings and Materials
Dot and Dash, Toronto