‘Elegance personified’: Canadian menswear mogul Harry Rosen dies at 92
Harry Rosen, who based certainly one of Canada’s most outstanding menswear retail chains, has died. He was 92.
Rosen’s eldest son confirmed his father’s Dec. 24 demise in an announcement.
“It’s with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our founder and visionary Harry Rosen,” Harry Rosen Inc. chairman and CEO Larry Rosen, mentioned on Dec. 25. “His passion for menswear and fashion was contagious; his ability to teach and inspire were unparalleled.”
Founded in Toronto in 1954, the Harry Rosen retail chain grew from a single made-to-measure retailer to a number one vacation spot for high-end menswear, with 15 areas and 5 outlet shops throughout Canada.
“Starting with a $500 loan and a dream, Harry willed his business into existence one client at a time,” Larry Rosen mentioned. “The team he built and the values he instilled have helped the business span across the country, three generations, and nearly 70 years. Words simply can’t summarize the impact he had on us all.”
Harry Rosen was born and raised in Toronto to a Jewish household. According to the corporate, Rosen labored in a clothes manufacturing unit and at a males’s haberdashery store as a teen earlier than opening his first retailer at age 22 together with his youthful brother Lou. More outlets adopted in Toronto till Harry Rosen expanded throughout Canada within the Eighties.
After 51 years, Rosen stepped again from the retail chain’s day-to-day operations in 2005, however continued to advise his son and senior administration whereas serving as govt chairman.
Speaking to CTV News Channel on Monday, Rosen’s buddy and trend journalist Jeanne Beker described the Canadian entrepreneur as “elegance personified.”
“He was just so kind, generous, and he was so amazingly caring when it came to his customers – they don’t make retailers like that anymore,” Beker mentioned. “He built an incredible brand for himself that really raised the bar for men across the country to really get into style and really appreciate style.”
Rosen was additionally identified for his philanthropy and contributions to teams just like the Canadian Cancer Society, United Way, United Jewish Appeal and the Canadian Special Olympics. Such efforts have been cited when Rosen was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2004.
“His vast leadership contributions extend beyond the business sector into the wider community,” a earlier assertion from the Governor General of Canada mentioned. “Renowned for his integrity, marketing skills and business acumen, he shares these abilities equally as a community builder.”
Rosen is survived by his spouse of 68 years, Evelyn, their 4 youngsters, 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. The household says donations in Rosen’s reminiscence could be made to the Toronto-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Baycrest Foundation for geriatric drugs.
Rosen’s funeral will likely be held in Toronto on Dec. 28.
Although the household has not launched a reason behind demise, TVO journalist Steve Paikin reported Rosen was “suffering from the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s.”
“One of this country’s most successful and prolific men’s clothing retailers has died,” Paikin wrote in a Christmas Eve tweet asserting the demise. “Harry Rosen was a legend in retail circles.”
With recordsdata from CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer Hannah Alberga
