Holt Renfrew’s Director of Brand Strategy, Alexandra Weston, made a personal appearance at the Bloor Street flagship Wednesday afternoon to formally introduce the H Project. This unique “shop within a shop” highlights “culture, craft and artisans from around the world” and features watches, bags, tech accessories as well as items such as notebooks and t-shirts. Designers and brands include Jenny Bird, Cornella Guest as well as Lizzy Fortunato. Price points are anywhere from $8 for notebooks to more than $500 for clutches.
The H Project actually started a year ago with the sale of Tory Burch’s Feed bags, with proceeds going to the FEED Foundation and the Tory Burch foundation. Other philanthropy-related projects that Holt Renfrew has been involved with included items for the Elton John Foundation (candle) and adorable Missoni “zig zag” critters for Orphan Africa. Not all H Project items are charity-related. Some might celebrate the unique way the items are created (e.g. organic material), while others celebrate a certain culture or cultures.
At the event, guests browsed through the items while nibbling on hors d’oeuvres and sipping water or punch. Those who made purchases were given complimentary tote bags wit the H Project logo on them. Favourite items include critter pillows by Areaware ($28-45) and the Lizzy Fortunato envelope clutch ($595).
Alexandra will also be making appearances on behalf of the H Project at the Vancouver and Calgary stores. In Toronto, the H Project can be found on the third floor, by the escalators.
