Edmonton: A fashion empire in three parts

The Henry store in Edmonton
The Henry store in Edmonton

When it comes to fashion in the prairies, Henry Singer is king.  So, it should come as no surprise that Jordan Singer (president of the Henry Singer Fashion Group and the late Mr Singer’s grandson) is the indisputable crown prince of suits, denim and all things menswear.  As the legend goes, Henry Singer launched an eponymous clothing shop, specializing in contemporary men’s apparel, in 1938 with only $300 in his pocket.  Since then the Henry Singer retail empire has continued to flourish and now encompasses three distinct clothing stores.
Henry Singer (Manulife Place, 780- 423-6868, henrysinger.com), HS (West Edmonton Mall, 780-444-3444, hsculture.com) and Henry (Strathcona, 8069 104 St., 780-432-2129, thinkhenry.com).  Fashion obviously runs through Jordan Singer’s veins, but prior to joining his father, Fred, and HSFG in 2002, he spent nearly a decade studying and working in the Big Apple and the UK.  “Both London and NYC were instrumental experiences for me,” says Singer. “At [the Fashion Institute of Technology] I studied fashion buying and merchandise management.  In London, I worked my way up to become sales manager [at] Hugo Boss for the UK market and took care of sales and distribution.  I realized my passion for fashion had many different facets, one of which was retail and I focused on every chance to learn and develop my ideas about it”.

Upon joining the family business, Singer was looking to rebrand. “We needed to specialize our retail offerings, so we segmented our business by lifestyle.  Henry was the first new concept that came from this—denim lifestyle.” Of the Henry shopper, Singer describes him thus: “They like being social. They like music. Their work allows for a relaxed and sporty wardrobe.” And that wardrobe? The shop has their man in a mix of street wear brands like Mynk, Filippa K and Diesel. “The Henry market is cool,” says Singer.

And ladies, fear not: Henry also carries a carefully edited selection of casual women’s wear and denim from brands that include Splendid, FullCircle, Diesel and William Rast.

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