Originally formed in 1902, over a century in business Renown has become an apparel industry leader. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that Renown’s development mirrors that of the Japanese fashion industry itself. Having moved into the 21st century, Renown is building on the reputation for quality and reliability it has earned over the past 100 years. Girded with a new corporate philosophy, we aim to contribute to a sense of newness and fulfillment in our customers, approaching our activities from their point of view.
Origin of the Renown Name
Reciprocating a visit to the United Kingdom by the Meiji Emperor, in 1922 Edward VIII, Prince of Wales (later Duke of Winsor) arrived on a state visit to Japan aboard the HMS RENOWN, an amazingly large battle cruiser at the time. In addition to being easy to remember, the name had the positive connotations of “fame” and “high repute.” For those reasons, and also indicating its intention to follow the United Kingdom’s example as a textile industry leader, the Company adopted Renown as its official corporate name in 1923.
- Construction of the HMS RENOWN Completed in 1916
A Century of History: For Renown, for Fashion
| Renown Incorporated | D’urban Incorporated | REDU Incorporated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Established as Osaka textile wholesaler | ||
| 1923 | Adopted the corporate name “Renown” Developed into one of Japan's leading knitwear warehousers | ||
| 1931 | Established Sasaki Sales Office Co., Ltd., in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district | ||
| 1955 | Changed name of Sasaki Sales Office Co., Ltd., to Renown Commerce Co., Ltd. | ||
| 1962 | Established Renown Look Inc. (current-day Look Inc.) | ||
| 1967 | Changed name of Renown Commerce Co., Ltd., to Renown Incorporated | ||
| 1968 | Established Leilian Co., Ltd. | ||
| 1969 | Listed on First Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange | ||
| 1970 | Established Renown Nishiki Co., Ltd. | ||
| 1972 | Changed company name from Renown Nishiki Co., Ltd., to D’urban Incorporated | ||
| 1979 | Listed on First Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange | ||
| 1990 | Acquired Aquascutum Group PLC of the United Kingdom | ||
| 2002 | Spun off inner socks business and established Renown Inx Incorporated | ||
| 2004 | Founded Renown D’urban Holdings Incorporated through a joint stock transfer by Renown Incorporated and Durban Incorporated to consolidate their management and act as a holding company | ||
| 2006 | Absorbed Renown Incorporated and D’urban incorporated, with Renown D’urban Holdings Incorporated as the surviving company, and changed the name of the surviving company to Renown Incorporated |
| Principal Renown Brands and Promotions | Principal D’urban Brands and Promotions | |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Commencement of television advertising Adoption of Renown Wansaka Musume as the Company’s commercial song | |
| 1967 | Sales of yeye combination knits begin | |
| 1968 | arnold palmer sales commence | |
| 1971 | D'URBAN sales commence Start of commercials featuring Alain Delon (continued through 1981) | |
| 1974 | Addenda sales commence | |
| 1975 | SIMPLE LIFE sales commence | INTERMEZZO sales commence |
| 1987 | Tsukin Kaisoku sales commence | |
| 1989 | TOKUKO 1er VOL sales commence | |
| 1990 | Henry Cottons sales commence | |
| 1991 | The Renown CHARGE Mazda wins Le Mans | |
| 1992 | Aquascutum sales commence | |
| 1993 | next eye sales commence | |
| 1994 | ensuite sales commence | |
| 1996 | ZEPHYR sales commence | |
| 1997 | D’URBAN commences sales of MONSOON, a vanguard brand of mid-summer men’s suits | |
| 2004 | arnold palmer timeless sales commence | |
| 2006 （After merger） | Anya Hindmarch sales commence | |
| 2011 （After merger） | e-commerce site R-online"The Shop" launch | |
| 2006 （After merger） | LOURPHYLI sales commence GRIFFIN HARTLAND sales commence | |
