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Mar 2022

Last Updated: 28/03/2022

Brown plaque to commemorate Harrogate's royal fashion designer

by Suzannah Rogerson

| 28 Mar, 2022

Louis Copé opened his high-end, women's fashion store on Harrogate's Parliament Street in 1922. Today, a plaque honouring his work was erected outside the store which now houses gentlemen's outfitters Rhodes Wood.

Alex Goldstein, property consultant in Harrogate and London.

A brown plaque is to be erected outside one of Harrogate's oldest and best-known clothes shops.

Property expert Alex Goldstein, with the support of local historian Malcolm Neesam, successfully applied to erect the plaque outside gentlemen’s outfitters Rhodes Wood. on Parliament Street.

The shop used to belong to Mr Goldstein's great grandfather Louis Copé, a fashion designer whose female emporium opened on the site in 1922.

Mr Copé was a Polish designer whose high society customers over the years included Queen Mary, her daughter Princess Mary and Agatha Christie. The shop operated under royal patronage.

The store itself featured in the film Agatha, starring Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave.

Mr Copé moved to Harrogate because he believed the pure air would help his asthma. Mr Goldstein, who still lives in the area, said:

"I am so pleased to have been able to mark the history and story of my great grandfather, whose fashion house spanned decades and formed important memories for so many people in and around Harrogate.

"It has been lovely hearing people’s memories and visiting the Pump Rooms to actually see some of the garments that were made in his sewing rooms which are stored there."

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Jeremy Beaumont, who owns Rhodes Wood, has been supportive of preserving the history of the building.

“When we took over the store in 1997, there were still many of the original features and cabinets in the shop, in such good quality and condition, that we still have them in the store to this day, literally 100 years later. The quality of the store fittings must have been superb, and to a very high standard.

"It is our pleasure to recognise the past history of the building, and we are delighted to host the plaque outside for everyone to see”.

The plaque is due to go up any day now.

Mr Goldstein is asking for anyone with memories from Louis Copé, or even items of clothing and hats etc, to contact him at alex@alexgoldstein.co.uk.

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Brown plaque to commemorate Harrogate's royal fashion designer

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