Fresh off the back of another exclusive collaboration, Harrolds co-owner Theo Poulakis reveals how the luxury menswear chain keeps a spring in its step.
The niche department store, established by Theo Poulakis and his brother John, has been in operation since 1985. Yet, despite its years, it has managed to maintain the engagement of its core market.
“Harrolds target market is all men. We aim to have have something for every man, for every occasion, for every stage of his life,” Poulakis said.
“But we are always looking for new things to excite our customers and keep us ahead, new projects, new brands, new ideas. So this is why the timing on this was just right for this new collaboration with Chronicles of Never.”
The exclusive range, which dropped into the Sydney and Melbourne stores this November, is the first time Harrolds has collaborated on a design with an Australian designer. According to Poulakis, the one-off capsule collection also gave Harrolds the opportunity to team with an expert denim master and possibly capture a new market.
“We have been aware of Gareth Moody's [founder and designer of Chronicles of Never] work for some time. He's very talented and he produces some of the best quality denim we have seen. And we've seen a lot of denim,” he said.
“We imagined the aesthetic would appeal the most to our customers who come in for Rick Owens, Givenchy [both exclusive to Harrolds in Australia] and Comme des Garcons etc. But we thought, if it attracts a new customers then that is great too.”
Poulakis also said the real strength of Harrolds comes from the rarity of its product in Australia, which – when spiced up with an exclusive partnership or two – equals success.
“Harrolds aim to be not just a good Australian retailer but a world class one. We focus on service and our brand offering. Over 75% of our brands are exclusive to us in Australia including Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent, and Givenchy,” he said.
“Harrolds are also Tom Ford's exclusive business parter of Tom Ford for Australia, and we opened Australia's first Tom Ford shop in October 2011, plus a pop-up shop in Sydney earlier in the year for Song For the Mute. Similarly, Chronicles of Never has a very clear design language and really own their look. It is why their customers are so slavishly loyal.”
Looking ahead, Poulakis revealed that the department store will continue to experiment with new partnerships in the future.
“This Harrolds and Chronicles of Never collaboration is a one off capsule collection, but that isn't to say Harrolds will not work with Chronicles of Never of a different project in the future,” he said.
“We plan to collaborate with different designers, both on local and international on special projects, and we have some very exciting projects already under-way for 2012.”
Australian label Chronicles of Never was founded by ex-Ksubi designer Gareth Moody in 2006 and has since evolved into a full unisex fashion line in a concise story in multiple categories, including, footwear, denim, eyewear, accessories and tailoring.