New-Zealand based label Zambesi has opened its first men's stand-alone store in Newmarket, Auckland and is preparing to boost the brand's selling power with the launch of an online boutique.
According to Zambesi managing director Neville Findaly, both the menswear store and the soon-to-be-launched online site by the 31-year-old brand were borne from a market response and the menswear-only store has been performing well so far.
“We've been developing our menswear collection under the design direction of Dayne Johnson and we felt the time was right to open a stand-alone store in Auckland. So far we've seen very positive results. We've been selling menswear through our existing outlets on a departmental basis, but having a store expressly for men has had a fantastic response. And I think that's because men feel a lot more comfortable going into their own space. It's early days yet, but it's growing very rapidly,” he said.
Although Zambesi stocks a range of labels, including its own, at most other stores, Findlay said the mens store is more “Zambesi orientated” and features only a handful of European labels such as Maison Martin Margiela and Rick Owens. The mens-only store is also to feature a “made-to-measure” suiting service in-store and Zambesi is currently training all personnel with tailors to ensure all store staff are expert in fitting and custom-making.
Zambesi will also showcase its latest autumn/winter range in the menswear-only store this month, which will include 45 individual pieces in natural fabrics such as cotton, wool, silk and cashmere. The range will retail from $120 for pieces such as a tie to $1365 for a sartorially tailored jacket.
The website, created by Auckland-based e-retailing and integration company Solutionists, is to launch in April and will feature the entire menswear and womenswear Zambesi collections, as well as imported brands also sold in general Zambesi stores. The e-boutique will also offer a special order service, where customers will be able to order specific garments online even if they are not available at the time and have them delivered within a short period.
Findlay said the two initiatives are part of a wider strategy to simultaneously raise awareness of the menswear part of the business, promote Zambesi in general, and push into new markets.
“In terms of the online site, we are responding to a worldwide trend to online shopping – but it's also something that's going to add another aspect to our retail operation and help to globalise the brand a bit more,” he said.
“Because the label is a long-standing one, a lot of the potential in New Zealand has also been realised, so we really are looking to move further afield. We are a niche market within New Zealand, there's not a lot of room for growth there, so we'd be happy to grow the market in Australia and elsewhere. That's where the future growth for the company is.”
Daniela Aroche