Harrods opens new menswear designer room with key labels

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 21, 2019

Making-over menswear departments is a big priority for the world’s major department store names at the moment and on Friday, just as Macy’s announced a big menswear move in New York City, across the Atlantic in London, Harrods had a massive menswear unveiling too.

Following a revamp of its beauty offer, Harrods has been directing its investment to menswear as it’s a key growth area in the fashion market. The new Designer Room has just opened on the second floor with a focus that’s all about the brands.

The 1,800 sq ft+ ultra-luxe space was designed by David Collins Studio as a place to shop for fun rather than necessity. Previously located on the lower ground floor, this Designer Room houses "unique and forward-thinking brands" with 12 dedicated boutiques for labels such as Givenchy, Off-White, Loewe and Moncler. Meanwhile Craig Green, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin and Jil Sander feature within a multi- brand space. "Many more new and exciting brands will be launching in the space throughout spring and summer 2020,' we're told.

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Simon Longland, Head of Menswear, said: “The brand edit in the newest Designer Room is curated to complement the previously launched Men’s Designer Room, which takes a timeless, seasonless and trendless approach. With a variety of aesthetic perspectives, the new room presents a selection of highly celebrated brands all with a strong sense of their own identity and includes some of the most dynamic and influential designers in menswear today. The brands in this room will be evolving with the seasons to ensure that Harrods moves and adapts to changes in the menswear market.”

The look is very contemporary with plenty stainless steel, white-veined black marble, and leather-lined changing rooms (the latter being important as that’s where men make their ultimate decision to purchase). And as is usually the case with such makeovers these days, pop-ups will be a part of the experience. In fact, there are not one but two pop-up areas that will feature monthly installations from big names as well as emerging labels.

The pop-ups will also play host to exclusives such as November’s debut of new Beats Headphones. New scent launches, watches and other tech accessories are likely to be a big feature of the spaces too, given their importance to men’s sales overall.

The new area continues the luxe concept established with last year’s Superbrands opening and what’s particularly important is that the old idea of menswear being categorised by product type has been abandoned and the labels themselves take a starring role, reflecting consumer behaviour that sees shoppers seeking out specific brands rather than just looking for a merchandise category.

And as part of the overall experience on the second floor, Harrods has been boosting features that increase dwell time with one restaurant already open and another coming soon, as well as a barber/grooming salon being due.