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Men’s fashion designer John Varvatos last week celebrated the opening of his first European store with an official launch party at the shop in Mayfair, London.
The party was attended by music and fashion celebrities including Paul Weller, Jimmy Page, Miles Kane, Iggy Pop, Twin Atlantic and face of the John Varvatos autumn/winter campaign Ringo Starr.
Upon arrival, party guests were greeted by a John Varvatos double decker bus, which has been touring London for the past month to promote the opening, decorated with the label’s autumn marketing campaign.
On the lower level of the store, guests at the party were treated to a secret concert by Swedish rock band The Hives. The night concluded with a set featuring Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, musician Adam Ant and TV presenter Rick Edwards.
The new Mayfair store, which officially opened on 1 August, covers 10,000sq feet and is spread over three floors – the largest John Varvatos store to date. Inspired by local architecture, the store boasts artisanal hand-forged iron fixtures and white exposed brick walls. The store also has a dedicated gallery featuring work from the biggest names in music photography, plus live performance shots of music greats from the 1960s through to the current day – highlighting Varvatos’s love of music.
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Left: John Varvatos poses with face of the A/W campaign Ringo Starr. Right: The brand’s first European store officially opens | |
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The John Varvatos-decorated double decker bus outside the new store at the launch party |
Speaking to The Moodie Report, John Varvatos explained that London was an obvious choice to open his first European store: “London is the gateway to the Middle East and to Russia and Asia. When we (John Varvatos) talk to people at Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, we hear of the huge percentage of business they do internationally and, for me, London is the centre of the universe.”
The complete John Varvatos product range – clothing, eyewear, rock-influenced jewellery and fragrances, including the new Artisan Acqua masculine scent – is showcased at the store.
Artisan Acqua, the third fragrance in the Artisan collection, is inspired by the Mediterranean. The juice is a citrus blend accented with spices and herbs. The scent is the result of a long-standing collaboration between Varvatos and Givaudan Senior Perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux. Varvatos explained that the Artisan Acqua scent reflects a journey: “Every fragrance that we do, we want to talk about a journey and this journey took me to places I went to as a kid or places that I dreamed to go, like the Mediterranean.”
The attention to detail and craftsmanship seen in John Varvatos clothing is reflected in the Acqua packaging, with each bottle cover hand-woven from natural materials.
Artisan Acqua is available in the travel retail channel through Gebr Heinemann, Aer Rianta and World Duty Free Group. Prices vary slightly according to different markets: the 75ml edt retails at around €44-46 and the 125ml edt at €60-62.
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Varvatos: “The London store gave us the runway to really tell our story better than we’ve ever been able to tell it before” | |
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Snapshots of the John Varvatos product range were on display at the party | |
Varvatos explained what prompted the company to partner with Elizabeth Arden when the deal was inked in 2010: “I really liked the company. It was a medium-sized company in the fragrance world and they really weren’t into men’s fragrances. It’s very exciting to have a company that works with you and [gives you] plenty of attention.”
When asked about his perception of beauty travel retailing Varvatos noted: “I think DFS does an incredible job. Most of the duty free industry does a better job than the department stores around the world, and I’m excited at times when I walk through airports and see our product presentation – it generally looks better than it looks in other places and the staff are very tuned in. I think they’re very well trained and very passionate.”
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Left: The Moodie Report’s Helen Pawson and John Varvatos support #peacerocks*. Right: new men’s fragrance Artisan Acqua | |
The John Varvatos fragrance portfolio is a priority growth brand for Elizabeth Arden with the product distribution focused on premium doors and airline listings. New fragrances like Acqua are supported with in-store executions and samplings to enhance the consumer experience with the John Varvatos brand, says Arden.
According to Elizabeth Arden, the John Varvatos brand experienced growth of over +50% in travel retail in 2013. Europe and Asia have been earmarked as priorities for future growth.
Varvatos himself is keen to raise his brand’s travel retail profile with an exclusive presentation. “Absolutely I think it’s important to talk exclusively to those customers,” he explained. “The people on the [sales] floor are so passionate about the brand that it’s important to give them an incentive that helps them keep the customers coming back.
“That’s what I like about travel retail – it offers a lot of things. It’s not just about the convenience of having a spare hour before your flight, but allows you to buy special things throughout the shop.”
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Swedish rock band The Hives performed a secret concert in the store |
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Musician Paul Weller and The Hives |
As for the next John Varvatos store in Europe, the brand is eyeing up potential opportunities on the continent: “We’re concentrating on trying to learn everything we can about the customer here and what we can do better,” Varvatos noted. “We’d love to do another store in London but we’re probably looking at Paris as the next city. We also love Milan. And I love cities like Berlin. To me Berlin is a very young, exciting city – there’s a big contemporary art scene. It’s not a wealthy city but it’s very cool – it’s like a big Brooklyn to me.”
*Note: #peacerocks is an interactive campaign that donates US$1 to the Ringo Starr Peace & Love fund for every hashtag upload with a peace sign “selfie”.
