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Harrys of London: Contemporary British Footwear Brand Designed for Elegance and Engineered for Comfort

This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.


A Q&A with Stefano Porsia, Harrys of London’s Head of Product, Buying and Merchandising.

Harrys of London is a London-based brand founded in 2001 with a clear objective that remains to this day: to fuse contemporary design, time-tested craftsmanship and technical innovation to produce shoes that both look and feel great.

What inspired you to start working for Harrys of London?

The challenge of taking Harrys of London to the next level. We have a very solid product base and unique DNA. We are a small brand at the moment but have big plans for the future.

How do you approach design at Harrys of London and where do you find inspiration for new products?

We approach design in a very structured yet simple way: we start by looking at our iconic styles and think of how we can make them better or extend them in any way into new models. Ultimately we put our creative inputs and commercial needs together and try to over-deliver our objectives.
Innovation and comfort are part of our DNA and we try to inject these aspects into everything we do. Inspiration happens on a daily basis, whether riding to work and looking at someone’s shoes on the street and evolving an idea or concept, or looking at market trends, fashion shows or simply inspiration coming from our loyal clients.

What public figure, past or present, do you feel best represents the overall style of the brand?

Gary Cooper.

Name the best song to go with your brand.

Donald Byrd – Wind Parade

How has the brand evolved over time?

The brand has evolved in many ways.  Our focus now is “elevating” every aspect of the brand, in all departments and channels, from product to service.  We have made the product more consistent than in the past which ultimately strengthens our brand’s positioning and messaging.
We are a small player in the industry but think like the big guys.

Where does Harrys of London manufacture its products?

We manufacture our products in Italy for the more formal offer and Portugal for the sport offer. We are also looking now into producing some accessories in Spain.

What is the relationship between you and the brand’s suppliers?

The keyword is “relationships”. We try to build long-lasting relationships with our partners. Our production team tries to visit our factories as much as possible in order to review progress and come up with solutions and ideas together.

How much do you think sustainability is important in today’s fashion industry and how does it fit with your vision?

Sustainability is very important. Today you need to give a good reason for someone to buy your product. Everyone is trying to be sustainable today in some way which is the right approach, however many brands’ definition of sustainability is sometimes very cloudy.
It’s an important part of our vision and we obviously want to approach the matter in the most impactful way possible.

Leave us with a motto that the company will always believe in.

Timeless lifestyle with performance and fashion at heart. Men’s staples engineered for comfort. Traditions respected and made new, quietly luxurious, with understated quality.


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