This summer, Donhall & Bell made its stateside debut, thanks to our new partnership with cult fashion boutique Wolf & Badger.
Wolf & Badger are one of the most exciting retailers on the UK scene right now. Since they opened their doors in 2010, they’ve won multiple industry accolades, from a place on Walpole’s Brands of Tomorrow list to being named one of Vogue’s Best British Boutiques. They offer customers the best of both worlds; an online store with access to hundreds of menswear, womenswear and accessories labels, coupled with bricks-and-mortar retail spaces where customers can experience the product in person. They’re already well-established fixtures on London’s shopping map, with boutiques in Mayfair and Notting Hill. So when they came calling to offer Donhall & Bell a space in their first American store, we naturally leapt at the opportunity.
Launched in the city’s vibrant Soho district earlier this year, Wolf & Badger’s Manhattan branch provides American customers with access to a host of European names. For Donhall & Bell, we’re thrilled to say, it’s already proving a success. The in-store team, led by Henrique Pinto, are extremely supportive — and their feedback, based on customer reaction, is helping us to shape the styles we’ll develop in the future. It’s even allowed us to forge new relationships with American stylists and fashion influencers. Recently, for example, we had a call from the team styling one of Star Wars’ lead actors — and we were able to get the shoes they needed to them that same day. In fact, Camila (one of the store team) hand-delivered them on her way home!
We also now feature on Wolf & Badger’s digital platform, which is introducing our luxury slippers and sneakers to a whole new online audience. And whilst Donhall & Bell began life online, having a bricks-and-mortar presence in one of the world’s greatest fashion capitals allows us to connect with our audience in exciting new ways — whether via press events, trunk shows and parties, or simply providing a destination where customers can feel the quality of our footwear for themselves.
So what’s next for this transatlantic partnership? “We’re aiming to continue our positive relationship with the New York store,” director Peter Mulhall says, “and to expand our space and product offer. Looking ahead, we see Wolf & Badger becoming the go-to Stateside destination for customers to enjoy the full Donhall & Bell experience.”
