Located within spitting distance of the most formidable luxury boutiques in the country — Cartier and Louis Vuitton spring to mind — R.M.Williams’ revamped national flagship, now open at 345 George Street, Sydney, casts a warm glow over the future of Aussie retail.
The beloved maker of boots, ready-to-wear clothing, and leather accessories (back in local hands, having been acquired by Tattarang in 2020) celebrated the launch of its sprawling new store last night: bringing together an assortment of equally emblematic Australians in the process.
To name but a few, this included chefs Matt Moran and Hayden Quinn; singer-songwriter Lee Kernaghan; and TV personality Tim Robards. Festivities got underway following a heartfelt ‘Welcome to Country’ performed by Aunty Norma Ingram; and a short address from Paul Grosmann, Chief Executive of R.M.Williams.
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“It’s an honour to expand into a new flagship space on George Street, the same street that has hosted us since 1987,” said Grosmann, speaking to the assembled partygoers in and just outside 345 George Street yesterday evening.
“Our new location will offer a world class retail experience with a number of distinctive spaces and interactive moments that immerse customers in the world of R.M.Williams. We look forward to celebrating this next chapter of our retail journey in such an iconic location.”
Throughout the evening, Grosmann’s confidence — in the ability of R.M.Williams to compete against its haughtier Parisian and Milanese neighbours — was readily discernible. His bullishness, on the brand’s special recipe of world-class craft and personalised service, has plenty to recommend it.
For one, at 460m², this is easily the biggest bull in R.M.Williams’ pen: giving architectural firm ACRD ample space to locate every individual footwear, clothing, and accessory category.
In keeping with the brand’s reputation for serious service (without the snobbery) there are few, if any, distinctly separated spaces; with each of the store’s areas flowing seamlessly into one another — culminating in the “curved boot wall”, the largest such showcase the brand has ever attempted.
Other points of distinction in the Sydney flagship include multiple experiential stations, each dedicated to some aspect of how R.M.Williams iconic leather Chelsea boots are made, and a vitrine that displays Reginald Murray’s own personal riding saddle.
To discover everything else there is to know about this impressive new flagship from Australia’s favourite shoemaker, click the link below.
