Huffer’s new store in Newtown, Sydney. Image supplied.
Huffer has been New Zealand’s favourite streetwear brand since it was founded nearly 20 years ago in 1997, and now they’re expanding again with their first Huffer retail stores opening in Sydney, Australia this month. The brand is currently sold in 150 streetwear stores across Australasia with five flagship Huffer stores in New Zealand and the two new Sydney stores based in urban Newtown and beachy Bondi.
“We’ve always recognised the opportunities that Australia presents, but up until now our focus has been on building the business in New Zealand,” says co-founder and director, Steve Dunstan. “Now’s the perfect time to make the move – we know it’s not going to be easy but we’re up for the challenge. We’re keen to get on the ground, get people involved and develop a Huffer community. We are into supporting and empowering local people so they can create their own success stories. Collaborations are important to us and we look forward to connecting with like-minded, successful people and businesses.”
Each Sydney location was chosen to align with Huffer’s culture and the first Sydney Huffer store opened in youthful, diverse Newtown on October 4th. The next Sydney Huffer store is due to open in chilled-out Bondi in late October. In true Huffer style they will be bringing their popular in-store events to Sydney with local launches kicking things off in the coming weeks. They’ve also been developing exciting new product offerings for the Australian market, however the stores will be consistent with the New Zealand ones, but incorporate some local elements. Both Sydney stores will launch with Huffer’s summer range; ‘Tans, cans and no real plans’ which is a mixture of stripes, wet denim and bleached pastels.
“Our team is really the culture and the essence of our brand. We live the brand; we’re inspired by our range and the inclusivity of our design culture,” says Dunstan. “We treat our ranges as creative projects rather than individual items, as a collective. It’s a bigger idea. Right from the initial design process through to choosing fabric compositions, even down to the filling composition of the iconic Huffer down jackets, it’s the attention to detail and craftsmanship that we are truly proud of.”
Dunstan is looking forward to splitting his time evenly between Australia and New Zealand to support the new retail venture in Sydney and it will allow him to enjoy the hustle of the big city and the easy chill of the beach too. Huffer’s huge loyal following will no doubt mean their Australian domination will go from strength to strength with the brand’s quality streetwear making for practical, fashionable pieces that are great additions to any wardrobe.
Images supplied.