Spring is the season of renewal and change so it's the perfect time for Merchant 1948 to announce their arrival, as the brand was formerly known as Overland Footwear. The new name references the company's heritage and founding in 1948 by Guglielmo Anselmi, an immigrant from Northern Italy, who had a passion for craftsmanship and created the shoe business that now has stores throughout New Zealand. While the shoes themselves will stay the high quality and popular styles that we know and love, there is lots of exciting change ahead for the brand as they move forward under the Merchant 1948 name.
First up and already launched is their brand new website which is designed with the modern online shopper in mind so it's compatible with any device and really responsive. The site also has shoppable catalogues, shareable wishlists and a quick and easy checkout process to make shopping online as convenient as possible. They've also added the stories of the brand, from those of the family to those who work for them and have helped make the business into what it is today, which makes for fascinating behind-the-scenes reading.
With the new name also comes an expansion into Australia for Merchant 1948, which will be a welcome move for all the kiwis who have grown up with the business and will be able to shop in the new stores for the shoes that were previously only available to them online. It will also open up the brand to the Australian market which is a much bigger audience with great revenue potential. They also have a new store in the NorthWest mall in West Auckland that opened on October 1st and is set to become a very popular shopping destination for Auckland.
As for their new SS15/16 collection, it's full of great sandals, flats, sneakers and heels for the warmer months with a mix of classic and on-trend styles to work with your summer wardrobe. We're particularly fans of the new gladiator styles, chic loafers and wooden-heeled sandals. Their clever use of metallics, especially rose gold, has us wishing it was warm enough to wear these shoes every day already. Summer is certainly going to be a sublime affair at Merchant 1948.