Van Heusen Australia is set to scale its business through new products, partnerships and concept stores.
Speaking with Ragtrader, PVH Brands Australia GM Dan Aston, who oversees Van Heusen, said the brand recalibrated after trialing casual products through the pandemic.
The menswear label has since reported a surge in demand for "better dressing" following the end of lockdowns.
“We believe that our biggest opportunity is to really focus on our strengths in smart dressing and to broaden our consumer base through our brand values, range of fits and our expanded product assortment,” Aston said.
“With a return to more normality at the start of 2022, we have seen strong growth in both our shirting and suiting categories, as events, weddings and return to work have kicked in.
“As the demand for better dressing is higher than ever, our biggest opportunity is to help our customers redefine their style and help new customers discover their style."
The SS22 collection will capitalise on this demand with formal and casual shirts, suits and tailored separates.
“Our shirting business remained our most robust during the pandemic, and has gone from strength to strength this year, however, it’s been the resurgence of tailoring, and especially our fashion suits and tailored blazer programs, that have been the standout performers this year," Aston said.
“We are currently spending a lot of time focusing on the elevation of the consumer experience and building a brand for the future.”
Van Heusen is also set to expand its retail footprint, which currently includes 11 stand-alone stores in Australia. The brand will roll out four new concept stores this month, in Melbourne’s Highpoint and Doncaster and Sydney’s Chatswood and Castle Hill.
The move will supplement its wholesale business, which includes doors in David Jones, The Iconic and Farmers in New Zealand. Van Heusen's largest account is Myer, with the brand stocked in all sites across a majority of its range including accessories.
“We’re excited to partner with Myer to meet the consumer where they shop Van Heusen, to create a modern take on a traditional suiting department,” Aston said. “More and more people are returning to stores, and we want to deliver an environment they want to shop in, with the service they should expect.”
On the digital front, Aston confirmed Van Heusen is currently working on a large martech roll out.
“It will provide more data driven customer insights and allow us to be even more responsive to the needs and expectations of our consumer.
“Our customers come from all backgrounds and all walks of life, we have always targeted and segmented to appeal to our loyal customer and attract the new."