John Varvatos, once known for its edgy rock-and-roll aesthetic under its eponymous founder, is changing with the times.
The brand hosted a 25th anniversary party in SoHo on Wednesday that doubled as the grand opening of its latest store. Timed to New York Fashion Week, both the party and the new store represent a brand that is evolving aesthetically and operationally under new leadership. After emerging from bankruptcy in 2020, John Varvatos was acquired by Lion Capital, and Karl Aberg took over as the brand’s new creative director last May. Meanwhile, Catherine Jobling, currently the COO of Lion Capital’s other fashion brand, Allsaints, took over as COO of John Varvatos, as well.
Jobling told Glossy there’s been a considered evolution of the brand’s aesthetic and products over the last year.
“It used to be very skinny, very rock-and-roll,” Jobling said. “But now we’re going more relaxed, more adventurous, not so one-dimensional. There are more double-breasted blazers, more oversized coats and more varied silhouettes.”
While John Varvatos still has a strong association with music, it’s not just rock stars anymore. Through connections with stylists like Katy Robbins and Kim Perrett, the brand has dressed big country music stars like Eric Church, Riley Duckman and Brantley Gilbert. Eight different winners and nominees at this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards wore John Varvatos to the event.
Jobling describes John Varvatos as being in the middle of an investment period. In the last year, it has renovated five stores, opened the new SoHo store, put on its first NYFW show since the bankruptcy, and continued international expansion with pop-ups in places like South Korea, where the brand has a healthy fragrance business, and Taiwan.
Allsaints’s total revenue, which includes John Varvatos, was up to over $600 million last year. While John Varvatos is only a small piece of that right now, with revenue just under $90 million, its profit margins have been improving.
The retail fleet is a big part of the John Varvatos growth plan, Jobling said. In addition to the SoHo store, a new store is coming soon in Taiwan, and the company recently debuted a pop-up in Japan. Here in the U.S., Jobling said she would like to expand the store to Nashville, especially with its newfound country music connection. Internationally, she also has an eye on Milan.
But like every brand, John Varvatos is negotiating difficulties around tariffs. Most of its products are made in Italy, other parts of Europe and South Korea, and it was making some knitwear in China. When tariffs were first announced, the company quickly pivoted production out of China, but Jobling said it’s still a headache trying to stay ahead of a constantly-changing situation.
“It’s unsettling times, and not just in the U.S.,” she said. “But we’re making our stores look better. We’re opening new stores. We’re expanding what the brand looks like. Sometimes when things are unsettled, there’s an opportunity to lean in.”
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