Twenty-two years is a long time in fashion. But Mike Beagley still gets up every day with a spring in his step. It’s an exciting time for New Zealand-based fashion brand Rodd & Gunn. Global expansion always is. In 2023 alone, it opened 28 stores in both hemispheres. After expanding across Europe, Australia, and the United States, the menswear label just opened its first concession outpost in Asia at Takashimaya D.S.
“Juggling time zone differences can be hard though when you’re based in New Zealand,” says Beagley, laughing. “I’d like to think I’m still the same young man. But the mirror doesn’t lie.”
He also shares that the company has doubled sales turnover since 2019. It’s a remarkable achievement and testifies to the company’s successful navigation of the pandemic. Beagley feels it was the best thing to happen to the company, as strange as it sounds. “I know it’s a horrible thing to say, but it helped us to get rid of bad and counterproductive behaviour and focus on our purpose—creating experiences and delivering products that make customers feel great.”
Nonetheless, managing growth is hard, especially in fashion where production, supply chains, and inventory management must work in tandem.
Rodd & Gunn sources most of its fabrics from Italy. Beagley mentions it is the biggest linen buyer from the renowned Albini mill. Relationships with these respected manufacturers stretch a long time and Beagley has no plans to move. It’s even doubled down on the country after opening a new design studio in Milan.
From Italy, materials get shipped to its different factories around the world and transported again to stores. It’s a gargantuan task, and one that adds financial heft. Yet, Rodd & Gunn is priced incredibly competitively for its quality.
“I don’t believe in focusing on profit margins. Instead, I always think about the value that we can give to the customer. It’s one reason I think we’re successful in America, which is a graveyard of dead fashion brands,” says Beagley.
And while the fashion industry is now hyper-focused on sustainability, Beagley is proud to share that Rodd & Gunn created a department to focus on that over a decade ago. “My creative director came to me and said that we must get serious about sustainability and invest in it.”
According to Beagley, the section wields a potent influence in how Rodd & Gunn does business and daily operations. One area it does a lot in is the sourcing of fabrics. For example, the company works closely with select cotton growers and wool producers in Australia and immerses itself in the product life cycle to understand everything, from the amount of water used to even the paddock that the sheep is from.
And while others usually market these efforts heavily, he prefers not to. “The journey to become better every year shouldn’t be a campaign. It’s what you should be doing. It’s the right thing to do.”
