The chambray shirt was. For my 21st birthday,my grandmother gave me a leather desk set,which I promptly exchanged at Myer for my first suit,a single-breasted brown merino wool number from Country Road.
Country Road founder Stephen Bennett (in 2003) surrounded by images of the label he founded in 1974.Rob Banks,supplied
Many Australians share my affection for the label,which has maintained customer loyalty through dramatic aesthetic and ownership changes,since it was founded by the eternally charismatic Stephen Bennett in 1974. This was only six years following the launch of and seven years after Ralph Lauren started in the US.
“There was massive change in the clothing industry brought about by the reduction of tariffs,the end of manufacturing and then the Vietnam War,” said Bennett,at a panel held in Melbourne on Tuesday for the brand’s anniversary.
“The music changed,the lifestyles changed,the baby boomers appeared in the marketplace. We all started to earn our own money,and we wanted to wear clothes that we wanted and not what Mum and Dad told us to.”
Bennett borrowed $20,000 from his father-in-law to launch the business but despite popular belief,did not borrow the business name from John Denver.
“There’s lots of conjecture about this,” Bennett said. “I do like John Denver,but the name was because we were looking for a connection with country. I remember going through all the names,country life and country this,and Country Road came up.”
Stephen Bennett in Country Road’s early Fitzroy Headquarters showing the brand’s second winter collection (date not provided);on Tuesday night Stephen Bennett with daughter Katie Peterson at a 50th anniversary celebration in Melbourne.Trevor Pinder;Supplied
In 1998,Woolworths Holdings acquired a controlling stake in Country Road,before taking on the whole business in 2014,when retail billionaire Solomon Lew sold his stake in
Under the current leadership of managing director Elle Roseby,the business is redefining its connection to country through pioneering relationships with First Nations organisations,designers and artists.
Before looking ahead,however,50 years is a good milestone to look back at the long and winding road. No one confesses to taking comfort in the generosity of a Country Road size 12,but the bags,towels and sweaters score highly in the nostalgia stakes.
Country Road memories
An early advertising campaign for Country Road;Australian supermodel Gemma Ward in the campaign for the brand’s 50th anniversarySupplied
“Growing up I pored over their campaigns for the ease of the way they captured our lifestyle and our climate. They were the first iconic Australian brand that embraced the whole family. They were the first fashion brand to shoot epic campaigns capturing the spirit of Australia. Steve and his sister Jane[who joined the company shortly after it was founded as design director] were trailblazers.” -Jackie Frank,fashion consultant and founding editorMarie Claire Australia
“I interned there in the nineties when they had just moved their head office to Richmond,and they had the best Christmas parties.”
“Working there I was baffled by the generous ‘customer is always right’ returns policy. People would come back from hiking in Wilson’s Promontory complaining about their boots. They were battered fashion boots not made for hikes,but we still had to return them.”
“Stephen Bennet was so far ahead of the lifestyle movement in this country,bringing a touch of the spirit of Terence Conran and Habitat from the UK. He is a great ideas man who hit the right spot at the right time.” -Melissa Jackson,milliner and Flinders Fringe artistic director
“We did a lot of work for Country Road atVogue. I think I started in 1985,and we said that Country Road single-handedly changed the menswear market,especially with shoes. You couldn’t get a decent,affordable stylish shoe for men before that.”- Kirstie Clements,author and formerVogue Australia editor.
“My gaggle of schoolgirl friends and I called it “Crunch”,short for Country Road. It may not have been my usual style but I bought things from there when I needed to tone things done,which looking back,I probably should have done more often.” -
“Who hasn’t had at least one Country Road sweater in their life? My first as a kid was a blue sweater and I begged my parents for a canvas bag. It was blue with white stripes and I took it to singing classes all the time. Now I have a yellow bag and quite a few of the Heritage sweaters,which are my go-to when travelling.”-Anthony Callea,singer
A 1996 fashion shoot for the Sydney Morning Herald highlighting Country Road pieces.Patrick Cummins
“When I was growing up in Perth,I remember thinking that Country Road was so classic and chic. Everyone was wearing surf brands like Quicksilver and Rusty (myself included) yet at a certain age,I graduated to a Country Road cotton dress. This marked the start of a new fashion era for me,the beginning of my coming of age.” - Kym Ellery,designer
“My family have been buying me Country Road beach towels since I turned 18. For me,they represent being an adult and being able to have nice things. –
“Owning a piece of Country Road was a treat for me growing up. My most prized possession was,and still is,their canvas tote. It was a staple piece of my high school ensemble. You had to have that bag to fit in.”
“I still buy at least one Country Road piece whenever I return to Australia. On my last trip I picked up some pyjamas. My sister’s rewards status continues to grow and she has me to thank for that.”- for Ralph Lauren,Commonry,Sport’s Illustrated
An early Country Road campaign featuring canvas bags. Not the pervasive logo duffle bag;The go-to Christmas present. A Country Road beach towel.Supplied
“I was brought up on a farm outside Echuca in Victoria and my people are the Yorta Yorta. In the eighties we would take a bus in to town and go to Carters store,which was like a very,very small David Jones,and they had a Country Road kiosk. This is what we all aspired to and being particularly annoying I had to have the navy-blue jumper,which I somehow got away with wearing as my school jumper.”- Rhys Ripper,stylist,Mob In Fashion,Melbourne Fashion Festival
“I was a nineties kid in high school and I became obsessed with their mock neck jumpers. Everyone had to have them but of course I had to go that one step further and have one in every colour.” -Michael Lo Sordo,designer
“I bought a pair of olive green Country Road jodhpurs during my university days and I remember never getting sick of them. They were a structured wool gaberdine with knitted ankle cuffs and went with everything,well,at least I thought so.”
“It was the beginning of me discovering my own personal style and realising I liked wearing something different from others. Everyone was wearing pants and jeans,but these jodhpurs had a unique silhouette and a different structure to the pants that everyone else was wearing. They helped me discover my own sense of individuality which is why they are very memorable to me.”- Caroline Ralphsmith,chief executive,Melbourne Fashion Festival
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