This is the same shirt that Country Road founder Stephen Bennett used to propel his 10-year-old label into menswear in 1984. It was also the first Country Road shirt I saved up for and bought from the Camberwell store,not the Richmond factory outlet,promising entrée to Melbourne’s poshest pubs and past the bouncers of the Tok H nightclub in Toorak.
“So many people remember running off to the clubs in this shirt,” says Chris Vogelpoel,head of design menswear at Country Road. “Now their children and grandchildren will do the same.”
“For me,it’s the most exciting project. We are making history. Everybody is excited. It’s a rejuvenation of the brand,of the product and of our commitment to cotton.”
Australian cotton farmers and Victorian manufacturers were enlisted last year with the reissue of the ’90s Heritage Sweats,and Country Road managing director Elle Roseby was eager to continue the relationships by focusing on local production.
“When we released the sweats we were waiting to see if our customers would support Australian made,” Roseby says. “We’ve had to repeat production at least another four times since launch. There was obviously an appetite.”
Combing the archives to recapture lightning in a bottle and at the checkout,Country Road’s creative team settled on the chambray shirt because of its unisex appeal and connection to Bennett,who was enlisted to collaborate on reviving the classic.