Ghurka Brings Two Industry Veterans Into the Fold, Begins to Write Its Next Chapter
Ghurka, the American luxury leather goods company carried by Meghan Markle, and NBA Star LeBron James, is writing a new chapter.
The heritage brand, purchased by Candlewood Partners in 2019, has hired industry veterans Jacques Panis as president and John Truex as creative director to help shepherd the company into the digital age, while still focusing on the American craftsmanship that put it on the map.
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“I believe the opportunity to be a part of the luxury sector is very, very large as it relates to Ghurka,” Panis, who previously had stints at Shinola and New World Diamonds, explained of the opportunity for the accessories brand moving forward. “We’re driving a strategic vision that is rooted in protecting the brand, ensuring the products and driving culture, growth and innovation across the consumers’ journey.”
Dating back to 1975, Ghurka carved out a niche by focusing on leather work, creating heirloom-quality goods for a worldly customer, and it’s the same consumer that Panis sees the brand speaking to today.
“We refer to our customer today as the well-heeled aficionado, you know — a worldly and educated person with an adventurous spirit, someone who’s curious and on-the-go right there, they’re driven by this desire to discover new places and passions around rediscovering old ones,” he said.
“Today they have an iPhone and the world at their fingertips, and our objective with the consumer of the past and the consumer of today remains relatively simple in terms of communication,” the executive said. “We want to engage them with products that meet all of their expectations around quality, functionality and style.”
Pausing on wholesale until fall 2022, Panis is focusing on direct-to-consumer channels and digital marketing for now. He said, “it’s incredibly important that we measure the impact of every dollar we spend. It’s actually a core tenet of how we operate the business. And the digital universe allows for us to be able to do that.”
ALEX DENVER PHOTOGRAPHY
A relaunched website is due by the end of September, while customers will get a taste of the revamped assortment under new creative director Truex beginning with holiday 2021. Truex brings a rich history in leather goods, having cofounded Lambertson Truex and winning CFDA Accessory Designer of the Year. Previously he was at Tiffany & Co. and Shinola, where he worked with Panis as design director for leather goods.
“For me to take a brand forward, you really need to understand where the brand has been in the past and present in order to really take it to the right place in the future,” Truex explained, saying he took a deep dive into the brand’s archive, including old ad campaigns and illustrations. Truex made updates to sizes and felt function needed to be modernized because “we are living in the 21st century, people are living differently, moving differently.”
“I think today people just pick up and go, leave the house at 8 in the morning. Sometimes you return at 10 at night. I think what was missing — and that needed to be redeveloped or reshaped — is some slimmer silhouettes, a lighter silhouette.”
Spring will see Truex evolve the brand with a lighter messenger shape, “something that’s a little more crossbody and something actually a little smaller,” he said. “You go out on a weekend, you carry your wallet, keys, phone, sunglasses. So what is that shape that’s perfect for those accessories?”
Being that the brand is known for craftmanship and materials, Truex focused on textures, mixing in boiled wools and double-faced plaids along with leathers. Part of the vocabulary from the brand’s beginning, the new team has worked hard on developing its leathers, saying “it ages and it just sort of softens with a great patina to it,” adding to the brand’s heirloom quality.
A key color update? Offering more styles in black. “I think today you really need to have an assortment of color options for the consumer,” Truex said. “Not everyone carries brown.”
Customization has been introduced to add newness as well, with the addition of removable straps to “take it from a business boardroom or office, it became a little more and casual,” the creative director explained. “Maybe put a lighter strap on it and it’s to lighten it up for the spring and summertime.”
Entry-level pieces began at $195 for wallets, with products ranging from $695 to $895. “That’s going to be a big focus of ours, that middle-of-the-road pricing just underneath of the $1,000 price point,” explained Panis.
Ghurka still manufactures the majority of its goods in the same factory in Connecticut where it all began when founded by Marley Hodgson. He found inspiration from leather on a Gurkha officer’s uniform. Marley took the leather and figured out the tanning process behind it, applying that process to hides that he would then make into finished goods for Ghurka.
“I’m really excited about that part of that story,” Panis said. “That implies Ghurka has been rooted in focusing on product and quality since its inception, and we remain focused on product and continue to demand that excellence. The opportunity to modernize our products and evolve with the consumers’ demand while honoring that design DNA is incredibly exciting.”
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