Written by Menswear Style in Stockists on the 4th April 2017

Kestin Hare, Scottish Fashion Retailer of the Year, has opened a new unique flagship store for his menswear brand this month in Leith, Edinburgh. Leith is a destination location, situated down by the Shore in Edinburgh’s historic docks. The store occupies a Grade A listed Town House built in 1812 (behind Custom House) and is spread over two floors, directly facing onto the water on Custom Wharf at the shore. Kestin Hare’s new spot is in the centre of a highly creative area of Edinburgh, filled with Michelin star restaurants but very little retail, and will offer more than just your regular shopping experience.

The interior of the store has been carefully curated to reflect the nuances of the local nautical culture with a 1960s speedboat for the downstairs changing room, and yachting rope is used to suspend paddles for hanging fixtures. Hare’s passion for supporting Scottish creatives will see his menswear apparel sitting alongside a select edit of Made in Scotland brands including sunglasses, stationary, homewares, confectionary and grooming.

Hare says: “At the front of my mind has been to create something that gives customers a real reason to come to my physical store. We want to involve the community, to tell a story and inspire. I want to build an experience where someone feels like they want to come, relax, feel at home and live the Kestin Hare lifestyle. We will have an onsite barber and the store will also house a florist with a focus on selling seasonal Scottish plants and flowers. There is definitely a local customer in Leith for us, and Edinburgh also benefits from a buoyant tourism industry. We will have a unique offer, housing the very best selection of Scottish design, which has been a lifelong dream of mine.”

The store backs on to Leith coffee roasters Williams & Johnson café and fronts Custom Lane, a collaborative centre for design and making. Custom Lane comprises of a gallery, event space, workshop and studios where Hare is now housing his design studio. Hare is delighted to have been given the opportunity to get involved in this new venture and to be working alongside a mix of inspiring creatives across many disciplines at Custom Lane.

The opening of the store ties in with the new spring collection launch entitled The Northern Shores. The Northern Shores collection draws inspiration from the modern-day explorer and a road trip of 500 miles around the north of Scotland. Specially developed collaborations for the launch, such as Kestin Hare x Hancock collaboration, will be displayed at the launch party alongside the new collection. The two limited edition jackets use Kestin Hare printed cotton shirting which is then bonded to Hancock’s mac cloth and made in Cumbernauld.

Located at The Shore Leith Edinburgh part of Scotland Kestin Hare Opens New Flagship Store at the historic docks.