The Interview: Cooper and Bronte Mance, Co-founders, Naked Wolfe

Luxury footwear label Naked Wolfe recently launched its first retail space on London’s New Bond Street.

The debut store launch is a testament to the rapid growth of the brand, which has amassed over 1.2 million followers in the last 5 years and gained a cult-like status among the Gen Z demographic.

Naked Wolfe is now stocked in globally renowned luxury retailers such as Selfridges, Harrods, Browns, Neiman Marcus and Saks.

TheIndustry.fashion speaks to Cooper and Bronte Mance, two of the three Co-founders of Naked Wolfe, about the new store and the evolution of the brand.

It’s been almost two years since we last spoke, what has the last two years felt like for you?

Bronte: The last two years we have seen nothing but the exponential growth of Naked Wolfe. Far beyond what any of us could have hoped for when we first began making shoe samples in 2017. In the past two years, we have opened our third office in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and growing our teams in Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles as well as recently opening our first ever bricks and mortar store in New Bond Street, London which is such an exciting next step for the brand.

Do you think your target demographic has shifted or grown in those last two years?

Cooper: When we initially developed the concept of Naked Wolfe, it was from a lack of representation for unique footwear within the luxury shoe market. We have successfully attracted and maintained a specific target demographic of people who like ourselves, want to be different. However, the fashion industry is ever changing, and we have made sure to adapt and evolve with it.

Our target demographic hasn’t necessarily shifted but broadened to include a more ‘everyday consumer’. We intend to keep broadening our scope as a luxury brand in the modern-day fashion industry.

How does it feel to have taken that first step into your own physical retail?

Bronte: The store has come at a pivotal point for us and was sequentially the next step for us as a brand. We always had our vision set on a bricks and mortar store within the first 5 years.

It’s an incredible feeling that not only have we achieved that goal, but that we are located on one of the world’s most iconic high-end retail streets, New Bond Street. It has only cemented our hopes in becoming a family-run fashion powerhouse, opening countless retail spaces globally within the future.

How does your own space compare to a concession?

Bronte: Having our own retail space gives us the opportunity to show more of our identity to the consumer, it allows us to showcase more of our products and give the opportunity for our customers to see all our products we offer in real life.

Our concessions are still a high priority for us as a brand and we hope that the bricks and mortar only allow us to expand our concessions with more of the world’s best retailers around the world to be able to bring and showcase even more of our identity in real life.

How did the opportunity arise to have a store on New Bond Street?

Cooper: We had been scoping out potential retail spaces for quite some time, but had our sights set on New Bond Street as well as a few other key retail areas of London. We were contacted straight away when the previous business owners decided to close their doors, the store basically fell into our lap.

Why did you choose New Bond Street and how does it align with your customer?

Cooper: Since the beginning, we have established ourselves as a designer footwear brand. Bringing Naked Wolfe to New Bond Street is undoubtedly the right move for us.

What exclusive products do you have in the new location?

Bronte: The New Bond Street store was always going to host hero styles of Naked Wolfe, namely our viral ‘Spice’ Boot; Lysted the world’s hottest fashion product Q1 2022, alongside the ‘Kosa’ sneaker, our best-selling men’s shoe.

Exclusively, however, we have a whole new range in both our Men’s and Women’s AW22 collections. ‘Kosa’ debuts in new colourways that are limited to the store. On the women’s side, we have launched exclusive party wear, aligning to the Christmas season with heels and boots. There’s a shoe for everyone; our signature over-the-top platform can be seen alongside daintier kitten heels and pointed toe silhouettes.

What are your hopes for the space?

Bronte: The space is intended to act as a complimentary extension of Naked Wolfe – especially as it enables us to launch exclusive collections, host influential people in store and develop a showroom on the second floor to base any press related inquiries.

We are looking to host several events to align with men’s fashion week early next year and the store will play an important role in our brand strategy across the UK moving forward. We’re excited to be here in London, this is only the first step for Naked Wolfe.