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

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

Debut store launch is a testament to the fast growth of the brand, which has amassed over 1.2 million followers in the past 5 years and earned cult-like status among the Gen Z demographic.

Naked Wolfe is now available at world-renowned luxury retailers such as Selfridges, Harrods, Browns, Neiman Marcus and Saks.

TheIndustry.fashion spoke with Cooper and Bronte Mance, two of the three founders of Naked Wolfe, about the new store and the brand’s evolution.

It’s been almost two years since we last spoke, how have the past two been like for you?

Bronte: The last two years we’ve seen nothing but exponential growth from Naked Wolfe. Far beyond what anyone could have hoped for when we first started sampling shoes in 2017. In the last two years, we have opened our third office in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and expanded our team in Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles. as well as recently opening our first brick and mortar store in New Bond Street, London which is an exciting next step for the brand.

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

Cooper: When we first developed the Naked Wolfe concept, it was due to a lack of unique footwear representation in the luxury shoe market. We’ve been successful in attracting and retaining a specific target demographic of people who, like ourselves, want to be different. However, the fashion industry is always changing, and we make sure to adapt and grow with it.

Our target demographic hasn’t necessarily changed but expanded to include more everyday consumers. We intend to continue to expand our scope as a luxury brand in the modern fashion industry.

What’s it like to take the first step into your own physical retail?

Bronte: The store has been a watershed for us and sequentially the next step for us as a brand. We always set our vision on a brick and mortar store in the first 5 years.

It’s a great feeling that we have not only reached that goal, but that we are on one of the most iconic upscale retail streets in the world, New Bond Street. It only strengthens our hopes of becoming a family-run fashion hub, opening up countless retail spaces globally in the future.

How does your own space compare to the concession?

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

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

How did the opportunity to own a shop on New Bond Street come about?

Cooper: We’ve been exploring potential retail spaces for some time, but set our sights on New Bond Street as well as some of the other major retail areas in London. We were contacted instantly when the previous owners of the business decided to close their doors, the shop had basically fallen into our laps.

Why did you choose New Bond Street and how does it relate to your customers?

Cooper: Since our inception, we’ve established ourselves as a designer footwear brand. Bringing Naked Wolfe to New Bond Street was without a doubt the right move for us.

What exclusive products do you have at the new location?

Bronte: The New Bond Street shop will always host Naked Wolfe hero style, namely our viral Spice Boot; Listed as the world’s hottest fashion product Q1 2022, alongside the Kosa sneakers, our best-selling men’s shoes.

However, exclusively, we have a new range in our Men’s and Women’s AW22 collections. Kosa is debuting a new color which is limited in stores. On the women’s side, we’ve launched exclusive party wear, in tune with the Christmas season in heels and boots. There are shoes for everyone; our signature over-the-top platform can be seen alongside a dainty tabby heel and pointed toe silhouette.

What are your hopes for the space?

Bronte: This space is intended to act as a free extension of Naked Wolfe primarily as it allows us to launch exclusive collections, host influential people in the store and develop a showroom on the second floor to base any press-related inquiries on.

We are looking to host a number of events to align with mens fashion week early next year and the store will play a key role in our UK-wide brand strategy going forward. We are delighted to be here in London, this is only the first step for Naked Wolfe.