All language subtitles for RETAIL CONNECT_ROLLAGAS_CREATIVE FOCUS

Welcome to Retail
Connect, the first in a series of videos

we're shooting on products and other
topics, all in the world of dunhill.

The first thing we're going to be doing
is looking at Rollagas.

As you can see, you've got a fantastic
collection of Rollagas pieces here.

And of course, Rollagas is a major launch
for us in a top focus in terms of sales

across our global retail network.

So today we're going to be talking
to a number of key people in the business

across the design, product development
and merchandising teams.

And they're going to give you

a real insight
into Rollagas, the design inspiration,

the products, the materials
and how we created

the really interesting design.

So Wouter, it's great to have you
in this video as head of menswear,

to give us some real insights
into the design inspiration.

So thank you for coming along.

So Rollagas of course, has some
very unique pieces,

some very strong dunhill
design inspiration and detailing.

So can you tell us a little bit

about the inspiration
behind the creation of Rollagas?

Yeah, so dunhill has a very

big extensive archive, with
loads of beautiful hardware products,

but it's especially the lighters
that we find interesting.

Every season
we find a new inspiration in the lighters.

And we kind of wanted to celebrate
the Rollagas lighter

by making a collection that really

captivates this texture on the lighter.

And create a collection
where you can really find a link

that goes directly back to the archive
but also to the manifesto,

and use that pattern across,
a huge variety of menswear products.

Mm hmm. Great,
we have certainly got a wide variety!

Yes, excatly!

So Wouter, what did

you find interesting about the texture
that you found on the archive lighters?

Well, at dunhill, we have done around
thousands of different textures,

and it's not the only type of lighter
that we do.

But when we went to the archives,
this one really jumped out.

It's a lighter from the seventies.

Yeah, it's this one.

And amongst
all the other lighters that we saw

where, you get a lot of these more retro
looking textures.

This one felt very minimal
and kind of like, instantly

looked like a pattern that we could use
across the menswear category.

Yeah.

So at that time
we were looking for a new quilt pattern.

And so this felt a little bit
less difficult.

But also what you can see
is that the lighter shape

is also a rectangle
and it's the same within.

So what we like, it's
kind of almost a repeat of the...

It keeps repeating

...of the Rollagas lighter

So what we also do within the collection,
we look alot at this

rectangular setup and we are starting
to use that for pockets.

Right.

So it's not just around as like
a quilt pattern or in a woven texture,

but it's also now
being used for a different detail.

Yeah.
So it's a shape that works really well.

Yeah, and for a lighter from the seventies
that withstand

the test of time
and still looks great today.

It does.

It's kind of perfect for us to use,
because it's kind of like,

for me it was the perfect one.

Amongst a draw
of a hundered different lighters.

I think it's certainly stands out,
fantastic.

Thank you!

So why is the Rollagas lighter
an important icon for dunhill?

Well, we have several iconic

lighters at dunhill,
so the Rollagas is just one of them.

Before the shapes of the lighters were far
more like round and more like this.

And I'm sure Harley will tell you
a lot of history about that.

Yeah

But what was special
was when this lighter got introduced

in the fifties,
it was brand new, it was lightweight.

The functionality of it was
was kind of like brand new

where here the lever comes goes up, there
it's just in the palm of your hand.

It's it's
kind of like ergonomic, the perfect shape.

Yeah and works perfectly. Exactly!

So it was an instant success
back in those days.

And then you can see how it functions
here.

Like you can see the internal.

It was brand new,
everything was more compact.

So it was kind of like ahead of its time.

And for dunhill, it became successful

because loads of celebrities
like Elvis Presley or

Sean Connery used the lighter in James Bond

Yep

So it became picked up by multiple people

and because of that,

it became even more successful
and I think that's why it's iconic.

Yeah. Thank you!

So will we see Rollagas design inspiration
for future collections?

Yeah, a hundred percent!

I feel it's already been kind
of an iconic graphic language for us now.

Yeah

This pattern
we have actually used since SS20.

So it's quite a long time ago.

Yeah

That's
when we used it in show collection.

But actually, within the collections,

we use it in liners, in multiple things
for quite a while.

Yeah.

And now we're starting to explore
how we can use this pattern

in different variations.

So we're looking into

knitwear patterns, jersey patterns,
but also fabric development.

So we've introduced the shirts with
this pattern and we starting to evolve.

And from finding these new techniques,
you always start to think about

what are the possibilities
for the coming season.

So yes, a hundred percent!

So we are definately going to see Rollagas
in future collections. Fantastic!

Thank you!

Well, thank you for joining us, Harley
as lead designer for hard products, it's

great to be able to get your insights

into some of the hardware pieces
on the Rollagas collection.

And one of the things
I wanted to talk to you about

was the T-bar zip puller and we've
seen this on a quite a few collections,

but it features quite prominently
on the Rollagas collection as well.

So what is the design inspiration
behind the T-bar zip puller?

Well, as you know

The main inspiration for the collection
is the Rollagas lighter.

But for this,
we actually looked at the other lighters

and more specifically,
the Turbo and the Unique.

Right.

And what we looked at here
was the componentry on the top,

and we literally dissected components

of these lighters and overlaid them onto

leather swatches and bags and garments,
actually.

Well, I've got one of those Turbo lighters
here, actually.

So you actually physically
took that to pieces?

Yes, so yeah, literally took this element
here, the bar, and played with it really.

Yeah Essentially,

so we can get a rough idea of a silhouette
that we can play with.

Yeah.

So actually,
if I put that against the bag,

I can actually really start to see

that kind of literal inspiration
there

Sure, and as you go deeper,

you can see that this is slightly changed
and what we wanted to do here was to

really put a signature shape
or a signature kind of detail,

which is the hex rivet, essentially, which
gives a nod to our automotive heritage,

that you find in cars

and engines.

Right ok, fantastic!

So that's a
that's really interesting, actually.

I didn't think that would be
that much information to sort of

say about the zip puller,
but it just goes to show

how much thought goes into creating these
and this attention to detail.

Thank you very much.

So, Harley, this season
we see some innovative new clip

hardware seen on the Lock
Clip Rollagas collection.

So what's the inspiration behind that?

So for that, we took our already

iconic Lock Bag lock,

and we basically took the

details and transferred

or extended it, let's say, into a side
release clip.

If we go deep into the details

Yeah

We can see I've used the same styling here, such
as the dome head rivets that we echo here.

Yeah

The hinge, the actual hinge area here
which we echo here as well

and the overall styling of these cuts and

and chamfer details that you can see
see here.

Yeah

But essentially

this is a very classic attache lock.

Yeah

But we wanted to transfer it
into a more modern and versatile

locking or closure for bags

Yeah.

Yeah, well, it certainly suits the overall
look of the bag.

I think it works really nicely against
the overall look and feel of the piece.

Looks fantastic!