ITOCHU Announces Acquisition of Exclusive Rights to Import and Sell British Brand Gloverall

November 16, 2017

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) has acquired the exclusive rights to import and sell products by Gloverall, a British brand of outerwear, in the Japanese market. Products from the brand will be launched in full scale in the 2018 FW season via Guest List Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Takuya Murakami, President).

The Gloverall brand was established in 1951 by Harold and Freda Morris. At the time of World War II, the Morris family ran a wholesale business for items such as gloves and outerwear. After the end of the war, the family was appointed by the British Ministry of Defense to sell the duffle coats that were used in the uniform of the British Navy on the general market. The duffle coats became extremely popular, and the Morris family launched a brand of coats. The brand was named Gloverall, which is a coined word combining “glove,” one of their major items at that time, and “overall.”

The duffle coat for the navy uniform was evolved into a design, material and silhouette suitable for townwear. High-quality melton wool, herringbone and other fine materials were used to make the products with the techniques and uncompromising enthusiasm of British craftsmen. As a result, Gloverall has grown and is globally recognized as synonymous with the duffle coat. After more than 65 years, the philosophy of the brand has been passed down. In particular, the Monty line of products has gained a following as the top-selling item representing the brand. Monty is named after the nickname of Bernard Law Montgomery, a British Army officer who wore the Morris family’s duffle coats during World War II.

In expanding into the Japanese market, the brand targets men and women in their 20s to 40s. The color variations of the Monty line will be increased and lightweight materials will be introduced. In addition, Eliza Duffle, a new, slimmer line of coats evolved from the Monty line, will also be launched. In the future, the promotion of these brands will be expanded through department stores, specialty stores, multi-brand shops and other outlets. The dissemination of information about the brands on SNS and other media will be strengthened. With these efforts, we will strive to enhance the visibility of the brand and aim to achieve sales of 500 million yen in the first fiscal year and 2 billion yen three years later on a retail price basis.

Exhibition schedule

Venue Schedule
Tokyo
Guest List showroom
2F, 17-16 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. from Tuesday, November 28 to Friday, December 1

Gloverall brand logo

Photo representing the image of Monty

Standard lineup of Monty