The bros grew up on the East Coast of
South Africa in Durban taking full advantage of the tropical conditions surfing
and hanging on the beach. The Holmes story started when Laurie was 14 and
couldn’t get anybody to shape the boards he wanted to ride and eventually in
frustration started shaping his own boards in the garage. His ultra thin wafers
were an instant hit at the beach and soon he was shaping boards for all the
boys. A Holmes logo was developed for the boards and it was only a short step
to putting it onto t-shirts and boardshorts. The bros then went on to study
fine art and textile design and started seriously getting interested in
fashion.
After a wild year traveling the world
the dream was finalized and Laurie headed home to get it together, Gary stayed
on in London and ended up opening the first G-shock store world wide. Three
years later (1999) the business had grown sufficiently for Gary to come back
and get involved. The brand then expanded to include a ladies range and was
soon being stocked in stores countrywide.
THE FAT WAS IN THE FIRE
THE HOG WAS OUT THE TUNNEL
The brand has successfully participated
in SA Fashion week over a number of years, (2003/4/5/6), and has been featured
in Drapers Record -London, Elle-U.S edition, Nylon-USA and Collezione Sport
& Street-Europe.
‘Holmes Bros’ the brand is essentially a
young men’s and ladies fashion collection of product and accessories. Best
known for their t-shirts, which take a quirky look at SA culture, the brand has a young fashion
flavor that represents the multi-cultural demographics of our nation to the
core. It transcends age, race and cultural barriers and that in essence makes
it truly democratic.
Holmes is now well established
in the South African market having their flagship store at Gateway in Durban
since 2005, as well as supplying stores countrywide. The
brand opened a second store at Cavendish in Cape Town on the 26th of November
and has plans to open a third in Rosebank ,Johannesburg at the end of February
2011. There has been a complete revamp of their Store look in 2010
starting with the Gateway store - to reflect the new direction of the brand.
The
company takes great pride in its social responsibility to the community and the
planet, all the materials for the shop interiors are sourced from local scrap
yards, even the shopping bags are made from off cuts and unused fabrics. The
product range is designed and made locally in South Africa, as well as accessorized
by local craftsmen/woman. The Holmes brand has also sponsored
the menswear award at the Durban Institute of Technology’s fashion design
school for the last 5 years.
Although the brand takes it inspiration
from local sources, it is also important to note that the brand takes
cognizance from emerging fashion trends and influences, from as far a field as
Japan, London and New York. We feel that although local design inputs are an
important heritage of the brand, it is vital to keep abreast of international
trends and design elements.
Holmes Bros is a marriage of the two worlds, Local
design, International quality and execution.
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