Kangol to open first retail outlet

Kangol, the former supplier of berets to HM Forces which has become a cult fashion label, is to launch its first dedicated store.

The outlet, which opens at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent on March 16, is being managed by licensee BigHit, a fashion franchisee company.

Kangol and BigHit are to use the new 611 sq ft store, called Kangol @ D-Code, as a test for the retail potential of the Kangol brand.

The move could lead to a permanent deal between the two companies or a more concerted move into retailing by Kangol through an expanded network of licensees.

Tony Lorenz, new business manager of the Conran Design Group, which is devising the retail concept, says: “The company is going to track what happens at Bluewater. It was an opportunity to test the brand and Kangol grabbed it.”

The company has come a long way since it was founded in 1930 and subsequently became a supplier of berets to the British armed forces at the start of World War Two.

It has become the chosen label of clubbers and rap music artists, as well as a personal favourite of cult movie director Quentin Tarantino.