One of my favorite bloggers, Michael Williams of A Continuous Lean, just so happens to also be one of the most important people in menswear today. And Mr. Williams recently got a chance to tour the incredible Mr. Porter offices in London. After I gasped at how beautiful this office space was, I was struck by how very similar the Mr. Porter office’s are to my former employers Old Navy HQ office here in San Francisco, albeit the Mr. Porter space is much, much more high-end and (and a bit tidier…).
The Mr Porter offices are very appropriately situated atop one of the most massive shopping malls I have ever seen. Thankfully, American culture was not to fault for this carnival of consumerism, it was the Australians who are to blame. I’m thinking the Aussies saw it as some sort of modern day colonial revenge complete with valet parking. Interestingly, it is not everyday you see that in London. This point was illustrated by the fact that the valet required a sign explaining that they “park the car for you”.
It sort of makes sense for a company running an online store to be located so close to so much physical retail. It likely serves as a daily reminder of the need to think uniquely to serve the customer in a different way. I’m told though that the main reason the Net-a-Porter / Mr Porter offices are located at the Westfield is because of the availability of large footprint office space. These office space needs are obvious when you look at the growth and scale of things at the company.
Read the full ACL post on Mr. Porter’s London offices.
[Photos via A Continuous Lean]
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