The Tamesis
Harris Tapper founders Sarah Harris Gould and Lauren Tapper aren’t sure how it happened, but New York accounts for 10 per cent of their New Zealand brand’s total sales.
Designed to fit into the modern woman’s everyday life, from work to school to dinner and drinks, Harris Tapper’s pieces are a take on everyday basics, with edges and flare designed to stand out rather than blend in seamlessly. “Our core pillar is effortless elegance. There’s something special and unique about our pieces, but it’s still a shirt. You need those things to carry you through the day,” Tapper said.
The mysterious New York craze is a rare gap in the pair’s intricate knowledge of every little detail of the brand’s mechanics. Since the brand’s launch, every move has been driven by data, metrics and profit. “Every decision we make, from a business perspective, from a product perspective, from an operational perspective, is thoughtful and deliberate,” Harris Gould said. “We are not spontaneous decision makers,” Tapper agreed.
However, the brand’s New York breakout left the design duo with more questions than answers, unable to attribute the influx to a single article or channel push. They concluded that it depends on word of mouth. “I’ve had people say, ‘Every time I wear this, five people stop me on the street and ask,’ and that’s great because, especially in a tech world so full of advertising, good products still speak for themselves,” Tapper said. “Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be the flashiest thing – it can just be a really nice pair of pants.” Already a favorite Fashion Editor from Australia to New York.
The 10 percent sale marked the confirmation Harris-Gould and Tapper needed to embark on a transatlantic journey they had begun exploring a year earlier, with their first trip to New York to test the waters. The founders noted that U.S. expansion was always their plan. It just came faster than expected. This week, the brand officially launched in the U.S. through an exclusive partnership with Moda Operandi and the launch of its own U.S. website.
Photo: Holly Burgess
“We immediately saw the potential of Harris Tapper’s new wardrobe for the American customer,” said Marc Rofsky, vice president of ready-to-wear at Moda Operandi. “It’s the perfect blend of femininity and confidence that New York women love, and it feels like a new form of power dressing.” Moda Operandi has been in talks with Harris Tapper for years, said Rofsky. “We wanted to respect their deliberate pace, so we waited until they felt they were ready to enter the U.S. market. But when several of our most influential customers started talking about the brand at last year’s Moda event, we knew interest had spread to New York. It confirmed that the timing was perfect.”
