John Varvatos launches redesigned website

The new website was designed by leading agency Wednesday (Mr. Porter, Alexander McQueen, Tory Burch), “the site features a design and layout that truly reflects the philosophy of ease, functionality and masculine luxury that have been the hallmarks of the John Varvatos brand,” says Wednesday Director of Strategy, Ian Schatzberg. The site was conceived to cater to the sophisticated sensibility of the John Varvatos customer while emphasizing an easy-to-use and accessible viewer experience.

Careful attention has been placed on creating distinct experiences between all collections within the brand — John Varvatos Collection, John Varvatos U.S.A. and Boys, Converse by John Varvatos and Fragrances. Each collection showcases its distinct identity, an extension of John’s master vision for the brand. Page layout, product photography and typography all reflect the John Varvatos aesthetic while a clear and simple site architecture make shopping easy and enjoyable.

The overarching creative experience is inspired by the textures of John's retail spaces — the white brick walls of John Varvatos SoHo, the dark aesthetic of Bowery NYC, the use of vintage and raw materials as accent points that create a feeling of distinction, warmth and authenticity. The luxury of John's digital presence runs parallel to the luxury of his stores.

The site is designed for the cross-platform consumer. Titled and grid-like page layouts scale easily across devices and are intended to be tactile — users can easily flip through collections on their tablet, or mobile devices. The use of Flash is eliminated to ensure cross-platform compatibility and the site was built in HTML 5.

“Our brand is rich with history, style and experiences and the new site allows us to tell our story alongside our products,” says John Varvatos. The site creates a rich integration between content and commerce. By analyzing site analytics, brand content has been streamlined into the key areas encompassing Fashion Shows, Campaigns, and a new content portal titled “The Beat” — which showcases all things John Varvatos, and includes Instagram and Twitter feeds.

Always looking to lead in the digital space with original and exclusive content, the site features an editorial component entitled “Style & Substance.” This new monthly section profiles real men whose creativity and dedication to their work follows in the spirit of John Varvatos’ own approach to his craft.