He’s shaped how Australians dress for 50 years. And he’s far from done

2 days ago 3

Steve Bennett is peering implicit my shoulder. But he’s not trying to pull a waiter’s attraction oregon adjacent the oculus of idiosyncratic astatine different table. Instead, he’s assessing what radical are wearing.

“Clothing is going done a precise unusual play … You’re the lone well-dressed idiosyncratic here,” the 77-year-old seasoned of the Australian manner manufacture and laminitis of Country Road quips.

Country Road laminitis Stephen Bennett astatine St Kilda’s Saint George.

I americium flattered though a tad sceptical astir having praise heaped upon my elemental outfit – jeans, canvas sneakers, T-shirt, khaki blazer – and situation Bennett to spot idiosyncratic other successful the country who is “serving looks”, manner slang for well-dressed.

He nods to a pistillate astatine a adjacent array wearing a Breton-striped T-shirt, and we hold she passes the pub test. Only, we’re not technically successful a pub, but astatine Saint George, the refurbished eating country astatine the Saint Hotel connected Fitzroy Street, successful the bayside suburb of St Kilda.

The erstwhile pub, which opened successful 1915, has a comparatively caller tenant successful personage cook Karen Martini, who jets by to accidental hullo to her aged friend, Bennett. For a brisk autumn Friday, the spot is buzzing.

“There are tons of ladies who lunch,” Bennett observes arsenic helium sips a treble Jamieson connected the rocks, portion I caregiver a Hemingway Cooler mocktail, flavoured with grapefruit and cherry.

Fritto misto – flash-fried seafood – astatine Saint George.

The catalyst for our luncheon is the 50th day of covering and manner marque Country Road, which Bennett founded successful 1974 utilizing a $20,000 indebtedness from his erstwhile father-in-law to “make a fewer shirts”. In reality, what emerged was an empire spanning women’s and menswear, homewares, and, successful much caller times, luxury favored accessories. Some of his designs, including the brand’s signature logo tote, person go cult items, carried by everyone from teenagers to celebrities specified arsenic Australian histrion Jacob Elordi.

Bennett was astatine Country Road for 25 years until helium left, somewhat bruised, aft the institution went nationalist pursuing a buy-back from section store Myer, which owned it for six years successful the 1980s. “The Country Road acquisition was a existent joy. I accidental it was similar athletics – if you emotion what you’re doing, you bash it amended than if you don’t,” helium says.

Really though, luncheon with Bennett is an accidental to prime 1 of the country’s astir talented retail minds – adjacent if it has occasionally ventured into choppy waters, specified arsenic the ill-fated enlargement of Country Road into the US pursuing the 1987 crash.

Then determination was his relation successful rebooting Georges, the iconic Melbourne boutique section store – an experimentation that lasted lone 13 months. “[Georges] wounded a batch of radical I had large respect for, and who backed me,” helium says.

Hand-rolled pici pasta with cockerel and hazelnuts astatine Saint George.

In hindsight, helium says helium should person taken clip disconnected aft leaving Country Road, alternatively than launching head-first into a large task – ne'er caput 1 arsenic contentious arsenic Georges, astir which it seemed each Melburnian, from journalists to shoppers, had an opinion.

“I astir apt should person taken a twelvemonth off,” helium says. “I was that manic astir doing [Georges] … I thought Melbourne needed it. Paris had Collette, New York had Barneys, London had Liberty.”

I constituent retired that of those, 2 – Collette and Barneys – had closed down. “There’s a batch of ‘was-es’ [in retail],” helium laments, arsenic our entrees arrive.

For the archetypal clip successful our interview, I americium nervous. In 2019, aft returning from a travel to London, Bennett fell earnestly sick with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological illness that’s sometimes known arsenic “locked-in syndrome” owed to its interaction connected the patient’s body. The sickness, which crippled Bennett for 12 months – including 4 months successful the intensive-care portion astatine The Alfred – has near him with arthritis and associated problems for which helium has had respective surgeries. “Now, I can’t write, and I utilized to emotion drafting and writing,” helium says.

Due to his condition, Bennett besides struggles to clasp a accepted weapon and fork. Ever the occupation solver, helium went online and recovered a brace that fits implicit his hand, to which a companion oregon carer tin clip a magnetic fork oregon spoon. It’s up to maine to acceptable the brace, a task I fumble connected the archetypal go, but yet manage, truthful Bennett tin bask his kingfish crudo, portion I nibble connected the fanciest murphy cakes – garnished with whipped cod roe – I person ever tasted.

When I inquire what the acquisition of having Guillain-Barré was like, Bennett pauses to see his response: “Amazing.” Huh?

Of course, it was difficult, helium says, but, “for me, it was each astir the ‘now’. I couldn’t woody with the past, I didn’t cognize what the aboriginal was”.

Born successful Melbourne, Bennett attended the past all-boys Wesley College, wherever helium developed a passionateness for rowing, which was archetypal sparked by his sister and Country Road co-founder Jane Parker, who took him to the Head of the River regatta successful 1958. He went connected to survey arts astatine Monash University, but an world helium was not. “I qualified successful rowing boats,” helium says.

Bennett, pictured successful 1995 with manner icon Maggie Tabberer.

Bennett says the conception of a unit ever stuck with him. “The large happening astir rowing is you can’t stop, you can’t thin against the goalposts. You person to person radical successful the vessel who are with you.”

After dropping retired of uni, Bennett recovered his mode to Melbourne’s Flinders Lane garment territory and Trent Nathan, wherever helium worked arsenic a salesman, but archetypal developed a passionateness for fabrics. In the aboriginal 1970s, hippie civilization and tie-dye were connected the mode out, and “from a covering constituent of view, it was rather disorganised”, helium says.

Denim was inactive mostly the domain of alleged “workwear” shops, but Bennett could spot it shifting into the mainstream. At the aforesaid clip successful America, the Ivy League preppy benignant was successful its aboriginal stages. Bennett wanted in. “I ever loved ‘weekend’ apparel – you ever felt good, they had that ‘lived in’ feeling,” helium says, reflecting connected Country Road’s aboriginal aesthetic and marque DNA.

At first, radical tried to dissuade Parker, who herself owned a palmy concatenation of hairsbreadth salons, and Bennett from making “sportswear” – astatine the time, the biggest wealth successful manner was inactive successful dresses. But Bennett could spot JAG and Just Jeans were starting to marque waves successful casual wear. Already, his instinct for retail was spot on.

Bennett (right) with sister Jane Parker and wide manager Peter Vial astatine Country Road’s caput bureau successful 1990.

“I couldn’t accidental we were a manner house, we were a manner house,” Bennett says. “There were definite colours we loved and definite colours we wouldn’t touch.”

Like what? For 1 thing, helium wasn’t huffy connected brights. “We liked to ‘take the apical off’ colours, truthful it was a dusty red, oregon an olive green,” helium says, acknowledging my khaki blazer.

Over mains – a hand-rolled pasta with chickenhearted and hazelnuts for Bennett, and a fritto misto of fish, schoolhouse prawns and babe octopus for maine – I inquire Bennett astir his (and Country Road’s) relation successful wholly reshaping Australian menswear, including the thought of “split suits”, wherever the overgarment and pants could beryllium worn arsenic separates.

He rebuffs the “revolutionary” tag, but agrees the motorboat of menswear successful 1984 “was a existent detonation successful the brand”.

Bennett (left) astatine Country Road’s aboriginal office successful Fitzroy, and with girl Katie Peterson astatine the brand’s 50th-anniversary solemnisation successful January.Credit: Trevor Pinder; Supplied

“We were showing guys however they could formal without intimidating them,” Bennett says.

As good arsenic his concern acumen, Bennett’s plan bequest cannot beryllium ignored. His 1984 chambray garment was re-cut for Country Road’s 50th birthday, and his enactment features successful the imperishable postulation of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. After Georges, Bennett went connected to found a backstage statement for David Jones, S.R. Bennett & Co, which lasted astir 3 years, earlier helium spent a decennary arsenic originative manager of Driza-Bone.

Still, it volition ever beryllium the Country Road sanction with which Bennett is associated, which is wherefore helium is saddened by caller allegations against the existent absorption of the company, including intersexual harassment and bullying.

The allegations look weeks aft our meeting, truthful erstwhile I telephone Bennett astir them, helium is cautious to separate betwixt Country Road Group, the firm entity (controlled by the South African Woolworths Holdings, which includes Witchery, Mimco and Politix), and the marque helium founded, arsenic good arsenic its staff.

“There is existent enactment and spot successful the executives controlling and producing Country Road products … and that volition proceed [after these allegations are investigated],” helium says.

Over the people of his career, Bennett says helium has been fortunate to conscionable galore of the world’s top manner and retail minds.

“I’ve been fortunate to conscionable each these fantastic radical … [Ralph] Lauren was tricky but funny. We were sitting successful New York, talking astir Australia. I said to him, ‘When are you [Lauren’s brand] going to travel to Australia?’ and helium said, ‘I’m not adjacent successful f–ing Canada, truthful you tin hide it.’ It was specified a New York moment.”

Model Gemma Ward successful a run marking 50 years of Country Road.

Indeed, Lauren yet came to Australia. Irrespective of whether Bennett influenced the begetter of American sportswear, plentifulness of retail leaders crook to him erstwhile they request to lick a occupation oregon expand. His main gig present is astatine cosmetics and skincare elephantine Mecca, wherever helium works with laminitis Jo Horgan connected the company’s retail footprint. “I don’t get progressive successful the ‘goo’,” helium says.

“I walk much clip telling radical what not to bash than telling them what to bash … each my atrocious decisions, Georges included, were rushing into things,” helium says.

Bennett pictured successful 2014 with Mecca laminitis Jo Horgan.

These days, Bennett admires concern leaders who meditate and spell to furniture aboriginal implicit those who enactment astir the clock, arsenic helium did astatine Country Road. He divides his clip betwixt the metropolis and his workplace astatine Waratah North, adjacent Wilson’s Promontory, which helium shares with his 2nd wife, Michelle (he has 2 big daughters with his archetypal wife, Pamela, and 5 grandchildren).

As overmuch arsenic helium loves – and needs – a slower gait of life, you can’t assistance but consciousness Bennett, who is sipping an affogato for dessert, inactive has a fourth, 5th oregon sixth enactment to come, astatine the aforesaid clip galore of his peers are enjoying retirement. But helium besides has idiosyncratic goals for this twelvemonth – to requalify for his driver’s licence and get backmost connected the play course.

“I’ve inactive got the buzz,” helium says. “How agelong tin you beryllium applicable for? Frank Lloyd Wright had much enactment astatine 85 than astatine 45. The happening you larn arsenic you get older is you commencement to clarify what things truly mean.”

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