It would seem that Dallas is not only making a splash nationally but internationally as well. So it would only makes sense that our first encounter with Edo Popken is by chance at his trunk show at Timothy Oulton, a British furniture and lifestyle store that chose to open its first stand-alone retail shop in the US here.
Edo is hard to miss, a very stylishly dressed gentlemen of 6’4” in height with red framed eyeglasses. He is a Swiss International Designer known for his limited edition dress shirts, colorful fashion approach, love for detail and eco-friendly and ethically correct craftsmanship. His first store is located in the exclusive neighborhood of Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich. With it's rich history, Swiss banks, high-end shopping it is known as one of the most exclusive shopping districts in the world. He then started wholesaling to high-end boutiques throughout the country in 2006. These shops would purchase selected items to be sold in their stores via the fashion shows that his designs were featured in. Popken's sales strategy soon evolved into a catalog and online store in 2009 in order to cover the increasing demand from the US and its international clientele spread all over the world.
The first step in his US invasion is the launching his first store in Dallas with the second step being the merging and relocation of his headquarters to the metroplex as well. You may not know what to expect from someone who is the 4th generation namesake of a family that has over a 125 years in the Fashion Retail industry and we were right. He’s as approachable and inviting as the pictures portray him on his website. He has an eye for innovation and a clear vision for where he wants to see his brand go. And like us he shares a love for the city of Dallas. It all started with his appearance in DIFFA/DALLAS (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). Edo was one of the most talked-about designers at this year and last year’s event, where he has met many great people from Dallas and generously supported the DIFFA cause. Through Edo’s partnership with DIFFA/Dallas, Edo has come to admire our city so much that he chose Dallas as the premier destination for his first retail space in the States.
The store set to open this summer in the Design District. A pretty “ballsy” move on his part we thought as that area is known more for fine art galleries and high-end interior design. But on second thought, now that we think about it, it makes perfect sense! With his outside-of-the-box sensibilities and his approach to his design (he is hands-on in all of his products), Edo is an artist and Dallas is just his latest canvas by which he chose to create his next masterpiece!
