r Andrew Petersen said. The new minimal concept will be pushed through to all upcoming stores and extended to the business’ presence within David Jones. According to Calibre’s marketing manager Edin Zecevic, the new, more minimalist approach to decorating make the brand’s products the hero of the store. “The brief was to [take] our customers on a simple journey where they would feel immersed in our collections without the distraction of too many finishes or overworked ornamentation,” Zecevic told Inside Retail.  “While our earlier stores still stay true to our brand, there is an immediate shift forward that anyone will notice when walking into this new concept.” Calibre was born in 1989, when founder Gary Zecevic launched Australia’s first men’s up-market boutique. A changing fit The store design isn’t the only thing that has changed at Calibre in the last few years, with the disruptions caused by Covid-19 providing an opportunity for the team to rethink the business’ offer. “The pandemic was the catalyst for us to step back and really evaluate what we were doing,” Zecevic said.  “Like most retailers, we thought it was a do-or-die situation at the time, but on reflection it allowed us some clear-thinking space to reevaluate the product we were producing, our customer, what he wanted, and what we could mean to him moving forward.” In order to do this, Calibre expanded its lifestyle range to include everyday staples – something it hadn’t done before, but was necessary during a time of mass working from home. “The initial success of this change allowed us to gain an understanding of what our customer wants, and we have continued to build upon this ever since,” Zecevic said. The expanded range of casualwear also helped the business to make sales online at a time when stores were closed – with the fit of suits notoriously difficult to get right online. “Suiting is always easier from an in-store perspective, [but] online retail has been a great way for new customers to discover Calibre and offer a window into the brand,” Zecevic said. “We strongly believe that both online and in-store retail go hand-in-hand, and will always look to support our in-store trade with our online presence as we think both are here to stay. Both sides of our business strive to provide the excellent level of service that our customer has come to expect.” Since movement restrictions have ceased, and large events are once again able to be held, Calibre has seen a resurgence in the tailoring side of its business. “Over the last few years through Covid-19, we really wanted to communicate to our customers that we can be a one-stop-shop for the entirety of a man’s wardrobe,” Zecevic said. “Thankfully, we have plenty of customers who buy both sides of the range and appreciate the quality, fit, and unique details our clothing provides.”