Back in 2011, Tabitha McGregor and her husband Brooke McGregor and their friend Ryan Collins began importing and customising vintage motorcycles from Japan and the US. Less than a decade later, the trio have launched a successful vintage fashion brand and have expanded into Asia with the opening of a global flagship store in Tokyo. “We’ve always had a love of vintage cars and motorcycles, so when the opportunity arose to import vintage bikes from the US and Japan to our new home in Byron Bay
on Bay, Thrills Cycles was born. Our history of working in fashion prior to starting Thrills saw the brand evolve naturally into what it is today,” Tabitha McGregor told Inside Retail.
And while the brand has developed over the years to appeal to a global customer, its culture remains firmly rooted in music, art, vintage apparel and vintage street machines.
“The culture around vintage bikes and cars is steeped also in a love of music, creative fields and workwear-inspired fashion. Motorcycle culture oozes freedom, risk and a DIY attitude – all things that also define a good fashion brand,” she said.
With the Covid-19 pandemic causing unprecedented disruption for retailers across the globe, Thrills has fortunately bucked the trend, with 2020 proving to be a “monumental year” for the brand.
In February, the company expanded into the US through selected stockists, and in July it introduced its vintage-inspired pieces to shoppers in the energetic and colourful district of Shibuya, Tokyo.
“Japan has been a massive inspiration for our brand from the beginning. We imported one of our first shipments of bikes from Japan and [Thrill’s first employee] Yuichiro Nakama has pioneered our relationship with our distributors there. Japan, and in particular Tokyo, has been such an integral market for our brand and we felt it was important to showcase our brand’s depth and direction in Tokyo,” McGregor said.
While international expansion has been made all the more complex by the pandemic, Thrills is on course for continued global expansion.
“We’ve looked at each territory and weighed up exposure versus opportunity and pushed forward with each challenge in mind,” she said. “In a world with so many incredible brands, we have found that people are searching for brands that have depth, authenticity and a story. We feel that this has been our success with our international customer following.”
McGregor said the key focus during the pandemic was to protect staff. After assessing longer-term risks, the team discussed the pandemic “as a family” and worked through each challenge together as a team.
“It was by no means an easy process … There is strength in banding together, weathering the storm and honouring loyalty and support. The end result is a stronger, more agile team that knows that they are supported.”
Seeking sustainability
E-commerce has played a large part in the brand’s success, and has become even more relevant with consumers spending more time at home. The next phase of the e-commerce strategy will see Thrills open a more international-friendly web store with greater usability based on feedback from international customers.
“We have an amazing relationship with our customers and the ongoing brand loyalty is a true testament to our peer-to-peer approach. We have learned so much about what our customers are wanting and expecting from us and we have been able to adapt and interact more with our customers than ever before,” McGregor said.
With industry competition fierce, Thrills’ focus on originality, progressiveness and sustainability has proved a hit with consumers at a time when trust of big brands is low. Thrills began working with a sustainable auditing company in 2019 to find more ways to make sustainable and ethical choices in the business.
“This year we have focused on our staples – jersey and denim – working with world-leading factories producing apparel made from hemp, organic cotton and linen. As our denim collection has grown from strength to strength, we made the decision to switch the majority of our base fabrics over to organic denim. The same goes with our jersey. Organic cotton, hemp and linen/organic cotton blends have become the staple for our collections.”
Although the brand is booming, McGregor said the focus is on maintaining a balance between wholesale and retail.
“We’re not looking at becoming a major international retailer, the bricks-and-mortar store gives our unique brand the space to tell our story and produce a wide range of products that truly reflect the brand’s DNA. Balance is key right now.”
This story appears in the August 19, 2020, issue of Inside Retail Weekly.