Based in Uptown, Selling to the world
Words: Carolyn Enting
Photography: Holly Sarah Burgess
Fashion brand Porter James Sports is slaying it internationally with its e-commerce approach and intentional design model.
‘A life well-designed’ is the tagline for Porter James Sports and it’s also a value that founder Joshua James Heares lives his life by.
From an early age he’s had a deep appreciation for good design and love for “Ivy League Americana heritage brands” that carried over to his sartorial style. It has now manifested in a menswear range inspired by his Kiwi upbringing and street style observations.
Porter James Sports’ website and Instagram takes you into a world that you instantly want to be part of. The images and silhouettes are as fresh and relevant as they are relaxed and timeless. We’re talking “Ralph Lauren-esque” sportswear as opposed to workout gear, but edgier.
Heares’ harness on attention to stylish detail, combined with the knowledge of how to present and market a brand through e-commerce platforms, has laid a solid foundation for Porter James Sports from day one and generated expediential growth at a time when many businesses were struggling.
“We shoot beautiful imagery. We have a beautiful website and we know our product is good,” says Heares. “Facebook and Instagram advertising is the most cost-effective and easiest way to distribute that content and put it in front of new people.”
A former advertising exec, Heares made a well-considered pivot into the world of self-employment and self-expression with the launch of Porter James Sports in 2021 as a direct-to-consumer online business.
“We don’t have any stockists by design,” Heares explains. “Direct-to-consumer allows us to get data faster as to what works or doesn’t. I think we’re in a place where we’ve really found our lane.”
North America and Australia are growth markets for Porter James Sports, with New Zealand making up just 30% of sales. “I underestimated how much Kiwi men prefer to shop in-store.” That’s one reason why Porter James Sports now has a bricks and mortar location, an understated space on the corner of Saint Benedicts St and Newton Rd that Heares calls a Studio-Store as opposed to a flagship. It fronts the workroom and backend shipping operation.
The quality of the product also brings repeat customers and a loyal fanbase. Garments are designed to be durable and to wash, wear and age gracefully. Fabric choices are mindful. For example, the mesh vest is made from cellulose fibre ramie, which is biodegradable.
Fast fashion trends are avoided in favour of designing timeless, versatile products under the Porter James Sports ethos of continual refinement.
“We’re very aware that making clothes isn’t sustainable and I think the second-best thing you can do is just not overproduce. Our sales rates are really strong and we have a healthy relationship with supply and demand and would rather cost ourselves revenue by not overproducing and then ordering again once we know we can fulfill the orders, than ordering crazy amounts up front and hoping for the best, which I think a lot of big businesses do because they order based off financial targets rather than reality,” says Heares.
Porter James Sports has partnered exclusively with DHL Express, paying an additional contribution for each customer order towards
GoGreen Plus, an innovative solution designed to help brands like PJS reduce its logistics carbon footprint. One dollar from each Porter James Sports sale is also donated to Trees That Count.
And while it’s primarily a menswear brand, women have also been coming into the Uptown studio and buying the oversized tees, pleated pants and accessories.
Heares describes the design aesthetic as “understated, confident and introverted” and “representing a softer side of masculinity”.
Currently Melbourne is the biggest city in terms of online orders, so Heares is considering opening a Melbourne store as it’s only a three-hour flight away and he has good friends who love the brand and would be willing to make their career with Porter James Sports. The Auckland team are so committed they’ve even got PJS or Porter tattoos. They weren’t Heares’ idea, though he now has PJS inked on his forearm.
While Heares undoubtedly has a good eye for good design, he has hired some of the best in the business, including production manager Sam Mani, who has worked for brands such as Lonely, Juliette Hogan and Paris Georgia. He realised that while many of his skills were transferable, fashion production wasn’t one of them.
For the past 18 months all the photography for Porter James Sports has been done by Heares’ partner, Holly Sarah Burgess, who he considers to be the best fashion photographer in New Zealand. Her work definitely speaks volumes. It’s a unique relationship in the sense that typically you’d write a brief for an agency or photographer, but because they live together and are in a relationship the brief evolves day by day.
They’re also shooting on film, which is expensive and slower to produce, but the result is beautiful quality images that echo the ethos of being a business that cares about craft.
Together, Burgess and Heares have shot PorterJames Sports all over the country and most recently inMelbourne. They have a New York shoot in the pipeline. However, New Zealand is where they call home and feel anchored and they are committed to staying as well as championing New Zealand through the brand by placing PJS in wild New Zealand or urban landscapes.
“We’ve both lived overseas before and I’ve lived in Aussie three different times. We love it here because we like going up north, disconnecting and getting out of the hustle and bustle and being in nature. That grounds me among the flashing lights of fashion sometimes, though don't get me wrong, we’re off to New York for 10 days next month to research and do a photoshoot, but I think it has to be balanced with, for me, home. I don't want to lose that, because I have lost that in the past and I didn’t like who I was as a result,” says Heares.
“So many people are leaving the country and I'm like, ‘well, be the change’. Obviously, it's easier said than done, I don't blame people for chasing a better life, but I also think there’s a group of us doing something pretty cool at the moment, whether it's fashion or hospitality, it takes people to make a collective cool at times and we’re here to stay.”
As for the business’ Uptown location, it lines up with the brand. “It’s not Ponsonby Rd. I want it to be a destination. It’s understated, it’s urban, it’s got history and there are heaps of cool businesses around us.”
31 Saint Benedicts St
Eden Terrace
Tuesday-Saturday
10-5
Website: porterjamessports.com
Instagram: @porterjamessports