For years, whenever I met Portuguese journalists they would invariably ask me:
" And when are
you going to open a shop in Lisbon?"
"One day..."
was my stock reply having no notion when that might be. Finally, we have taken
the plunge and opened a shop on what must be in the most beautiful boulevard in
Lisbon, the tree lined Avenida da Liberdade that seems more like an intimate
Champs Élysées.
Arriving in Lisbon for the first time, I was immediately
captivated by this historic and romantic atmospheric city and wondered why I
had never ventured there before. I was booked into a brand spanking new
boutique hotel, Valverde, directly opposite our shop. Unlike most boutique
hotels that tend to the kitsch, it was modern without being self consciously
so. I have no doubt that this little gem will be welcoming guests for
generations to come.
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Strolling over to our shop the next morning for a round of
interviews I noticed that stalls were opening up selling bric a brac and
antiques. No sooner than I was through with my interviews than I was back out
on the street browsing amongst the stalls for that elusive treasure. I rummaged
through a tray of cufflinks and came across a vintage tie pin probably made in
the 1960s in the shape an umbrella and bowler hat. It immediately reminded
me of the Hackett logo and at five euro's it was a steal and I thought a good
omen. A party was planned for that evening and I duly arrived by Aston Martin.
Despite the torrential rain the shop was mobbed. My PR gleefully informed me
that another brand had organised a party for the same evening which they
postponed when they realised everyone was attending the Hackett party, my
apologies to that brand.
I had very little time to explore the city but what was
apparent to me was that that Lisbon appeared to be paved with tiles. There was
tiling everywhere I looked, the promenade was intricately tiled, the pavements
made up of broken pieces and the cafe fronts decorated too. If the writer Samuel Johnson had been Japanese
he may have been tempted to say of Lisbon, "When a man is tiled of Lisbon
he is tiled of life" To foster good relationships with the locals we had
commissioned our own Portuguese made tiles and had them laid on our shop floor.
It could be said that I spent a night on the tiles.
Jeremy Hackett
