Dunhill is back. Forget about the branded cigarettes and the gold-plated lighters. Long before Dunhill became associated with that guilty pleasure, it encouraged another: the love affair with the car. The company began life 112 years ago in London as a purveyor of automobile accessories and the name Dunhill became synonymous with the kind of high-end driving instruments the smart set bought. Company founder Alfred Dunhill—who famously declared that he sold "everything but the motor"—retailed nonessentials for the car lover, from high-tech driving goggles and dashboard clocks to driving gloves, which he introduced to the world long before the brand began selling menswear in the '70s. Now the company is tuning up its image with the help of four big-name designers, including Nick Ashley, son of the late Laura Ashley, who will create an outerwear collection.
Dunhill's CEO Simon Critchell admits that the company needed its 100-year repair. Owned by one of the world's leading luxury goods groups, Richemont, the brand had gradually been losing its direction. "People didn't really know what the brand stood for," says Critchell, formerly of Cartier, who took over as CEO of Dunhill in 2001. Last year, after a total image overhaul spearheaded by Yann Debelle de Montby, director of image and communication, the brand's famous Jermyn Street store reopened as a haven for men looking for that quintessentially English accessory. The store also features a traditional barbershop and a series of Dunhill's inventions—one favorite, the "windshield pipe," designed to keep the tobacco lit through wind or rain, ignited the Dunhill reputation that is being rekindled today.
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