An Australian leatherwear company loved by Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy has been ‘really well received’ by Marlow locals, according to its manager.

R M Williams, a 100-year-old brand with roots providing manual workers with hardy leather boots in the Australian outback, officially opened on the town’s high street last Thursday, October 10.

Setting up shop in the former HSBC branch, the company was betting on a local appetite for high-end leather jackets, belts and bags and, according to wholesale manager Evie Rutherford, what was admittedly a pretty safe gamble has paid off.

The Marlow branch marks R M Williams’ first bricks and mortar presence in the UK outside of London and Evie reckons she has already convinced a few curious high street browsers of the luxury brand’s classic, high-quality appeal – it can already count A-listers Margot Robbie, Cillian Murphy and Alexa Chung among its converts, after all.

“We’ve been really busy every day since we opened and the constant feedback from locals and other stallholders has been that they’re excited to have us.

(Image: Instagram)

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“It’s the first shop we’ve opened since 2017, so there was definitely a bit of research into what the right spot would be, and Marlow was really well positioned geographically.

“I’ve been surprised by how far some people have travelled to see us already – there have been customers from Oxford and Henley – but what’s also really nice is the strong sense of community here.”

Evie, who managed the brand’s Bond Street store for two years before overseeing the launch of the Marlow branch this autumn, said the “warmth and chattiness” of residents in Bucks was at odds with the speedy shoppers she was used to in the capital.

(Image: Instagram)

“A lot of our customers in London are return buyers, so they come in already knowing what they want. What’s been nice here is the willingness of locals to learn about the brand and its heritage – and tell us about the history of their town too.

“We’ve had cards welcoming us to the area and offers of help from other shops. While we knew it would be a good fit, it’s obvious that we’ve done well with the location. It’s just been really lovely.”

R M Williams, which also sells sweatshirts and accessories in and around the low hundreds price range, opened its fourth UK store in Doncaster this week, alongside two London branches, sites in New Zealand and the US and over 60 on its home turf.