Many people will fondly recall buying a bright patterned tie on the streets of Wellington in the late 1980s. The original owner of the business began making colourful ties in his home then (in Rixon Grove, Mt Vic – hence the name!) and hawking them on Wellington streets. The brand moved from the street to a boutique on Woodward Street in 1991, still retaining the flavour of those early years.
New management saw the company focus firmly on Wellington where the Rixon Groove factory is based, and in 2001 Rixon Groove relocated to the Old Bank Arcade, situated in the heart of the capital’s premier shopping district on the corner of Lambton and Customhouse Quays.
The boutique soon expanded from a unique tie and accessories store to a destination for high-quality business and casual shirts. In those early days it was all about ties – and the distinctive Rixon Groove tie is still a major product line for the company - but it is in shirt making that the company has really excelled in the last 20 years. They have become a Wellington institution, known for the quality and diversity of their shirt fabrics, and especially for their made-to-measure service. A line of women’s shirts was introduced in 2003, quickly becoming as popular as the men’s, and the made-to-measure service continued to expand.
“The fact that we make all our product in New Zealand is our point of difference”, says Simon Fulton, Director “we focus on providing exceptionally good quality fabrics, many of which are not available anywhere else in the country, made to the highest standard. People just keep wanting more”.