We live in an age of instant gratification. Everything you want as fast as you can get it, however in this fast paced world, we often sacrifice quality for convenience. The Handlers is out to change that.
The Handlers is an online store for the discerning gentleman. A place where luxe has been reborn, a place that brings convenience and old world elegance and charm back to a world lost in mass produced items and stores with no personal touch.
We spoke to Danillo Turilli, Founder and Managing Director, of The Handlers, to find out more.
How would you describe The Handlers?
“The Handlers handle what the modern gentlemen need and want. The handlers are a group of creatives that want to bring back the ways of the old world in the new world of online shopping. Providing the gentlemen out there a place to get the products they need to do so. We take pride in our aesthetics and design, the visual experience from finding, buying and receiving the product is very important to us.”
Who is the typical Handlers customer?
“Our typical customer is a man that wants the better things in life. A man that wants to look and feel good, dress up a bit whilst taking pride in themselves. Even if it’s going back to the way of their grandfathers shaving with a safety razor, a proper shaving brush and Italian shaving cream. A ritual of the old world that maybe doesn’t make you look that different, but definitely will make you feel different when you leave the house to go to that meeting with confidence. And we have seen a trend in women shoppers buying products for their men trying to encourage them to let the hidden gentlemen in themselves out.”
What prompted you to start The Handlers?
“I have been a photographer for almost 10 years and in the past few years shooting more and more for online stores of large companies. Being a part of the team assessing the way South Africans shop online and seeing the huge upswing in e-commerce in this country, gave me the idea of starting my own store. Images are essentially the key to selling online products!”
Why did you choose to sell the brands that you have on the site?
“We chose the products we sell because we wanted to be an exclusive online store, focusing on the almost always forgotten, male online shopper that wants the better things in life. Also being involved with fashion shoots and my Italian heritage gave me more insight. My team and I want to help men accessorize themselves and the environment they live in. We aim to take the “guess work” out of it and definitely help men get away from the dreaded malls where we get lost in the craziness. We also love the old way of the world and would like to bring back the old shopkeepers mentality with quality products, moving away from the cheap mass-produced products that we get shoved down our throats daily.”
E-commerce is still relatively new in South Africa compared to the international market, how does this affect your business? Do South Africans trust online shopping?
“We are 8 months young but even in our short time we have seen an increase in online spending. Being involved in online stores (in some way) for a while now, I have seen that South Africans are slowly trusting online stores more and more. People are giving online shopping a try and finding out that it’s actually not that scary but quite convenient. I believe us South Africans will catch up with the rest of the world in no time.”
The Handlers has very quickly become a favourite at GoTrend for all things luxe and elegant (we’ve been swooning over the Skagen and Emporio Armani men’s watches) thanks to its ease of use and the convenience of having everything delivered right to your door.