Launched in summer 2020 by actor Mark Wahlberg and sports expert Harry Arnett, Municipal fuses the best of modern street style with sports performance, comfort, and versatility. The recent opening of its first boutique at 8609 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, in place of the RTA brand, marks a new stage in its development, with further openings planned in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Boston and New York. Former ESVP of Callaway Golf Company (now TopGolf Callaway Brands) and former vice president of Global Marketing at TaylorMade-Adidas Golf, Arnett explains the brand’s ambitions to FashionNetwork.

FashionNetwork: You launched the Municipal brand alongside Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson. What convinced you to team up specifically with Mark Wahlberg?

Harry Arnett: Mark’s been a good friend and golf buddy for years. We had always talked about wanting to create a brand that made the type of things we always were looking for but couldn’t ever really find from one brand. Highest performance. Meaningful innovation. Versatility to do whatever you needed it to do. And, of course, unequaled comfort. We were wanting to bring premium, luxury quality to a broader section of the market. We thought if we could create that, it would give us a cool platform to inspire people to get out of their heads and start making big things happen for themselves, the people they loved, and their communities. Build a community of people all sharing the Municipal mindset. We finally followed our own advice and got after it.

FNW: How has athleticwear evolved in recent years? 

H.A: I think athleticwear in general has evolved quite a bit. For so long, athleticwear was very one-dimensional, and activity-specific.That was ok for a while. But then we all started demanding more out of our stuff. A lot more style. Tons more versatility. More everywhere comfort. That’s truly been the driving force for us at Municipal. Giving people more–more innovation, more performance, more versatility, more comfort. And doing all of that at an incredible value. We want our customers and people in our Municipal community to know they’re always going to get more from us. Our pricing reflects that. We are no doubt a premium brand, but at the same time, we also believe we give consumers the absolute most value. Cool combination.

FNW: You’ve just opened your first boutique in West Hollywood. Why did you choose this neighborhood? 

H.A: The store is in our neighborhood. We’re from here. And we always want our brand to be interconnected and completely symbiotic with the community. So we’re starting here in our backyard. Wherever we go, we want the Municipal experience to feel unique. If it’s a store, we don’t want a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach. We don’t like how homogenized brands have gotten as they’ve expanded into retail. You go into a store in Los Angeles, it’s exactly the same as the one in San Diego. That doesn’t advance anything, as far as we’re concerned. So starting here in West Hollywood, it has an idiocincracy that fits well with our sensibilities. Our Municipal Pro Shop on Melrose is one of one. It doesn’t look like anything else and it won’t be like any other Municipal store. Los Angeles is like that. If you try to be like someone else, you’ll get run out of town. But you come here and be yourself, stay true to your uniqueness, and embrace that, and you’ll thrive. That’s good advice generally, I think!

FNW: What are your ambitions in terms of retail development? Are other store openings planned in the United States?

H.A : Yes, this is just the start. It’s one of one, but also one of many, so to speak. This Pro Shop concept will expand from here, bringing Pro Shops across the country to cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Boston, New York, and more.

FNW: Alongside this boutique, a showroom is due to open in Oceanside in the near future. Why open in Oceanside and what will it look like?

H.A : Our next opening in Oceanside will be in September, which is a totally different format altogether. First, it’s quite a bit larger–a 6,000-square-foot flagship. And it’s special because the area is attached to our corporate headquarters. So we’ll basically be setting up shop inside our own office right on the Pacific Coast Highway in North San Diego County. This larger format gives us a lot of other things we can do to really add to the neighborhood and area. We’ll have a coffee shop concept inside we are doing with our partners at Urth Caffe. We have a barber shop inside and an expansive lounge for people to come, connect, be inspired, and get their work done. We plan to have a few more of these across the U.S., but again, each will be different. They’ll feel more like a boutique hotel. One of one.

FNW: Municipal recently introduced golf to its collections. What are your ambitions for this range of golf products? 

H.A: Golf’s a sport that means a lot to us personally. Mark plays more golf than anybody I know who’s not on a professional Tour. And it’s been a major part of my life since I was a kid. Golf is funny because it’s never been a sport that readily or easily embraced outside influences or outsiders in general. So it has always been anywhere from a little to a lot slower to evolve. I’m really happy a lot of that is changing now. You see outside influences affecting the sport in just about every facet–from the playing of the game, the real estate, the expansion to off-course formats. And obviously within fashion, style, and performance.

FNW: You served as EVP of Callaway Golf Company (now TopGolf Callaway Brands). What did you learn about this experience ?

H.A : When I was working within the industry itself for so many years, I was successful primarily because I always had an outsider’s perspective on the sport and the forces within it. I always thought about ways to give access and provide entry points for those who wanted closer connections to the game. So when we started Municipal, even though we aren’t a golf brand in the traditional sense, we always felt our brand was perfect for golf because of our approach to style, performance, versatility, and comfort. We know that even though we have no desire to be the biggest brand in the sport, we can be one of the most influential and help evolve the game forward in cool ways that golfers are going to love. As a golfer myself, I can’t wait for golfers everywhere to see what we are doing in the sport. I think they’ll agree there’s not another brand like us.

FNW: You’re also working on developing a grooming line. Why go into cosmetics? 

H.A: We’re a luxury brand for everyone. And we’ve built the brand that way. So if there’s something we feel we can bring a level of quality and performance that hasn’t been seen, we’re going to go for it. And taking care of yourself is so important to living that Municipal mindset. You feel great, you can make great things happen.

FNW: Where do you manufacture your products today, and how do you try to be sustainable?

H.A: We truly manufacture all over the world. Wherever the best things are made, we make them there. Often in the exact same factories, side by side with the world’s best brands. That means countries all over the world, from the U.S., Canada, South and Central America, Europe, and Asia. That’s unique for a brand as relatively new as ours. But we took that approach from the very beginning. We weren’t going to cut any corners. To give the people the best, you have to be willing to go where they can make the best.