THE DAVID BECKHAM LAUNCH
Of all the highly publicized designer collaborations H&M has been rolling out over the past decade, their partnership with David Beckham is certainly one of the smartest. Underwear is such a natural extension of his brand and it’s refreshing to see them focus on one category, and do it well. Beckham is also the ideal spokesperson; a celebrity on a truly global level. It will be interesting to see how they sell in America, will men care if their boxers are branded with the name of another guy? The undisputed leader, Calvin Klein, is (more…)
TOP SITE: BEST MADE COMPANY
Best Made Company’s website is an example of branding at it’s absolute best. Cleanly laid out, easy to navigate, stellar photography and perfect packaging that all leads to the obvious: higher sell-through. It certainly doesn’t hurt that they sell axes! Sites with flash that immediately launch into a far off journey might look pretty, but more often than not they are annoying. And annoying translates into a mouse-click goodbye. So take a lesson from the boys at Best Made Co and clean it up, par it down and simplify the process. Their still photography in particular is the best I have ever seen on a website. And make sure to always pay special attention to the critical ‘purchasing’ (more…)
THE L.L. BEAN VINTAGE COVER SHOOT
This year marks L.L. Bean’s 100th anniversary and you can expect to see a ton of celebrations, special events and a healthy marketing push as the year unfolds. One small, but very cool part of it, involved taking iconic catalog covers since 1912 and recreating them into photographs. This is an interesting video that shows the massive amount of work and creativity that went into the project, from pulling iconic items from the vast L.L. Bean archive and picking the perfect location to casting each character, including their golden retriever, who had to sit just right.
THE REBRAND
What happens when Apple takes over a massive retailer? It becomes instantly cooler. Check out the new J.C. Penney logo – actually now it should be referred to as the “jcpenney” logo – the name of the company itself has changed. Ron Johnson, the former head of Apple’s incredibly successful retail division, became CEO of jcpenney in June of 2011 and his massive changes were unveiled yesterday in New York.
To put everything in context it’s important to look back. Two Oscar seasons ago J.C. Penney clearly wanted to play with the stars in retail by creating a more upscale perception of their brand. They executed a massive marketing push around awards season including expensive advertising, an official sponsorship of the Oscar’s and a temporary and massive ‘pop-up’ shop in the middle of Times Square. The problem? None of this did anything to solve the core issue – that the name and branding of the company in and of itself was the problem. (more…)
GRENSON ENGLAND 1886
Grenson is a well respected shoe company founded in England 1886 by William Green. It is often a challenge to balance the rich history and heritage of a storied brand with the need to innovate and stay competitive. I spoke with the owner and creative director, Tim Little.
For the novice buyer, what should one look for when trying to find a well made dress shoe? What are the basics in good shoe construction?
Firstly find one that you like, don’t buy something just on quality. The easy way to tell is the upper leather. Look closely to see if you can see the grain of the leather. If it’s a shiny plastic-looking finish, it’s usually cheaper leather. Ask what the construction is. Many shoes that have stuck on soles have a fake stitch to make them look Goodyear Welted. It sounds obvious but look at the price, most brands work on the same profit margin so if its expensive its because it cost a lot to make. Finally, (more…)
AMERICAN MADE: J.PANTHER LUGGAGE
This clever video deftly captures the functional spirit of the “Courier Ruc Case” by J. Panther Luggage Co. I spoke with the founder and designer of the company, Johnny Diamandis, to find out more about his new company, the importance of being Made in the USA and what the plans for the future are. If you are a fledgling designer, or creative type who appreciates well-made products, Johnny is a good person to hear from.
How important is being made in the USA to your brand and business strategy?
It’s very relevant. All business start up fashion brands should have as close a relationship as possible with their factories in my view, as without that, it would be equivalent to being a chef without access to the kitchen. I can jump on a train and be in Connecticut in an hour or two to go over details and construction or other issues and be back in NY in the afternoon. This level of collaboration with our makers is critical to us in that we (more…)
THE DECEMBER RETAIL SALES REPORT
Yesterday was a key date in retail as the sales report for December was released, and it was a bit of a let down. After November’s .3% increase, expectations were high for December but it turns out all those giant “Sale” signs and massive discounts caught up with retailers. The .1% gain from the year earlier was less than the .3% expected by economists. As reported by Bloomberg: “The holiday shopping season wasn’t overwhelming in strength,” Michael Moran, chief economist at Daiwa Capital Markets America Inc. in New York, said before the report. “It was respectable but not robust. The consumer will take a breather in the first quarter.” For the full article, click here.
TOP SITE: STAG AUSTIN
A lot of retail websites don’t do justice the actual store, but in the case of Stag in Austin, Texas, they’ve nailed it. Using illustrations, hand-drawn logos and an earthy, outdoor color palette, they’ve captured the authenticity and vintage aesthetic that they clearly look for in their mix of brands. They also happen to be having a great sale right now so don’t hesitate checking it out: Stag, Austin. My two favorite items: (more…)
STARTING TODAY: PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO #81
If you’d like to expand your knowledge on the world of menswear, a good place to start is by simply familiarizing yourself with the industry calendar. There are key dates throughout the year that shape and define the fashion landscape and one of the biggest, and perhaps most prestigious, begins today, January 10th, 2012 in Florence, Italy: Pitti Immagine Uomo. Uomo = Men’s, #81 – the 81st showing of the impressive retail trade show. Although calling it a trade show doesn’t really do Pitti justice – it’s more of a finely-tuned art exhibit than a jumble of overzealous brands and tacky booths. For three days Florence (more…)
A FACTORY IN BROOKLYN
This is the second short film in our series that focuses on American made goods and the manufacturing industry in America. We visited the Martin Greenfield factory in Brooklyn, one of the last remaining producers of handmade, beautifully tailored clothing. The final thought by Mr. Greenfield sums up his simple and honest approach to business – that after putting on one of his garments, the first thing that your friend will ask is: “where’d you get the stupid suit?” – perhaps my favorite quote in the piece and why we ended with it. Shot and edited by director Matthew Edginton.
KNOW THIS BRAND: RIMOWA
One of the best ways to beat the January blues is to have an amazing trip planned that you can look forward to. I’ve always been firmly against luggage with rollers, but with German company Rimowa, founded in 1898, an exception is well deserved. You can tell a lot about a man by his luggage. Rimowa’s sleek, lightweight and tough line-up gives the impression of transporting expensive photography equipment, even if it’s just spare socks. And that might come in handy in baggage claim, when you finally have a chance to talk up that beauty from the flight. Top pick would go to the Topas style, featured above, priced around $1,200 for the 32″ model. Available at select stores, for a full list click here. And don’t be afraid to personalize it with a few well placed badges: (more…)
THE REPUBLIC
As the new year begins in earnest today you will notice that some of your favorite retail websites have undergone a face lift. Take Banana Republic for example, their new home page now features a “What’s New” column with today’s date – “Modern stripes, dots, colors and more” is the main story for men. Trying to infuse a newsworthy element into a retail website is an interesting and challenging concept as it sets the company up for having to be ever-vigilant when it comes to content. And at the end of the day, (more…)
KNOW THIS BRAND: HELLY HANSEN
Many sportswear brands like to play up their close relationship with the great outdoors, but most of them will always be a fashion brand first, outdoor apparel company a distant second. Helly Hansen founded in 1877 and based in Oslo, Norway is the exact opposite, with clothing and gear designed around specific rigorous action sports, with function always trumping style and form. You can spot their foul-weather fishing gear on Deadliest Catch and in films, The Perfect Storm. So if you wake up one day and decide you’d like to sign up as a rookie crab fisherman on the Cornelia Marie, sail around to world in a dangerous yachting race, or go heli-skiing in British Columbia, this is the brand for you. Our favorite item: (more…)
8 HOLIDAY WINDOWS
The meatpacking district has quickly become one of the chicest and most expensive retail destinations in New York City. Here are a few pictures from a quick walk along 14th street. Some of the window displays were seriously lacking while others, like Hugo Boss, went all out. Their winter explorer theme was innovative and successfully brought the clothing to life: (more…)
BEST OF: J.CREW HOLIDAY EDITION
For over a decade now J.Crew has been leading the pack when it comes to moderately priced, well-tailored clothing that repeatedly does the trick. Their recent endeavors with the slightly upscale Wallace & Barnes collection looks promising, but it’s all the same brand nonetheless. Which brings us to a few top picks from the site that are safe – and thus perfectly suited for the holiday office party: Charcoal Corduroy 18-Wale Sports Jacket. $158. Campus smarts meets cold weather performance. Pay attention to the width of the corduroy, thinner always looks more modern. Norwalk Glenplaid Tie. $69. (more…)
TOP SITES: MONCLER
Clean, classic and straightforward, Moncler’s website sells an aspirational lifestyle as much as it does expensive winter parkas. While aligning itself with Verbier, Switzerland, one of the top mountain destinations in the world, Moncler puts itself amongst chic company and legitimizes the technical attributes of it’s collection through its partnership with the famous ski school. I’ve skid in Verbier and it’s a pretty extraordinary experience. Driving up a dicey switch back road from the valley far down below, you arrive (more…)
BEST OF: BARNEYS CO-OP
A lot of people equate Barneys with finely tailored, slim fitting, dare we say, precious clothing. But after a quick review of the CO-OP site, many beautiful items can be had that are ideally suited for a weekend in the country (or a city park). Here are five of my top holiday picks from the site, all reasonably priced:
Shipley & Halmos fair isle sweater $179. Muted charcoal color, just enough pattern. Luminox original navy seal watch $335. Tough canvas strap, (more…)
BLACK FRIDAY SALES UP 6.6%
The holiday selling season got off to a huge start as Black Friday sales increased 6.6% over last year, the largest increase since 2007. Retailers should be feeling very optimistic this morning compared to a year ago, when sales rose a tiny .3%. Unfortunately the losers in the deal were the hundreds of thousands of store employees who were required to report on Thanksgiving as stores moved up their schedules. No word yet on whether “Small Business Saturday” succeeded.
TOP SITE: HESTRA OF SWEDEN
I like how this website from Swedish glove maker Hestra seamlessly blends their rich history with an innovative and well designed layout. Their branding is just about pitch-perfect, including the beautiful photograph and authentic looking logo that makes you want to drop everything and go skiing – after buying a pair of gloves first. The graphic color bars to the left are (more…)
MADE IN THE U.S.A. BY CLUB MONACO
Do men really care where their clothing is made, and, are they willing to pay more for a sport coat if it comes from Westminister, Maryland and not China? Club Monaco is betting that the answer is yes, and not only amongst the fashion savvy, celebrity blogger crowd but mainstream America. From the outside, it looks like a modest and smart gamble, as most of Club Monaco’s 35 stores are based in or around cities nationwide where shoppers tend to follow trends and are more fashion conscious. Is “Made in the U.S.A.” a trendy label thing, or is it an actual movement that will help pull up the moribund American garment manufacturing business? Unfortunately such (more…)
