THE APRIL RETAIL SALES REPORT
Underwhelming is the best way to describe the April retail sales report released today. Coming off a torrid 0.8% increase in March, April’s 0.1% wasn’t totally unexpected. After unseasonably warm weather brought in customers earlier in the season, a let down was inevitable. For the full report: Businessweek.
MADE IN MAINE: RANCOURT & CO.
Tucked away amongst massive, long abandoned brick warehouses along the Androscoggin River in Lewiston, Maine, sits a small, rather unassuming building humming with activity, and doing big things. Rancourt & Company is a third generation, family owned and operated business who’s commitment to the art of shoe making is genuine and timely – with only a handful of shoe manufacturers remaining in the U.S., word has quickly gotten out to an American menswear industry consumed with all things “Made in the U.S.A.” I recently made the trip north to see the factory, and meet with Kyle Rancourt, the youngest member of the family business. He discussed the companies history, their signature shoe and what it means to be “Made in Maine.”
Rancourt & Company is a family owned American business, tell me briefly about the company and the unique skill set of its workers? My family is in its third continuous generation of shoe making in Maine – with Rancourt & Co. my father and I really had a goal of expanding beyond the contract manufacturing we’d done in the past and creating our own brand that reflected our heritage and the skill set of our craftspeople. The skill set in our factory is really unique because we have the ability to (more…)
CASUAL PREP: GITMAN VINTAGE
Wearing a dress shirt and tie doesn’t have to be stuffy. Just take a stroll across any New England prep school and you’ll notice a purposefully disheveled approach, with loosely knotted ties, untucked, wrinkled shirts and who-knows-what type of trouser. It’s charming at age 14, but fast forward to 28 and you’ll need to tighten things up a bit. Tuck the shirt back in, wear fitted trousers that compliment your shape, but keep the tie loose. Casual prep is a hugely popular trend at the moment, with “The Hilfigers” campaign a perfect example of old meets new. Take classic inspired American sportswear, (more…)
RETAIL REPORT: RUGBY
Few can match the retail prowess of Ralph Lauren when it comes to visual merchandising, a critical aspect of a brand’s identity. The popular trend towards downsizing and making each store look unique was perfected by Mr. Lauren, and there is no better example of this then his Rugby store in East Hampton, NY. Iconic images of surfing, sailing, biking, even a stack of wood complete with “Firewood Courtesy of Vermont Good Wood” – adorn the store. These perfectly mixed and matched objects make the space feel part of the local neighborhood, softening the corporate image of the store, and loosening up fat wallets along the way. The message: (more…)
CONVERSE BY JOHN VARVATOS
The collaboration between designer John Varvatos and Converse is one of the more natural and successful partnerships in recent memory. In most cases a guest designer will come on board to design one collection and it will be highly scrutinized, with sales results often taking a back seat to the big personalities involved. Converse was a very smart and strategic move by Varvatos and helped put his label on the map after his departure as creative director of Nautica. Whether his decision to become a judge on “Fashion Star” was smart is another question entirely. Perhaps he’s hoping to capture the magic that Michael Kors has experienced through his starring role on “Project Runway.” Respect within the upper echelon of the fashion industry or wider national recognition and thus sales? How often can it be both? (more…)
LEARN FROM THE RETAIL PROS: J.CREW
One of the reasons J.Crew has managed to stay on top of the retail world is the fact that they are never complacent. Through partnerships with brands with rich histories (Red Wing), and support of emerging talent (Saturdays Surf), they’ve become a generous fashion incubator, not just another retailer. For fashion brands looking to gain more market share there are a few simple steps to consider, all currently being executed, and often invented by, J.Crew: 1) bring in outside talent. No need for the drama of an H&M designer collaboration – just look for, and make a list of brands that could use a little dusting off and placing back on the shelf. Pony comes to mind. That shoe brand is a classic. Anything American made is a huge plus. 2) Revamp your store mix so (more…)
NEW STORE: FRIEND
What happens when a New York City lawyer decides to move back home to New Orleans and open a menswear shop? For Parker Hutchinson, the result was “Friend” – a relaxed, well-edited store with all the key elements for a promising future. I spoke with Parker about his motivations, biggest challenges, and how there are very encouraging signs of retail growth in a city still very much in recovery.
What is the retail environment in New Orleans right now, and where did you see an opening that you are trying to fill?
There’s been a real spate of store openings in New Orleans recently. I was fortunate to find a great storefront on Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District, an area that’s shaping up to be a shopping destination for men. Within two blocks of Friend, there are at least 8 other menswear or men’s accessories stores, with half of those opening only in the last year. (more…)
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…)
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.
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.
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…)
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…)
CLUB MONACO: MADE IN THE U.S.A.
Great short film on the collaboration between Michael Williams, founder of A Continuous Lean, and Club Monaco.
URBAN OUTFITTERS NEW LOOK
We wrote about the desperate need of a new logo for Urban Outfitters in a previous post, maybe someone was listening? It’s an interesting, completely unique choice and a big improvement, although certain letters stand out in a negative way over others, the “U” in particular. The store has a loyal following amongst a younger demographic and smartly there is nothing serious (more…)
WINTER WINDOWS: MONCLER & PRADA
Here are a few pictures snapped last night in Soho. It’s good to see the great FW11 Moncler collection that debuted during their flashmob ‘presentation’ at Grand Central Station finally arrive in store. Moncler always seems to get it right with their windows, with large beautiful photography used as a backdrop and in this case, very real looking mannequins on toboggans updated with color block paint and lights on the side. It’s a fairly simple formula, and it works. More pictures including Prada: (more…)
PRADA DOES PLAID
Prada has always been a leader in window displays and store design – just visit the impressive Rem Koolhaas designed epicenter store in Soho to experience it firsthand. For fall/winter 2011 designer Miuccia Prada has embraced plaid for her men’s collection and added collegiate lettering on the side of a classic airplane as a backdrop in their 5th Avenue store windows. University crests and plaid aren’t normally what you’d expect from the iconic designer, but she has always excelled at doing the unexpected, zigging when others zag. For additional photos: (more…)
OPENING: L.L. BEAN WESTCHESTER
Tomorrow, leading outdoor retailer L.L. Bean opens it’s 16th store, in Westchester’s Ridge Hill, Yonkers. If you have a chance to visit during the four day grand opening, you can take part in a variety of cool activities, including basic map and compass navigation, fly-casting techniques and essential knots for the outdoors. In other words, all the stuff a modern man should know. For a full list of programs, click here. (more…)
SAN FRANCISCO RETAIL INTEL
Editors Note: Grant Taylor is a man-about-town in San Francisco who will be reporting in from time to time on all things west coast style. Here is his first post:
SAN FRANCISCO: A city with style, but not too concerned with fashion. The Northern California ideal of achieving cool without really trying defines the sartorial spirit of the city by the bay. While in many ways SF is the antithesis of LA, this is still California, and the blight of the hoodie lives on. Casual comfort is the theme, but SF does have an edge up: generic hipster has given way to a more thoughtful, vintage-loving and well-proportioned wardrobe (as evidenced by the only Freeman’s Sporting Club outside NYC, in the Mission District). It’s easy to dress in lace-up leather boots, hometown Levi’s, and a Pendleton jacket year round in fog city. (more…)
