FROM OUR AUGUST 2024 ISSUE: A PEERLESS PERSPECTIVE
The entire MR team proudly presents our August 2024 issue. If you haven’t received a hard copy, please page through a digital version at Issuu, and we’ll continue to post individual stories here on MR-mag.com. If you haven’t been getting MR in print, be sure that you are on our mailing list for future issues by completing this form.
Peerless Clothing International is renowned for its expertise in the ever-evolving world of men’s tailored fashion. We recently sat down with Peerless president Dan Orwig to gain an insider’s perspective on the upcoming season.
Fashion-forward tailored clothing is gaining prominence on runways. How do you balance these faster trends with the more classic preferences of your loyal customers?
Finding the right balance is a priority for us. Our strategy involves interpreting these high-level trends in a way that resonates with our customers. Take oversized jackets and wide-leg pants, for example. While we offer these styles to our fashion-focused customers, we also introduce modified versions to our core base. Looking ahead, since tailored clothing remains a strong trend, we’re able to stay true to our core design principles while modernizing silhouettes.
How has tailored clothing evolved over the past three years?
Clearly, the tailored clothing evolution these past three years has moved toward softer, more relaxed jackets with lighter chest pieces and shoulder pads, half-lined jackets, and lighter-weight performance fabrics.
How has the company adapted to the changes in consumer demand during Q2? What trends are you seeing in seasonal fashion and suiting for the upcoming quarters?
Q2 has had its challenges, but we’re responding to the demand shifts and working closely with our retail partners to ensure the proper mix of fashion and core. It seems the wedding craze has normalized as sales on our core basics have stabilized. We’re seeing positive movement on seasonal fashion as consumers looked to refresh their wardrobes with colorful linens, soft coats, and subtle patterns… We believe that suiting will see a nice pick up in Q3 as the weather starts to change and consumers stop thinking about swim and T-shirts and lean back into more polished looks.
What challenges do you anticipate in the second half of the year?
There are still headwinds to manage as we move into the second half. These include inflationary pressures as middle- and low-income household budgets are being squeezed and an election year that brings a tremendous amount of uncertainty.
How is Peerless Clothing International managing supply chain stability?
The supply chain is stable, although we are seeing a spike in container costs. We’re continuing to leverage our end-to-end solution with our proprietary Montreal factory. As we add new elevated brands to our portfolio, we’re able to maximize our world-class quality and speed to market all under our own roof.
What advice would you give to your retail partners to maintain momentum in tailored clothing?
We’re not retailers, but we love seeing our retail partners enhance the customer experience via strong seasonal displays and creative product presentations. Impactful storytelling is a key ingredient in selling clothing: it helps the consumer visualize the new looks and put the pieces together. And whenever a partner store tells a curated fashion story on mannequins, the items on the mannequin are the first to sell out. We have amazing retail partners who are knocking these new fashion concepts right out of the park!