CATCHING UP WITH GEORGE TSAGANEAS

Those of us in the menswear industry for more than a decade tend to worship the good old days, complain about the present, and worry about the future. George Tsaganeas reminds us that it’s the lessons from yesterday that create a better tomorrow.

Born in NYC, George lived with three generations of his family in a brownstone in Chelsea. From age 14, he spent summers working for a well-known fabric distributor on the Lower East Side. He first jumped into retail in 1966-1967 with seven Stone Free stores in Manhattan, Queens, and N.J. “Our customers included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Johnny Cash, Bette Midler, and the Allman Brothers, who would come in for special orders. There was so much excitement going on in the fashion industry at that time. But in 1973-1974, hit with an oil embargo and 17 percent interest rates, we were forced to downsize from seven stores to two.”

Soon after, George took a wholesale job with GFT and entered the world of men’s clothing. In 1982, George got married and became the East Coast agent for Canali. Few retailers in the States knew the brand back then, but George was a natural salesman and connected well with luxury merchants like Ira Segel from Mr. Sid in Newton, Mass, Gerald and Kent Gushner from Boyds in Philadelphia, Harry Kosins from Kosins in Detroit, and Syd Shapiro from Syd Jerome in Chicago, IL. “They taught me a great deal about fabrics and construction. True professionals, they quickly understood the Canali brand and all it represented. As the business grew, I was able to open Mexico, then Ecuador.  I organized a Canali cocktail party in Moscow and Canali seminars and trunk shows in Tokyo.

“What’s more, Canali had exclusive contracts with numerous professional athletes. The brand was getting tremendous press and attracting celebrities – sports stars like Mariano Rivera from the Yankees, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling from the Mets. I remember a cocktail party for a Saks’ store opening when the NJ Devils had just won the championship: Martin Brodeur and Ken Danyko were there. We’d expected a turnout of 40, but ended up with a crowd of 400…”

In his 30 years at Canali, George was instrumental in the tremendous growth of the brand in department and specialty stores. But what he remembers more than the impressive sales figures is the many friendships made and the larger-than-life characters from back in the day. “Harry Kosins was a unique character: I can picture him with his bleached blond hair wearing a custom-made sportcoat with diamond and ruby buttons. I worked with menswear designer Lee Wright who won the Coty Award in 1979, introduced by Stephen Sondheim. And of course I remember the wild parties at Studio 54…”

But most of all, George remembers the advice he received from so many wise merchants and manufacturers over the years: “You can’t replace experience. You can’t replace relationships. We’re an industry based on trust, so you have to trust people, and they have to trust you. I was both blessed and fortunate to have found a career with Canali that gave me opportunities to have a wonderful life for both myself and my family. For that, I am forever grateful.”

Asked what he’s learned from his dad, George’s son Angelo (repping the Fedeli collection in the States) (shown at the top, right, with his father) says he could write a book. “He’s taught me the importance of relationships. In business and life, it’s important to nurture them through either a grand gesture or even a small one. This is how he’s been able to grow his reputation for more than 50 years.

“He’s also shared other success secrets:
1. Hard work. (He’d often travel to five cities in six days!)
2. Dedication. (He learned his craft well, then taught my brother and me all the nuances.)
3. Honesty: (He’d often say that a person is only as good as his word. If you tell someone you’re going to do something, you need to follow through.

“I hope I can master these lessons as well as he has. Whether I’m in NYC, at the Chicago Collective, or at Pitti Uomo, if I introduce myself as ‘George’s son,’ people inevitably smile and share a great story!”