CHICAGO COLLECTIVE REVIEW: BEST SHOW EVER!

Those of us who’ve been attending trade shows for several decades know that complaining comes with the territory. How amazing, therefore, to have heard not a single negative word for the entire four days of the Chicago Collective! People were smiling; people were writing orders; people were having fun. (Kudos to amazing show organizers Monique and Danielle!)

And despite concern about potential tariffs leading to price increases, the focus was on the abundance of beautiful product. Ubiquitous “quiet luxury” offerings were balanced by plenty of creative contemporary fashion, including vintage-inspired, hand-knit, and/or gender-neutral styles. Clearly, fall 2025 menswear radiates comfort, confidence, creativity and class. Here, a few of my favorite offerings.

Samuelsohn/Heritage Gold: According to Stephen Granovsky, retailers loved the new jacket model at Heritage Gold, crafted in soft cashmere-like wool to retail at $1495. Inspired by Neapolitan tailoring, this soft-shoulder, full-canvas sport coat was on numerous orders. “Heritage Gold was originally introduced to replace Hickey Freeman as an adjunct to Samuelsohn,” notes Granovsky. “Instead, it’s become its own shining star, attracting discerning men who value heritage and loyalty over short-term trends.”

“Price points matter. Poor guys need value; rich guys love it!” —Chris Knott, Johnnie-O

Johnnie-O: The booth had non-stop traffic all four days, according to SVP Michael Lamaker. The secret, in addition to great product and prices: a best-in-class website that allows shoppers to place orders directly with local retailers, ensuring specialty stores remain a key focus. Says founder Chris Knott, “Our merchandising team understands what retailers want, and pricepoints do matter. Poor guys need value; rich guys love it. Johnnie-O offers attainable pricepoints and fabric weights that are easy to wear in most climates. We’ve  also added more excitement to the collection.”

Left Coast Tee:  Gary Wasserman and Steve Sockolov have outdone themselves with this outstanding collection. Love the details on a double-faced shawl collar herringbone sport coat, and a luxurious cable-knit hoodie. Plus, their basic knits in a wide range of colors are the key foundation of any modern wardrobe.

“I love the Chicago show! It’s a great place to see so many lines in one location and catch up with industry friends! Among my favorite collections this season: Gimo’s outerwear and Stefan Brandt knitwear, both offering quality and design with great margin!”
—Lindsay Morton Gaiser, President, Andrisen Morton, Denver

 

Hagen: This beautiful collection, growing nicely for seven years with no direct-to-consumer selling, is now in 315 stores. Priced at opening luxury, soft jackets run $695-$995 retails, leathers and suedes are $1495 and $1195. Fabulous luxury shirts made in Europe and Turkey are at $195-$295 suggested retail. 

NN.07, a contemporary brand founded by friends in 2007, celebrates “a life without borders; a life with no nationalities.” While we’ve not yet reached that admirable goal, we can still dress internationally. I loved the DB sportscoats and pleated trousers, worn as a suit or separately, the brushed wool outerwear and soft textured cool cardigans. According to Alex, their design team feeds ideas into AI and comes up with innovative ideas like a textured tapestry fabric. Lots to choose from at this successful Danish brand with a focus on sustainability.

And more to choose from here! Billy Reid has never looked better! I loved a denim work shirt in four colors, a quarter zip with a pocket sewn on the bias, gorgeous leather jackets, super soft plaid shirts, cotton henley sweaters, many hand-made looks with interesting buttons and details.

Armor-Lux: The theme was French Navy and the options were many. We especially loved the laser-cut moleskin overshirt, the boucle crew, and a fabulous long peacoat ($575). A Breton fisherman sweater with four buttons on the shoulder (one to leave open, according to Jon Kalupa) looked terrific.

DeSoto/Zuitable: Jeff Lowenstein from Railtown showed us some terrific items, including printed shirt jackets, a perfect travel blazer ($158 for $395), shown with easy side-elastic pants with hidden drawstring ($78 for $185). Spread collar knit dress shirts with MOP buttons were at $285 retail and two-ply double mercerized shirts with one-piece collar were $325 retail. Very special shirts!

Munro: Famous for made-to-measure in every imaginable category, Sebastiaan Brouwer and Daphne Venekamp are actively growing their off-the-rack business, now 20 percent to total. With 20 percent of their sales now in the U.S., there’s plenty of room for growth. Adding to Munro’s appeal, every model is available in every fabric. “We can dress guys from head to toe for any occasion,” claims Brouwer. A current goal: to grow franchise opportunities with retail partners.

Douglas Hayward: Arnold Silverstone has been living and breathing tailored clothing since he worked as a teenager in his dad’s clothing factory. His talent is apparent in this fall ‘25 British-inspired collection. Says Arnie, “Retailers at this show were impressed with the 50-year-old backstory of British designer Douglas Hayward and his celebrity clientele. They loved the fabrics, the formalwear, the pure cashmere vests, soft jackets, suits and outerwear, the value pricepoints. But most of all, they loved the fit: we had eight guys come in from Halberstadts and the jackets fit all of them. (Always a good sign: they all wanted personals…)

Joseph Gionfriddo showed some mixed-media jackets that were quite special, featuring quilted and knit fabric with leather trim. Made in Italy near Venice, these outerwear pieces are lined with a Loro Piana storm system membrane. Wholesales are $145 for the jackets, $115 for the vests.

Jack Curry from 2UNDR, a 10-year-old underwear company that’s grown tenfold since its inception, offers boxers with a well-designed pouch for “optimal asset management.” The fabric is a cool, comfortable 95/5 modal/elastin blend. Also in the collection:  great hoodies, shorts and swimwear, much of which can be printed with your store logo.

Among the most crowded booths on the selling floor, Will Adler of Will Leathergoods knows a thing or two about crafting leather. In addition to their trademark travel bags and belts, their small leathers make fabulous gift items for Fathers’ Day and holiday selling.

“The 4^th floor is great for its well-curated assortments. All our brands had the best show ever.” —Rian Gardiner, Triluxe

 

And speaking of belts, W. Kleinberg’s exotic skins in gorgeous colors drew crowds for all four days, as did their small leather gift items.

LaTorre is a 60-year-old family clothing business in Italy, now headed by Andrea Benedini of Lubiam fame (with help from John Besch, pulled out of retirement to jump on this opportunity). Based in Locorotondo Puglia, this “white village” is famous for its 18^th century palace in the middle of town, circularly arranged whitewashed homes, olives, wine, and the amazing craftsmanship of the LaTorre company. The look is pure luxury at great prices: jackets start at $381 cost, a jersey knit sport coat costs $435; a luxe cashmere coat (100% Loro Piana fabric) is $693. Their brand logo is, quite fittingly, a thimble!

Peerless: Peerless president Dan Orwig is pleased that 4^th quarter clothing sales rebounded after a somewhat sluggish third quarter. “Retailers ended up with a good fall/winter season, clearing fashion without overly aggressive markdowns.” He describes outerwear business as strong, core clothing business as steady, and “better than anticipated reaction to their new Ted Baker collection (beautiful suits at $895, sport coats at $595.)” Editor’s take: Hart Schaffner Marx and Tallia have never looked better!

Coppley also offered a gorgeous collection featuring soft tailoring and including shirt jacs, bombers, vegan suedes, and western-inspired sport coats and topcoats, complete with back yoke. (To underline the message, Tony was there in his cowboy hat!)

Paisley&Gray: One of few collections featuring hybrid tailored/sportswear looks at moderate prices. I especially liked how each fabric is used in multiple models so a guy can pair a sage green plaid pant to a matching sport coat or a solid sage bomber; a knit pinstripe sport coat to a plainfront pinstripe pant or solid drawstring bottom. Note their exceptional outerwear, including velvet topcoats in jewel tones with subtle linings.

Jerry Kaye and Neal Kusnetz showed two strong collections: Jerry Kaye and Northaven. Jerry’s namesake collection includes printed knit sportscoats, a herringbone CPO jacket, a boiled wool piece with hand stitching on the shoulder, a 100 percent recycled cashmere cardigan, and more. With 35 years of experience after studying at Parsons, Jerry knows his stuff. Then joining forces with Neal Kusnetz, another industry veteran, they’ve created Northaven, a collection Neal imagined based on memories of summers at his grandfather’s cabin in Northern Michigan. “It’s rugged but tasteful, kind of Barbour meets Burberry. It’s refined but with badass appeal.” Cool sweatshirts retail from $188-$228, vintage washed shirts from $228-$298. It’s refined outdoor luxury.”

Richard Choi, an expert in soft tailoring, does it again, offering many hybrid pieces that are either dressed-up sportswear or dressed-down tailoring. I especially loved a cable knit sweater blazer, and a down-filled nylon vest reversible to cashmere ($169 wholesale). A reversible suede bomber with zip-off hood costs $399. Richard develops many of his own fabrics to keep it special.

Lenor Romano has an eye for color like few others. This season, her shirt designs feature vintage blue or rich chocolate or soft grey, often trimmed in vegan leather. Her prices are amazing, as is she!

My favorite find at the show: amazing knitwear from FTC. Using fair trade cashmere, the beautifully colored yarn is knit into patches and then sewn together so that each scarf or cap or cardigan is a distinct work of art. What price for such beauty? Caps retail for $190, scarfs for $330, and a magnificent cardigan is $1200. It’s a bargain!

Scenes from the show floor