EDITOR’S PICKS: FIVE BRANDS TO SEE AT THE CHICAGO COLLECTIVE

1) Who needs $400 pants, you might be wondering? If it’s something truly special, the answer is YOU do! With the new fall ’25 Malcom collection, Andrew Weisbrot (at top) points out every best-in-class detail. It’s thoroughly Italian, from fabric to findings to finishings. You won’t see it online and you’ll surely appreciate the healthy margins. You can choose from four different fits, eight different models and beautiful colors beyond black, navy, and grey. (We loved an inverted single pleat model with button-over side tab!) Talk about exclusive: distribution is targeted to 100 top stores, one per city. Check it out in Chicago at booth 3133.

2) Weisbrot also handles Di Bianco, one of the top three footwear brands in luxury men’s stores. (If you look down at trade shows, you’ll likely notice many top execs and store owners wearing Di Bianco footwear!) He talks about a recent swing toward dressier shoes as well as new takes on casual. I loved a single monk-strap model, several lace-up styles, comfy-looking loafers in many shades of suede, calf and deerskin, and boots with slip-resistant soles infused with air bubbles. For those with time and money, there’s also a bespoke component. A master fitter will trace your foot and create a customized prototype sole to which adjustments can be made in the process. For several thousand dollars, you can expect a perfect pair in 9-10 months. Collective Booth 3130.

3) Beyond their exceptional neckwear offerings (yes, ties are coming back, and scarves are stronger than ever!), Italo Ferretti has evolved into an exciting collection of show-stopping apparel items. We loved their unique formalwear jackets, $1800-$2000 suggested retails, shown in NYC by Carlo Ferretti. The outerwear ($1500-$2000 suggested retails) is also special, our favorite a wool sweater knit jacket lined in an exclusive Ferretti silk print. For the perfect gift: a boxed tie/pocket square set with packaging printed to match the tie—a true work of art at $395 suggested retail. See all this and more at booth 3095 at the Chicago Collective.

4) We love the backstory: two college roommates from Yale University ended up switching from finance to fashion, following their passion for golf. Today, having spent the past 10 years cultivating a successful golf apparel collection for pro and resort shops (think Peter Millar’s cooler, younger brother), John Bourne and Alex Holderness are moving toward a more comprehensive sportswear collection for men’s specialty stores. From selling three shirts in three colors from the trunk of their car, they now work out of a beautiful 44,000 square-foot showroom/office/warehouse in Armonk, NY, with about 100 employees.

“We are our customers,” explains Alex. “When we played golf in college, we’d complain about poor-fitting golf apparel. We wanted a classic polo in a slimmer fit with a more structured (less rumpled) collar. We couldn’t find it, so we created it…” (The secret, I’m told: diagonal placement of the collar stays. Suggested retails on polos: $105-$115.)

Clearly, John and Alex are obsessed with quality, carefully sourcing every detail from the most upscale fabrics (Scottish cashmere) to genuine shell buttons. Key items for fall ‘25 include cashmere blend sweaters and vests, the perfect sport coat, and comfortable corduroy trousers. Check out Holderness & Bourne, booth 2038.

5) If you think you know Alexander Julian’s creative designs, think again. This award-winning menswear designer has stepped it up, with a collection that’s Alex on steroids. Of course, he’s using best-in-class luxury fabrics and top quality made-in-America construction but in unexpected combinations sure to turn heads, reflecting confidence and style.

Crafted at Rochester Tailored Clothing (RTC1899, the original Hickey Freeman suit factory), Alex describes his fall ‘25 clothing collection as “Aggressive Traditional.” This includes a color-blocked motorcycle jacket crafted from four different hand-loomed Harris tweeds from the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. Another motorcycle jacket is made from a featherweight cashmere/merino blend, perfect for Southern stores.

Also for warmer winters, a weightless jacket in lambswool and silk with a distinctive “luxury denim” vibe. Credited with making “the best shoulder in the business,” Alex shows a rich gold-colored tweed sport coat, custom-woven in England, in a heathered Shetland mélange of lambswool and cashmere. A pieced soft jacket in another lightweight English Shetland was inspired by the relaxed casual style of 1950s California.One thing for sure: your customer won’t see himself coming and going in these distinctive sport coats. Check them out in Chicago, booth 2105.