Gordon & Ferguson Takes Julian Luxe Route

by MR Magazine Staff Jun 15, 2007

NEW YORK – Continuing to move away from its dependence on mid-market outerwear, Gordon & Ferguson has been licensed to manufacture and market tailored clothing and sportswear for men and women under Alexander Julian’s luxe Private Reserve label beginning in spring 2008.

Under new ownership since March 2006, G&F already held the license for Julian’s Colours and American Modern labels for outerwear and sportswear, as well as outerwear under the Private Reserve brand.

Gary Lowy, president of sales for G&F’s men’s division, said the new clothing and sportswear groups will debut at the company’s offices in New York on July 13. “The bulk of the clothing will be sport coat-oriented, with a lot more cottons and linens than we do, for instance, in our upscale Nick Hilton collection,” he said.

Nick Hilton’s retail price points range from $600 to $850, while prices for the Private Reserve range will start lower, at about $500, and go higher, to about $1000.

In addition to the new Julian group and Nick Hilton and Nick Hilton Princeton under Lowy’s direction, the company markets sportswear and outerwear under brands including Field & Stream and Julian’s Colours and American Modern labels. Bill Carlisle is director of sales for American Modern and Colours.

Lowy said that Julian’s proclivity for unconventional color and fabric will provide a strong counterpoint for the more traditional designs in Nick Hilton’s collection. “The specialty stores we deal with unquestionably won’t touch something they consider unwearable,” he commented. “They’re classically oriented, but Alex Julian’s reputation and niche allow us to show a wider range than we have before. The rules are a bit looser.”

Lowy reports to Atul Goyal and Jaggi Singh, principals of G&F, who bought the business with Ateq Ahmad last March and moved it from its former base in Minneapolis to New York. The new owners also began to edit the company’s extensive portfolio of licenses and to diversify its offerings outside of its previous reliance on outerwear.

“The market isn’t what it used to be, and the weather isn’t what it used to be either,” Lowy said. “This company had been susceptible to the changes going on around us in a number of ways.”