New Brand to Know: Forrest Lennard

A truly specialized and niche offering, Forrest Lennard is a brand new collection of casual white collared shirts that celebrates this classic men’s wardrobe staple.

Created by longtime independent industry sales rep Forrest Lennard Appleby III, who is better known as Woody, and his wife Adria, the new collection will make its official men’s market debut at The Warwick Hotel in New York July 16-20 and at the Southern Clothing Market in Charlotte, N.C. July 31 to August 3.

However, the Applebys have already presold their white wares to 25 independent men’s specialty stores in the southeast. “They bought the shirts sight unseen,” says Woody. “No one has even seen a sample yet and yet we sold about 600 shirts.”

The brand, which is based in Davidson, N.C., will start with three models for fall including the “Brandon” button-down and the “Whit” spread collar. It will add one more model for spring 2016.

All the shirts, which are manufactured in China, will be constructed from luxurious 100% cotton or linen fabrics. Retail prices will range from $185 for a shirt in the brand’s signature “Honeycomb” cotton and $195 for one in supersoft “Powder” cotton to $225 for a style made with an enzyme-washed heavy twill and featuring subtle khaki stitching and $225 for a washed linen shirt  that will be available for spring 2016.

Only one fit, a “middle of the road one” as Woody describes it, is offered by the fledging brand. Sizing ranges from S to XXL.

Don’t expect the Forrest Lennard  to ever deviate from its minimalistic palette. “We are going to stay true to white,” adds Woody, who says that white shirts are both beautiful and a bit of a no-brainer for retailers and their customers. “It’s almost like black socks,” he explains. “You never had to put them on sale; you just had to make sure that you are never out of them.”