STITCHED LAS VEGAS ADDS SAM GLASER AS PARTNER

Sam Glaser, former buyer and VP at STITCHED, the decade-old Las Vegas-based menswear store founded by Eamon Springall and famous for its subtly irreverent take on bespoke clothing, has assumed an equity position in the store. He’s been with STITCHED for the past nine years, moving up from buyer to SVP to now as operating partner and COO. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a business degree, Glaser held several positions, in the industry and elsewhere, including brand manager for Will Leathergoods, a journalist at Las Vegas Weekly, and buyer for another Las Vegas store.

Describing himself as a ‘data nerd’, Glaser is cautiously optimistic about menswear business moving forward. “Even without our typical international and convention traffic, our figures for June, July, and August were substantially ahead of 2019. We’ve extended the lease on our pop-up shop in Summerlin and we’re pursuing a third Vegas location.”

What’s selling at the 3,600 square-foot STITCHED flagship in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, and who’s shopping, if not international tourists and convention attendees? “Our customers are out-of-town visitors and locals,” Glaser explains. “We get a higher percent of locals than our restaurant neighbors: both our locals and our repeat tourists are very loyal.”

Based on data, Glaser lists current top sellers in order: sportscoats, custom clothing, dress shirts, jeans, and suits. He talks about a case study they did when first launching its XXXX ready-to-wear collection, positioning it between the Gucci and Tom Ford eyewear towers for maximum impact. He credits stretch fabrics for the increases in denim business and is looking forward to new stretch textiles having a similar impact in the suiting world. Other success secrets: some fabulous videos (when COVID hit, the team dressed up in bespoke clothing for a cheeky video of stylish STITCHED execs cleaning and disinfecting the store), and the cool lounge-vibe that has always been a fundamental foundation of the business, encouraging whiskey tastings, interesting conversation and just plain hanging out.

As for their online component, Glaser explains that while their marketing is digitally-oriented, online is used more to generate leads than to actually sell. “As more retail moves online, experiential retail will become all the more appreciated,” Glaser predicts. “Online selling is great for fast fashion and commodities but that’s not what we do. Our type of styling, customizing, and wardrobing entails outstanding personal service and an overall exceptional experience. I accept the challenge with gratitude and humility: STITCHED was already the coolest store in Vegas when I got here; our goal now is coolest in the country, and maybe the world.”

Photos by Shane O’Neal