ONES TO WATCH: MAX ‘N CHESTER

Peter Trainor founded Max ‘n Chester in 2012 with three core elements in mind while developing the brand ethos: fantastic fabrics, an easy silhouettes and vintage design. With these elements in place, Trainor aims to create garments that can be worn 24 hours a day with 100 percent Japanese cotton fabrics all designed in New York.

“I really want to create a timeless collection that guys from the age of 25 to 65 who is creative and wants to look good, will wear my clothes,” says Trainor. “Retailers are really responding to my aesthetic and are really buying the whole collection rather than cherry picking it at the trade shows. This really helps them tell the story, which is reflected in their sell-throughs.”

Currently, Trainor’s collection full of knit suits ($650 retail) and raw-edge finished Japanese cotton shirtings ($185 retail) can be found at better stores in North American, Japan and South Korea. “Ron Herman and American Rag in Los Angeles are great supporters of the brand,” says Trainor. “I’m also extremely proud of our partnership with United Arrows in Japan that will launch in the fall. We are doing exclusive jackets, knits and wovens for them this season.”

So what’s next for the brand? “We’re opening an e-commerce boutique the first week of April,” says Trainor. “We also have plans to open our first free-standing store in New York within the next year, and have two major collaborations with European retailers that will launch this fall as well.”