PROJECT/MRKET: CHANGE IN THE AIR

The mood was upbeat at last week’s New York Project and MRket shows as retailers from across the country showed up with optimistic attitudes and increased open-to-buy. No, business is not yet booming but it’s up from last year and clearly, change is in the air. Many retailers are in the midst of reinventing their stores, vendors are updating and upgrading their collections, and everyone’s into “creating an experience” and improving customer service. Jack Mitchell’s presentation at the MR lounge on opening day was standing room only, not just because everyone loves Jack but also because his message (colorfully described in his new book Selling the Hug Your Customers Way) is all about establishing genuine relationships with customers for lifelong loyalty, friendship and sales.

Among the many notable collections, updated and new, that we discovered at Project, here’s a dozen to get you thinking spring ‘19:

Always focused on offering excitement and margin, Raffi and Arlette Shaya have expanded their collection of aqua knits to numerous styles in gorgeous colors—wholesales are $26-$42 giving retailers a 70 percent markup. We love the new track jackets and vests, the pigment dyes, the reversible pigment washed tops, the sophisticated raglan sleeve zip cardigan, the double-zip jackets, the colorful linens. Lots of great stuff to choose from here!

Mehdi Raad at Maceoo offers items with just the right edge for retailers who want to move their customers into a slightly more contemporary direction. We loved the camo-print baseball jacket that updates anything, a cool collection of lion-themed items, a perfectly edited athleisure collection (knit pants @ $89 retail, sweaters @ $98), very creative boxers and socks and some great wrist jewelry.

At Paul Betenly, David Schuster demonstrated the amazing wrinkle-resistant properties of their worsted wool blazers with natural stretch ($179 wholesale, retailing for $495 and $595). Also in the works at Betenly and already well received: a contemporary suit model for a younger customer—28 inch coat, 14 inch bottom. We also loved their formalwear and the 3-in-1 eco-friendly, breathable, water-resistant, heat-retaining outerwear pieces. Check out their booth at Project Vegas and come to the official MAGIC party that Betenly is co-sponsoring in Vegas on Tuesday August 14th from 6:00-9:00 pm at the Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay. Your show badge will get you in!

Left Coast Tee’s Steve Sockolov showed a great group of digitally printed cotton tees with a dimensional look, $115 suggested retail, in the softest Peruvian pima cotton. (He’s also excited about their recent partnership with a modern new factory in Lima.)

At 34 Heritage, Richard Binder was showing the collection to retailer Frank Tataa, whose store in Morgantown was founded by his parents in 1955 (his father had been a tailor during his military service; his mom still goes into the store at age 92!) Tataa carries luxury brands from Hickey Freeman to Luciano Barbera and does incredibly well with 34 Heritage soft-touch lightweight five-pocket pants and jeans with stretch.

Marcello’s Mike and Darren Apel showed us some of their new handprinted shirts with much attention to detail: new label and hangtags, upgraded buttons and stitching. We loved the washed cottons and linens in Liberty-inspired prints and the pricepoints: $42-$55 cost for suggested retails of $145 and up. In addition to shirts, Marcello is now making belts ($110), blazers and great five-pocket pants ($175).

We also found great shirts at Luchiano Visconti—both knits and wovens from size small to 6X in beautiful colors and patterns with tremendous attention to detail. Shirts are from $43-$70 wholesale ($70 for the Italian fabrics): jeans are at $49.50 cost for $150.00 retail. Great product, great margins!

Also offering great margins and new to us: fabulous sportscoats at Lief Horsens (in photo– retailer Mike Zack wearing a sample sportcoat and Larry Hill). These are soft touch fabrics (poly/viscose/wool) in sophisticated patterns and colors at $49 wholesale. Beautiful shirts made in Turkey of Italian fabrics are $36 cost. This line offers tremendous rack appeal.

Leonard Kang from Christopher Lena was most excited about his woven tech-performance shirts with four-way stretch under his Proper label: these shirts are comparable to certain designer collections but at half the price ($27 cost for regular sizes, $29 for Big&Tall). Also looking great from Christopher Lena: a gorgeous collection of 100s two-ply wovens and a new brand extension, Proper Tropics, of gorgeous tropical prints by a Japanese artist out of Hawaii.

Brand new this season, Jeff Blee (of Brooks Brothers fame) introduces Cold Glory, his upbeat smile-inducing Americana-inspired collection of menswear essentials celebrating male camaraderie. (Or has Jeff puts it, “Spirited Patriotism, Fraternity and Indulgence.”) Targeting a broad demographic, from college kids (where brand ambassadors rove campuses) to 25-year-old school teachers to 50-year old finance guys, this collection is clearly “updated traditional with an irreverent perspective.” Top quality performance polos feature a choice of patriotic or playful embroidered logos (we chose the toasting beer mugs and the Americana martini) to sell at $69.50; tees from $29.50-$34.50, belts from $45 to $69.50. There are also ties, bowties, pocket squares, sportshirts and great distressed “dad hats” at $27.50 retail. A collection to make you smile (and make you money!)

At Kinross, Jenny Au showed us a beautiful group of space dye cottons ($62 cost), washed cottons, pure hand-linked cashmeres, and some gorgeous blends of 70 percent cotton/20 percent silk/10 percent cashmere. The sea greens and blues looked spectacular!

Finally, at Majestic, a beautiful collection of seersucker robes at $60 suggested retail will make the perfect impulse gift item for holiday, Father’s Day, any day! Check out too their lifestyle collection of sleepwear which will surely take guys beyond the bedroom.