SAMUELSOHN LAUNCHES ‘VUE’ HYBRID CLOTHING
For guys who already own enough sweatpants, t-shirts, and business suits, Samuelsohn has come up with a hybrid clothing collection that bridges the gap between comfort and style. It’s created to meet the needs of premium consumers who appreciate fashion and elevated details, but whose new normal calls for less structure.
The collection was soft-launched for spring in about 45 doors in the U.S. and Canada, with a bigger roll-out scheduled for fall ‘21. And just as exciting as the product itself is Samuelsohn’s merchandising concept: offering upscale men’s specialty stores a zero-inventory buying opportunity. In other words, try-ons are displayed at point-of-sale so customers can see, touch, and determine fit. They then place their orders for the correct size and color with the retailer; product can be shipped either to the store or directly to the customer’s door.
The collection includes knit separates featuring a more sartorial jogger pant. Jackets range from fully deconstructed models in luxury knit wools and blends, to hybrid designs that combine sportswear elements such as ribbed collars and gathered sleeves. Pants include a luxury five-pocket as well as a stretch golf pant (appropriate on and off the course). All pair with knit and poplin performance shirts.
“Vue is designed primarily for the tailored clothing customer but we feel it will be compelling to a broad audience,” says Aliya Morehead, Samuelsohn’s creative director. “We see it as a foundational collection, but each item has been elevated to an investment piece.”
Says Jeffery Diduch, SVP of technical design, “The luxury tailored customer is accustomed to a perfect fit and to perfect construction. They understand and appreciate the rigor of our process so we made sure not to abandon those values in this collection.”
LMAG CEO Stephen Granovsky sums up the collection’s main appeal. “This seasonal buy requires minimal wholesale investment by our retail partners who have faced their most challenging year ever. We’ll assume the bulk of the risk and hang stock in our facility in Montreal.” In addition to e-commerce drop-ship service, VUE offers retail partners an expanded library of creative assets for product pages and digital marketing.
The collection can be seen in person at the Dallas Men’s Show and through Samuelsohn’s virtual showroom, an interactive set-up that allows rep and retailer to manipulate swatches with exceptional resolution. Contact natalie.condon@lmag.luxury.