SHAWN PEAN AND JUNE79: NAILING IT!
As a seasoned men’s fashion writer, one tends to view a lot of the same stuff from year to year. So when one stumbles upon a designer with a truly unique point of view, it’s something to shout about.
Although Shawn Pean’s concepts have already been copied in the year and a half since he launched his June79 collection (named in memory of his brother), this rising star is worthy of recognition for so many reasons. His resume includes exec positions at Balmain USA, Valentino USA and nine years at Saks Fifth Avenue. His collection started out as menswear but has evolved organically to gender-neutral, appealing to various ages, pronouns, and psychographics. He uses the finest fabrics from top Italian mills; many are exclusives that he works with the mills to create. His entire collection is expertly crafted in America, with refined sartorial details. And the pricing is exceptional: suggested retails range from $595-$895 for the jackets, $250 for trousers (designed with a special cell phone pocket that precludes sitting on your phone). While suiting is the mainstay of the business, special sweaters (especially a DB cardigan) have been selling out.
While distribution is targeted to upscale specialty stores, the brand is already in seven doors at Saks, thanks in part to the enthusiasm of former Saks EVP Tom Ott who, having hired Shawn to work at Saks, is well aware of his talent. As he told me, “Shawn Pean is setting the world on fire with a made in NYC update on tailored that is super cool. Shawn is a Brooklyn native, worked with me at Saks for many years. I own many beautiful suits, but June 79 has become my go-to…”
And he’s not alone. According to Shawn, a good 20 percent of his customers are college students or young professionals who are seeking out unconventional tailored clothing for a stylish, comfortable, professional look that’s not mundane. “One customer told me he wore his June79 suit separates to an interview with a Google exec ‘who spent more time talking about my suit than about the job…’”
With little advertising but lots of ‘word of mouth’ (basketball star Steph Curry is a big fan), June79 is taking off. Shawn can be reached at shawn.pean@june79nyc.com.
