TEN BRANDS YOU SHOULD KNOW
After a whirlwind Chicago show, this MR editor admits to feeling guilty as charged for leaving out more than a few fabulous brands. Here, ten brands that clearly deserve mention. As menswear maven John McCoy noted optimistically, “Buyers are being more selective, but they’re not buying less.”
Atelier Munro: Sebastian Brouwer is not worried about supply chain issues for spring/summer 2023. “We made a full investment with top mills and bought early so our retail partners can rely on us. Since January, with offices opening up, we’ve seen a notable swing back to suits. But our less formal shirtjacs, utility and safari models in elegant fabrics are also a growing business. Our breakdown is now 80 percent custom and 20 percent ready-to-wear. We offer a full program with four-week delivery for chinos, jeans, knitwear (12 different models in various yarns) and sneakers. Our stock service program from our warehouse in New Jersey takes just two to five days for delivery. We also do private label, which now accounts for 50 percent of the business.
Fly3: Sid and Tommasso were busy selling their red-hot reversible sweaters, knit from custom yarns, $259-$399 suggested retails, their stretch linen shirts ($79 cost for $209 suggested retail) and somewhat looser, drapier pants. As Tommasso succinctly put it, “Changing the volume of the pants will help change the volume of your business.”
Toscana USA: Cindy Salazar waxed poetic about her recent visit to Italy where she was able to observe first-hand the 300 steps involved in crafting this beautiful footwear. Average wholesales are $155 for a suggested retail of $425.
Bosca: Check out their new made-in-Italy leathergoods: Beautiful full-grain leather bags, ranging from messenger styles ($375 cost for a suggested retail of $750) to slim zip-top briefcases to ($337.50). Gender-neutral and perfect for menswear stores!
Andrea Bossi showed digitally printed shirts that were true works of art. Be it the Italian countryside or the steeples of Florence or Rome, these prints were spectacular, whether on linen, fine cotton or washed denim. Landed costs: $105-$129.
Digel: Represented by General Manager Heiko Arend, this collection is evolving nicely, with some great sportcoats, cotton/elastin pants, stand-up collar shirts and peak-lapel suits, all out of their own factories in Turkey and Poland.
Wood Underwear: Celebrating 10 years in business, Terresa Zimmerman has had much success promoting the collection on social media. Boxers, briefs and skimpier bottoms are all $29, tees are $35. Add in a tailored pant and hoodie ($69), super-soft leisurewear items, and an activewear offering in cotton/modal/elastin and you’ve got a full collection! Sourcing has moved from China to India, allegedly without a glitch!
Richard Choi: This talented designer deserves accolades for his fashion-right value-priced collection. For spring 2023, we loved the knit jean jacket ($79), the microsuede knit field jacket ($169) and a shirt-weight jersey blazer with a hood.
Zacchi: If you think this tuxedo-inspired sportcoat by Zacchi looks familiar, that’s because Ross Veltri has been selling it since 1975. Trimmed in velvet and perfect for the upcoming holidays, the wholesale price is just $75, including two bowties. Also looking good: an in-stock selection of silk/cotton knitwear.
Trinidad3: With a core mission of creating easy access custom-designed jeans for injured war veterans and amputees, this brand continues to bring dignity to those who have served our country and inspiration to the rest of us. Trinidad shared with me the story of a young dad who, when dressed to the nines in new Trinidad jeans (ingeniously designed to completely hide his prosthetic), heard his six-year-old son blurt out with joy, “Finally my friends in school won’t make fun of my dad!”
Both Trinidad and Joe Lasko served in the military (Joe got out in 2010, Trinidad in 2016) and have put heart and soul into this venture. We salute them and look forward to viewing MVP, the highly acclaimed movie “Merging Vets and Players,” to be released on 9/11.