THE RIGHT THING TO DO…

After several years of dramatically rising prices in men’s apparel, it’s nice that a few companies are actually lowering them. Steve Sockolov of Left Coast Tee admits they had to raise prices about 10 percent a couple of years ago, due to increases in the cost of Pima cotton from Peru. Now that Pima prices have started to drop, the company is passing along those savings to their wholesale accounts. Says Sockolov. “It’s not a huge amount but we’re reducing the wholesale price on our knit tops (crew and V-neck) from $27.50 to $26, keeping the suggested retail at $75. It seems like the right thing to do.”

Also doing the right thing: Left Coast Tee is one of the very few brands in our industry listing their retail partners on their website. (Says Steve, “Since Gary and I were both retailers, this decision was a no-brainer.”) Check out too their new sustainable knits that use cold water dying and reduce water consumption, leaving minimal environmental residues. They’re showing at Chicago Collective, booth 5053.