Today’s Trad: The Armoury
Close friends from the industry, Mark Cho, Alan See and Ethan Newton decided to take a shot at their own shop to pursue their collective dream. They opened their first Armoury store in 2010, followed by another in 2011, both in Hong Kong. Once they discovered that 60 percent of e-commerce sales were coming from the U.S., they opened a third outpost in Manhattan.
The overall vibe is a modern traditional haberdashery, and while silhouettes are current, they’re not pushing guys into super-slim suits. The merchandise mix features classics from all over the globe.
Suiting is Spanish (Man 1924), Japanese (Ring Jacket) and Italian (Ambrosi), split 50/50 MTM/OTR, starting at $1,000 and going up to $7,000 for bespoke. Dress shirts are almost exclusively Ascot Chang. Neckwear features three-, five- and seven-fold ties from brands like Drake’s and Tie Your Tie. Sales associates are an integral part of their success. “Everyone here knows product really well and is ready to speak at length about it. A lot of our sellers came with their own knowledge, but our trunk shows help associates learn directly from the maker.”
The Armoury also has a large following on their blog, reaching more than 100,000 visitors each month. “We don’t just post how-tos — it’s more poetic — Ethan is a talented writer,” says Cho. “We also post a lot of photography, which vendors love because content will get re-blogged and shared: a win-win for everyone.”
