In celebration of MR’s 20th anniversary, we’re introducing you to 20 of the menswear industry’s freshest, most interesting up-and-coming retailers, vendors and marketers.
Chris Olberding, Gitman Vintage
How did Gitman Vintage start?
[I was working for Gitman Bros.] and was searching for fabric ideas when I discovered our line-books from the late ’70s and early ’80s and thought if we could replicate some of the fabrics it might be interesting as a collection. I pulled together some of the missing pieces (original labels and chalk buttons) and the basic components of the shirt collection fell into place rather nicely. The only thing I changed was the fit and treatment. I’m pleased with the reception of the collection and there’s huge potential in Europe. I’d like to expand our product offering, not just to women’s shirting, but pants and jackets too.
Favorite/least favorite part about your job?
Being in charge and being in charge.
What’s something no one knows about you?
Until now…karaoke!
Brandon Svarc, Naked and Famous Denim
Naked and Famous hit the market post-premium denim and in its first season was picked up by Barneys, American Rag and Blue in Green. Founded by Brandon Svarc, this two-year old brand now sells in over 20 countries!
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Before we launched the brand I went across Canada looking for a sales rep. That’s when I met Hershy (who owns a sales agency in Toronto) and he told me that I have to the sell the brand myself. I had no prior sales experience at all, but went for it and it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. [Editor’s note: If you’ve ever met Brandon then you know he will school you on the world of denim and will make it the most interesting lesson you’ve ever learned!]
What’s something no one knows about you?
My grandfather was born in Transylvania,
so I may or may not be a vampire…
What are your interests outside of work?
I love origami—I can make a dog, a bird and a monkey all out of denim. (I have photos to prove it!)
Chad Vo, Behaviour NY
Why did you open a men’s store in New York?
We opened Behaviour four years ago; I love the stores in New York, but felt a lot of them carry the same well-known brands that guys in their 20s and 30s can’t afford. There are some great international designers that haven’t crossed over to the U.S. yet at more affordable pricepoints (because they don’t spend money on advertising and runway shows). I felt like it was my time to bring them here and show guys how to dress in cool, clean tailored looks.
What’s the best advice someone’s given you?
My mom always told me not to be afraid of failure and just do it. If you don’t try then you won’t get anywhere. I think fear is worse than a recession.
What do you like to do when you’re not in the store?
I love music! Going to concerts reminds me of when I was 16 and carefree. The last show I went to was The Gossip and they rocked!
Kelly Muccio, Lost Boys
Kelly Muccio opened her contemporary men’s store Lost Boys in mid-2008, shortly before the recession really hit retail, but she’s managed to make her mark on Washington, D.C. Her “Style Bar” private wardrobe consulting service has been successful enough that it’s getting its own space. “I love what I do and I am most in my element during the private styling appointments where I let my talents run wild,” says Muccio. “That is my favorite part: allowing men to see themselves as bigger, better and more confident than they’ve seen themselves before.”
How’d you get into the industry?
I majored in economics and after being practical and working in private finance, when it was actually pretty lucrative to work in private equity, I quit my job and the next day I got on a Greyhound bus to New York with two duffle bags, and started knocking down doors to get into the fashion industry. Everyone thought I was crazy because I didn’t know a soul up there but I didn’t care. I was free-falling and loved that feeling that anything and everything was a possibility.
Least favorite thing about running a store?
There are no sick days when you own your own business. My boss is impossible.
Jacob, Desta & Paul Parris, Vinnie’s Styles
Despite a rough economy after 9/11, brothers Jacob, Desta and Paul Parris opened Vinnie’s Styles in Brooklyn in 2002, inspired by their tailor grandfather’s shop in Crown Heights. The current recession wasn’t enough to deter the Parris family from opening a second Vinnie’s store in Atlanta, Georgia, and a kid’s shop called Little Vinnie’s will open in Brooklyn this spring.
“This is the best time to expand,” says Jacob. “It’s quiet and there’s not much going on, so now’s the time to get your troops together and see what the next move is. It can’t stay quiet forever, so you have be in the right position when it does.”
They also do a nice online business—about 25 percent to total—and their private label line, Paulies, is growing, too. “It started with T-shirts and expanded into a full cut-and-sew collection with hoodies, varsity jackets and caps,” Jacob explains. “We’re working on some cool denim for spring ’10. The brand and the demand for it has definitely grown, especially with its Japanese following.”
Holland Smith, Karmaloop.com
Holland Smith is the head of men’s buying for Karmaloop.com and he hosts a segment on Karmaloop TV. On the “Buyer Wire” he gives consumers the inside scoop about why he bought certain products.
What do you want to achieve with Karmaloop?
I want to make Karmaloop a one stop shop: a place for young people to buy clothes and sneakers, watch interviews with their favorite designers and artists on Karmaloop TV or communicate through our upcoming social network site, Jungle Life—the goal is to have it all here for them. It’s the best feeling to see people’s reactions when I tell them what I do, especially the younger generation. We’re like MTV…when it was dope.
What’s the worst part about your job?
We get hit up by a ton of brands and I have to tell them why their collection might not be a good fit for Karmaloop. It’s hard to let down people who are passionate about their brand.
What’s something no one knows about you?
I have an electrician degree—I can rewire your whole house.
Jonathan Sharvit & Shai Medalsy, Stone Rose
Miami-based Stone Rose has been on the scene since April 2007. Jonathan Sharvit and Shai Medalsy have grown this woven shirt brand to be one of the hottest in the market.
What goals do you have for the brand?
Jonathan We’ve been at this for two years and there’s a lot more work to be done. Once Stone Rose gets mentioned in a hit Jay-Z hip hop song—that’s when we’ll know we’ve made it!
What’s the best advice someone’s given you?
Jonathan The former CEO of Parlux Fragrances and founder of Perfumania, Ilia Lekach, taught me to think big and to ‘work smarter, not harder.’
Shai My father is my mentor. He taught me to always be one step ahead and keep my head up. If I had to give advice to someone it’d be sometimes you have to lose to win, and always laugh!
Anthony Keegan, Commonwealth Utilities
Tell me about your role at Commonwealth.
I founded Commonwealth Utilities two years ago—My title is creative director, but if something has to get done I do it—from sourcing buttons to getting waiters for a fashion show, it really is a production, but I love it.
What do you want to achieve?
We believe that men know they should dress better and we want to help them do that. I didn’t always want to run my own company, but I was so frustrated with corporate thinking, I needed to go back to design and create some magic. I see us developing in retail because wholesale is so up in the air right now.
What’s the best advice someone has given you?
The head womenswear buyer for Bergdorf Goodman told me the best thing I could do is be in the trenches with sales. That really made me roll up my sleeves [and sell the collection]. Also, having men’s suiting is the anchor of a collection.
What’s something no one knows about you?
I have a very rare fused tooth on my lower jaw—it’s like two teeth bonded together. Dentists love it when I come to see them because it’s like I’m a unicorn or something.
Aaron Levant, Agenda Tradeshow
Aaron Levant co-founded the Agenda tradeshow in 2002, the only independently-owned tradeshow focused on the YM market and specializing in streetwear, footwear, surf and skate.
How’d you get into the business?
At 15, I was thrown out of high school and was trying to find myself. One of my friends was working for a sportswear line, Gat (currently Grn Apple Tree). He asked if I wanted to help them at a tradeshow in Las Vegas. I went and me and the owner, Louis Pilido, really hit it off and he offered me an unpaid internship. The commute was two hours long and I had to take the subway and two busses, but I got there the first day and didn’t leave for five years.
How do you plan to grow the show?
We’re growing through strategic partnerships. For the past five years Agenda was in San Diego (adjacent to ASR) and we moved it to Huntington Beach for the summer 2009 show. We formed a strategic partnership with IMG Sports and the U.S. Open of Surf to run the shows simultaneously. They have the largest consumer action sports event drawing in over 500,000 people, so it made sense to be there too. We’re also working with theberrics.com (a consumer skateboarding website) to support the mom and pop skateboard shops. With Berric’s we’re flying out 66 shops and taking care of their accommodations—that’s how we can guarantee retail attendance.
Alex Abitan, Report Collection
Abitan grew up in the apparel business in Montreal, accompanying his father, Modextil/Report Collection CEO Henri Abitan, on business trips and to trade shows. After working for a start-up telecom firm, Abitan joined the family business. “With time,” he says, “I found my own place in the company and developed the marketing department which at that point was non-existent.”
“I thrive on his dynamism,” his father has said. “My son Alex has brought a new energy into the company, the reassurance of the continuity of our business.” For his part, Alex counts his father as a mentor.
Morgan Lackman, Fullum & Holt
Morgan Lackman, creative director for the 113-year-old Montreal belt and leather goods company Fullum & Holt, is the third generation to run the company. “I guess my role for the past three years has been to steer Fullum & Holt towards something new and fresh while holding onto the value of our history,” says Lackman. Today, the company sells Barneys and Holt Renfrew, but also Walmart and American Apparel.
How did you get into the business?
Before I started at Fullum & Holt I was living in Shanghai learning Chinese and working in advertising. I moved into fashion because it’s equally creative and already in the family. If I hadn’t joined, my father would have sold the business. I think that would have been a real waste of something that my grandfather and father had worked so hard all their lives to build.
What’s something no one knows about you?
I used to be a magician; really, I studied magic with Gary Kurtz, one of the best sleight-of-hand artists in the world.
Evan Kraut, Mr. Youth
Evan Kraut started his career in the menswear industry working for his father’s tailored clothing company. And after a stint in finance, currently he’s the senior director of brand development for Mr. Youth, a NY-based marketing agency that specializes in young consumers and social media.
What’s the best/worst parts about your job?
The best part is working closely with clients to develop exciting marketing campaigns that drive their business forward. The worst part is the hours—occasionally I’ll have a 40 hour work week, but that’s when I take a few days off!
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
Don’t be afraid to try new things in your career—change is scary, but these days, kids are choosing their professions as they apply for college in high school. It’s tough to make that decision when they haven’t had any real-world experience and it takes a lot of different experiences to find out what works for you.
What’s something no one knows about you?
I wish I could sing—I play guitar, but can’t hit a note vocally!
Bee Nguyen, Hot Air and Grand Tactics
Bee Nguyen owns the consulting agency Grand Tactics, which caters to hard to reach influencers and tastemakers. He also co-founded the men’s apparel brand Hot Air. His goals for Hot Air are to open a flagship store and segue into women’s, children’s and home furnishings.
What do you think is needed to jumpstart sales at retail?
I like what H&M and Target are doing with designer product collaborations. In tough economic times consumers still want high quality at an affordable price, which is why we lowered some of our pricepoints at Hot Air. (T-shirts went from $65 to $36 retail.) There are two types of businesses: the quick and the dead.
What’s your menswear business prediction for 2010?
Menswear will continue to lean towards clean and simple lines. Less is more always remains true.
What’s something no one knows about you?
I am a foodie and a decent cook. I would love to be an investor in a restaurant/bar one day.
Tyler Mitchell, Mitchells
Tyler Mitchell, youngest of the Mitchell clan, is taking the reigns of the family’s newest acquisition, Wilkes Bashford (see page 19). He started out shining shoes at Mitchells when he was six-years-old, then worked at Henry Bucks, Brioni and Harry Rosen before returning to the Mitchells/Richards/Marshs manse.
How’s the new gig?
Wilkes Bashford is an institution. It’s an urban, yet intimate, shopping environment. I want to keep doing what made the store great, while taking it to new heights. Our goal is to open all the floors for retail space (six of eight are open now).
What’s something no one knows about you?
I secretly came out here for the wine. Just kidding! I’m kind of an open book….not too many things about me that I don’t wear on my sleeve.
Matteo Maniatty, Penguin
Original Penguin’s Matteo Maniatty loves his job. When we asked him what his interests outside of menswear were, he asked, “What do you mean?” As a salesman, Maniatty is patient, focused, and charismatic. He’s more than just a salesman though; he’s directly involved in branding, marketing and even the Penguin retail stores.
What’s your favorite (and least favorite) part of your job?
I love the perpetual newness and evolution of product. Every three months we have a new collection that was inspired by an entirely different source than the season prior. Although very time-consuming and arduous, I also receive great pleasure from the job of “wear testing” new product.
Least favorite would be dealing with the industry standard lead times for production. This side of the business is so antiquated. We need to start challenging supply chains to build a ‘fast fashion’ model for the wholesale channel.
Nicole Miller, Blackbird
After just five years in business, Nicole Miller’s Seattle store, Blackbird, has a national reputation. Her new retail concept, a “general store” called The Field House, opened in November 2009 around the corner from Blackbird. “Although I worked on the concept for almost two years, the store was created in about seven days,” says Miller. “It’s my most personal endeavor as it is based on my family and how I grew up.” It sells everything from groceries to workwear.
Who inspires you?
Jasen Bowes of [the men’s bag company] Property of…. He treats his customers with more compassion and respect than anyone I have ever worked with in this industry and has a great business to show for it. When the economy changed last year, Jasen sent his customers free samples to sell in their stores so they could make a little more money. Jasen taught me that it’s not worth working with people who don’t understand what it’s like to be a retailer. That next month, we stopped buying from brands who weren’t our partners, even if the products were great sellers. This was one of the best moves I’ve ever made. Blackbird is up over 10 percent year-over-year in a recession.
What’s something no one knows about you?
I don’t want to be kissed at market appointments. Now, if I know you and like you, a big hug and kiss is in order, but otherwise this is business and a simple, yet firm handshake is appropriate. I had to laugh when someone once thought I was a germaphobe.
Michael Maher, Barrett Purdum & Michael Armenta, Taylor Stitch
These three guys are at the forefront of a new breed of online retailers. Taylor Stitch started when Maher and Purdum noticed a gap in the custom shirt market. Says Maher: “We saw an opportunity to sell custom shirts in a way that appealed to a younger, more tech-savvy audience.”
The two launched Taylor Stitch, a lifestyle blog that sells American-made custom shirts, Moore & Giles bags and wallets, Punto socks and other brands of accessories. Recently, they brought in a third partner, Michael Armenta, who handles web design and photography.
“I think the American public has become used to poorly made things and for a while stopped caring where things came from and whether they lasted,” says Maher. “We’ve seen a resurgence over the past year or so where consumers care again. Hopefully this is the beginning of a movement and not just a trend.”
Rudy Gonzales, Cockpit USA
Rudy Gonzales is one of the busiest people in the men’s industry: he’s in charge of both buying and public relations for Cockpit and he’s also a contributing editor for Sportswear International, covering trade shows and trends. And yet people will ask him if he ever works, because he always seems to be having so much fun.
How did you get into this industry?
I started at BPMW Agency doing PR for Howe, Yoko Devereaux and Cockpit USA. I formed a strong relationship with Cockpit and joined them in-house as the company grew.
Do you have a mentor?
At the risk of sounding like a teacher’s pet, I’ve learned so much from Jacky Clyman, the COO of Cockpit. Never have I met a more honest, sophisticated and cool woman. While teaching me the ins and outs of the men’s industry, Jacky has embraced my personality, the talent that allows me to shine in all the work that I do. I used to think that you had to be a specific profile to survive in the fashion industry; now I know individuality is the key.
Adam Beltzman, Haberdash
Former lawyer Adam Beltzman started Haberdash in Chicago as a denim and sportswear boutique four years ago. “Today we’re a modern day haberdashery, what we believe to be the new menswear model,” he says. His greatest accomplishment: “Honestly, staying in business in this difficult retail environment,” he says, only half joking. “But, not only have we survived…our new model is flourishing.”
Who has inspired you in business?
As a kid growing up in Detroit I admired my grandfather’s business acumen. He inspired my values and entrepreneurial spirit. I needed to re-imagine my business so I contacted retail veteran Jerry Kamhi, president of Thinkfast Retail Strategies. He’s provided the strategic planning and mentoring to improve my skills and help take the company to another level.
Rian Gardner, Triluxe Apparel
Rian Gardner has an eye for new brands. He’s a co-founder of Canadian-based Triluxe Apparel, which develops and distributes modern brands (J. Lindeberg, Cold Method and Sand) in the U.S. and Canada.
What’s your greatest accomplishment thus far?
I’m proud of our success with J. Lindeberg: In 2002 we started distributing it in Canada with a zero baseline and built it into a prominent brand. In 2001 we bought J. Lindeberg USA and managed all aspects of the brand. In just five years we turned it into a million dollar company and then sold the counterpart in 2007 back to the Swedish parent company. We’re still building the brand in Canada and are opening a third shop-in-shop in Montreal for spring 2010.
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