Menswear Moving to the Front – Part 2By Chris Hogan
July 5, 2008
As we discussed in last week’s column, the New York menswear market is in the midst of renaissance of sorts. But it’s not just luxury brands that are focusing more on the men in their lives; mid market brands are making a statement in the Big Apple too.
J.Crew, a favorite everyday brand of Off The Cuff, is setting up a men’s only shop in the landmark Liquor Store building, at 235 West Broadway at White Street in Tribeca. The men’s store, which will be smaller than a typical J. Crew store, will carry the best of J. Crew’s men’s collection, including their unique collector’s items - upscale, limited-edition pieces like the $800 leather mail bag. According to CEO Micky Drexler, the store is “a very short-term lease,” with “very little investment and risk,” which will allow the company “to fool around and play with a men’s store.”
Additionally, the company has been sending out mini-catalogs that focus only on their men’s clothing and accessories lines. These targeted marketing efforts have been very well received and gives J. Crew the ability to sell its higher end wares directly to their male customers.
This emerging but strong trend toward menswear will likely spread across the retail market. As I have noted before, men are not like women when it comes to shopping, but there has been a distinct shift back toward guys appreciating and seeking out quality clothing and accessories. Though this is most true for “investment” level clothes like suits and other tailored pieces, J. Crew’s men’s store concept is an example of transferring the investment mentality to everyday dressing. It’s sort of a reverse approach to the commoditization trend that has effectively devalued many once exclusive brands. Instead of making their wares more accessible to average consumers, companies like J. Crew are developing limited edition products at very outsized price points and targeted at discerning shoppers.
The company is also taking marketing cues from luxury brands that have long touted things like the prestigious family mills which supply their fabric. J. Crew is busily developing relationships with companies like Baird McNutt, an innovative, family-owned Irish mill in Ballymena known for incredible linens.
What makes this type of strategy successful is that they’re not faking it. J. Crew is seeking out real manufacturers who make really good, exclusive products. It’s authentic and fits very well with their customer base. The real stories and premium price tags are providing the boost that the company wants in menswear. They have also made serious efforts to improve the construction quality of their products, and adding additional practical value to their wares.
“Women’s got turned around, and now it’s time for men’s,” says Todd Snyder, senior vice-president of men’s design for J. Crew. And one way to sell the ongoing J. Crew story of original lifestyle brands is through collaborations with designer-frequented mills. “We say, why spend $1,000 at Bergdorf Goodman for a jacket you can get for $300 here? It’s the same thing.” Customers are recognizing quality fabrics, so Snyder has made it his mission to work with the best in the business. “We’re becoming the biggest customer of mills like Moon and Mallalieus, who work with Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Ralph Lauren,” he says. “We’re after quality.” ...
It’s a stylistic approach to vertical integration; to try and capture all socioeconomic levels of the men’s lifestyle market – from Gap to Hermes. That’s the holy grail of any retailer or ad executive, but it seems that our culture may now be at this mythical point. We’ll have to wait and see if the trend truly takes hold, but it appears that while doing so more men will be better dressed and know which fork to use.A few weeks ago, there was a post here (called Article On The Trend Of Men's Only Store) about retailers devoting dedicated stores to men. As I mentioned in that post, I think it's great that J.Crew is now devoting stores entirely to men. I find that sometimes, men get shortchanged in the depth and breadth of clothing items in dual-gender stores.
Do you think that this trend is one that will last? What do you think about J.Crew's multiple attempts to capitalize on the trend of male fashion-conscious consumers? If you are a J.Crew Aficionado, will you shop at a J.Crew's new line of men's clothing? If you are a J.Crew Aficionada, will the man in your life pro-actively shop at J.Crew's men-only store?
When the article mentioned that J.Crew versus Bergdorfs was the same quality for 1/3 of the price ... well, it reminded me of the book that Alexis posted about earlier - How Luxury Lost Its Luster. According to the book, it probably is the same thing. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, was it here at this blog that they mentioned that during economic recessions, it's generally women first who reign in discretionary spending, like apparel? Since they tend to do things like grocery shop and manage the household, they are more aware of things like inflation.
Since I've never been to a J.Crew store and get my item online. I was wondering, if it is worth the 1 hour trip sometime this coming week, just to see the store myself.
ReplyDeleteFor the question "would I shop at the men's only store". Personally, i would visit the men's only store just to see for myself the price and quality of the item. But as for prices like the $800 jacket, I'll pass on anything that is over the $200 mark.
Plus, J.Crew doesn't make nice dress shirt like their Thomas Mason's Shirt in a smaller size. :(
Nice shirt, but wish neck sizes were available in a small size. The smallest size available is 15/33 and I asked the CS rep and she told me the size were actually 15.75"/33.
Also, some of their jeans doesn't have much size selection. They have a 29/32 and not a 29/30 (my size). I think in order to attract more men, maybe more reasonable prices, but also the availability of different sizes. I agree that the quality is excellent, but just my opinion on what they need to do to attract the men.
I think its great that menswear will get more attention, but I'm still not sure how well menswear only stores will do...I doubt they would succeed in suburbia, but may have a fair chance in large cities. If it is true that men shop more in bad economic times because they don't see the day to day prices and spending (not my hubby, though), then that would make sense as to why J.Crew is pushing the Menswear only store and the menswear line in general now.
ReplyDeleteI think this article sheds some light on why we have been feeling like J.Crew is trying to alienate many of us by taking away discounts, cracking down on policies etc. According to this article, we feel that way because it's what they are actually doing. In theory, if there are some people who can then no longer afford to shop at J.Crew without the lenient discount policy, J.Crew is ok with letting them go in favor of courting those who CAN afford it. It makes them more a exclusive and "valuable" commodity. If that is the case, then I agree with FFM: I think that men's stores in limited markets like large cities and very affluent suburbs might work, but not as a general proposition. Of course, if I have understood this article properly, they aren't intending it as a general proposition anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about this, the more things are making sense to me. Not that this whole web fiasco was planned, but it seems like maybe it explains J.Crew's blasé attitude toward many of the issues, and it certainly explains the response we got to Blumre's email to Mickey. They are not necessarily interested in making their brand more affordable to the general population. They want to be affordable, but to a very specific kind of customer (which is not most of us). The student/teacher discount seems to be intended to make the occasional full price item more affordable to us poor souls who can't shop at full price with J.Crew on a regular basis, but it is by no means a way to afford day-to-day purchases from J.Crew. That would explain why they have started denying the discount on final sale items both in store and online (this actually happened to me), and disallowed code stacking through CS. They don't want to lose that revenue (understandably), and they are willing to sacrifice customers who don't have the capital they are looking for. In other words, J.Crew is interested in customers who can afford designer prices for designer quality items, but maybe not as frequently, or who would say something like "J.Crew is a is great because I can get two designer jackets for what I pay for one designer jacket at Bergdorf's." This is as opposed to customers who cannot afford designer quality at all and use J.Crew as a way to get that quality without paying designer prices who might say "I can't afford to buy a jacket at Bergdorf's, but maybe I can experience designer quality through J.Crew when the jacket goes on sale along with my student/teacher discount." It makes a lot of sense now.
ReplyDeleteP.S. sorry for the long posts ... I have just had an epiphany and was sort of thinking out loud :)
ReplyDeleteI have bought clothing at price points from Old Navy all the way up to high end designers. I'm the kind of person who would rather have four J.Crew sweaters instead of one Armani one.
ReplyDeleteIs Armani fours times better than J.Crew; guess it depends on your income and what is important to you. For me J.Crew is spot on with my income and lifestyle The clothing works well for me at home and on the job.
The new mens' store and the attention given to the mens' line is great, but notice where the speciality store is going. Not in a suburban mall, but in an area where there are many men with cash to spend. Makes sense to me.
I'd love to get to this new store, but considering the cost and the time I'll have to wait to shop at a J.Crew store in person. Back to shopping on line for me. And it's better than the choices around where I live with the added bonus few have the same clothing.
As I remember, way back in the day, J. Crew stores and catalogs had pretty much equal emphasis on men's and women's clothing. Over the years, the more lucrative women's line got emphasized. They've put a little more emphasis into the men's line lately, but I'm not sure if a flagship men's store changes the underlying trend.
ReplyDeleteFor myself, I'd certainly shop a mens-only store, but don't see the need if it's the matter of adding high-end items to the same men's line. As it is, the more upscale/traditional attire from Crew is neither truly cheap (a la Zara) nor truly high quality. (This can mean it's fitting a niche, unfortunately it's not my niche.) There may well be overpriced clothing at Bergdorf's, but in general that $1000 sport coat is a different animal than the cheaper one from J. Crew. The quality isn't the same.
I agree ne-guy. I am a smaller guy myself, usually wearing a 30x30 pant and small tops, but more selection in these smaller sizes would be great. I know that in general, us Americans are bigger than the average male in a lot of European countries, but a more European fit to some clothing would be a nice touch. I do admit I do like their classic or tailored fit, but it's not on all items, and can be much harder to find.
ReplyDeleteMelanie: I definitely agree with your overall argument that women tend to make the majority of retail purchases- therefore in times of recession don't forget us! ;)
ReplyDeleteNE-Guy: I don't think it is worth an hour of travel to see a J.Crew if there is not something in particular you want to see. ALthough I should also say that I have definitely done an hour away drive to visit a J.Crew just because I wanted to- but that is because I am a fanatic of J.Crew . ;)
FFM: I totally agree with your point about questioning its success in suburbia. I am just not sure how well J.Crew's men-only stores would do outside of major cities. I mean, maybe they will be fine in really popular malls (like Mall of America or King of Prussia, but definitely not the mall down the street from me). But maybe that is why J.Crew is just testing them out in a few select locations. :)
Michelle: You raised a really interesting point. J.Crew definitely want a customer who doesn't mind paying full retail and men might fit that target niche. I know that my husband (who rarely shops) will pay full price for the one or two items he buys each season (like shoes, polos, etc.) While I buy practically in bulk, with the majority of those items on sale.
Paul: It is so funny that you mention Zara, because there is a great article about how Zara is just taking over worldwide in retail sales. Article: How Zara took over the high street
Galen & JCrew Guy in Canada: I hear you about more selection online- especially for pants. I find it is impossible to find a pair of pants in the size you are looking for in stores.
Haha Alexis: Back when I was really poor and the outlets were of better quality (in college) MMiller and I would totally 1.5 hours to the outlet (this was also when gas was $1.25 a gallon). But in college the JCrew store was 30 minutes away and we used to go all the time. For me, its always worth the drive... even if we don't buy anything! Also its an excuse to spend quality time together rather than someone reading/wathcing tv/or surfing the net. So in terms of killing two birds with one stone VERY worth it.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely check out the mens store next time I make it down to NYC. I think that while from the little I have read this blog that mostly women frequent these pages, J Crew has men fans as well. If you check out guy style site such as styleforum.net you will see that J Crew has a style and fit at a price point that is more affordable than some of the other designers putting out classic american menswear. For those guys who want their clothes to fit better than the Classic Fit Polo RL lines or a Brooks Brothers Blousy cut (pretty much everything other than BLack Fleece) JCrew is a nice middle ground compared to designers such as band of outsides, michael bastian and Tim hamilton. I think the jack spade crowd will appreciate this mens store and I like that JCrew is working with Andy Spade. Just my two cents...
ReplyDeletei don't know about the 'men's only' idea... but i know that my husband and i often shop together, and he visits jcrew with me several times a year. he always laments the fact that their women's clothes are so much more interesting than the men's, and he dislikes the ambiance of the men's section.
ReplyDeleteit almost seems like the men's area is set up to *repel* the random cool stylish guy that might end up there... my local B&M men's dept looks basically like Eddie Bauer, and the SA's in that section are usually much more conservative than in the women's. i don't know if a 'men's only' store would help...
if i were in charge, i would first try to tempt more of these guys who are repeatedly dragged into jcrew by their girlfriends... it seems like most of them actually avoid that part of the store. and i would feel the same way if i were a guy.
But recently he's found some really great things there - a perfect white shirt, an army-style jacket, etc. it seems like they might be edging the men's designs up a little...
I do have to say I was in a B&M store in Greenville, SC and tried on the new fall crew/v-neck sweaters and the quality seems much better than previous years. I dont know what the diff. is or even if there is. But the sweaters seemed more soft than itchy and scratchy. I also felt like they fit a touch better.
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