MONDAY: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM TUESDAY: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Editor-in-chief KAREN ALBERG GROSSMAN
Managing Editor JOHN RUSSEL JONES
Web & Content Editor BRETT EDWARD STOUT
Art Director MIKE STEVEN FRANÇOIS
Contributing Creative Directors
TREVETT MCCANDLISS / NANCY CAMPBELL
Group Publisher LIZETTE CHIN
Publisher CHARLES GARONE
Production Managers
LAURIE GUPTILL / FERN MESHULAM / KATHY WENZLER
Marketing & Production Specialist
CATHERINE ROSARIO
Office Manager
MARIA MARTUCCI
Accounting KASIE CARLETON / URZULA JANECZKO / BRUCE LIBERMAN
Chairman CARROLL V. DOWDEN
President & Ceo MARK DOWDEN
Senior Vice Presidents LIZETTE CHIN / RITA GUARNA
Chief Financial Officer/Vice President STEVEN RESNICK
Vice Presidents
NIGEL EDELSHAIN / THOMAS FLANNERY NOELLE HEFFERNAN / MARIA REGAN
REINVENTING THE CONCEPT OF TAILORING SARTORIO.STORE
THE SOUL OF A SPECIALTY STORE
By Karen Alberg Grossman
“”
You don’t give customers what they want. You give them what they don’t yet know they want.
Gene Pressman, former co-CEO, creative director and head of merchandising and marketing for Barneys New York.
As our MR team put together our 2026 Specialty Store Playbook, we called upon numerous retail professionals to share their expertise. These days, as our business, our country, and our world continue to change at an unprecedented pace, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with it all. Sometimes, the prospect of doing so becomes totally overwhelming. (Into my head pops a slightly revised version of the famous Wordsworth poem: “The world is too much with us, late and soon. Buying and selling, we lay waste our powers…”)
But I digress, and present to you MR’s 2026 Playbook, filled not with poetry but with facts, figures, ideas, and inspiration to help you move into 2026 with improved clarity. In these pages, you’ll find a retail survey with merchants sharing the changes and challenges they now face. There’s a great piece by retail advisor Steve Pruitt, analyzing business in 2025 and projecting how it will impact 2026. Trend forecaster Michael Fisher discusses how to convert your store into a community center where customers come to hang out, share opinions, and hopefully do some shopping. Legal expert Doug Hand discusses the repercussions of sending late-night marketing texts. Digital expert Craig Crawford writes about using technology to enhance the personal touch. Our sales training expert Bill Wynn shares winning tips for your sellers on the front lines. And renowned succession planner Don Opatrny gives invaluable advice on handing over your business to friends, family, or sometimes total strangers. We believe you’ll find much wisdom in these features.
And speaking of finding wisdom, if you’ve not yet read Gene Pressman’s wonderful book on the rise and fall of Barneys (They All
Came to Barneys, a personal history of the world’s greatest store), please order it now! In addition to being brutally honest in describing Barneys’ rise and demise (a lot to do with expanding too fast, borrowing too much, failing to communicate as a team, and yes: Gene accepts much of the blame), he brilliantly explains why data is not the panacea most believe it is. “Online, everyone has an opinion, but no one’s an expert. The only expert is data, and everyone follows the analytics. If something sells on Day One they buy 100 more; if something doesn’t, they never touch it again. But that’s not merchandising; it’s a recipe for a Stepford store where everyone ends up looking the same. Analytics is a way of thinking big: maximize your sales, minimize your risks. But that misses the point completely. You have to take risks. You don’t give the customers what they want. You give them what they don’t yet know they want. You’ve got to tell them the story behind it and the story’s got to be true… In the end, Barneys might have been the size of a department store, but we never really were one. We had the soul of a specialty store…”
As we approach the holiday season, all of us at MR send gratitude and best wishes to all our readers, with special thanks to those who have supported us in good times and bad over the past 35 years. May your holidays be filled with health, happiness, peace, profits, and a hefty dose of creative thinking—the true soul of any successful fashion business.
Happy holidays from John, Charles, Lizette, Brett, and Karen
“HEY, YOU UP?”
THE LEGAL RISK OF LATE-NIGHT MARKETING TEXTS
By Doug Hand
Text message marketing is one of the quickest ways for fashion brands to reach customers, but the timing of those texts can get you into serious trouble. Both the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and a growing wave of state-level mini-TCPAs set strict quiet hours when texts cannot legally be sent. Even accidental slip-ups can be costly because penalties are assessed on a per-message basis.
So let’s walk through the federal rules and I’ll also highlight two of the strictest state laws, Florida’s Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA) and Texas’s brand-new Senate Bill 140 (SB 140).
Federal TCPA: The 9 p.m. Cutoff
Under the TCPA and FCC rules, marketing texts may only be sent between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time of the recipient. Timing is unforgiving: a message that hits a consumer’s phone at 7:59 a.m. or 9:01 p.m.
is automatically a violation. Because the rule looks at the recipient’s time zone, not the sender’s, nationwide campaigns without geographic filters are especially risky.
The TCPA gives consumers the right to sue, and damages add up quickly: $500 per message, or up to $1,500 if the violation is found to be willful or knowing. There’s also an open question about whether businesses can sidestep these limits by obtaining prior express written consent to text within the proscribed hours. A petition is pending at the FCC for clarity, but for now, the safest play is to stick with the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window.
Florida FTSA: Earlier Bedtime, Fewer Messages
Florida has put its own stamp on telemarketing law through the FTSA, which is stricter than the TCPA in two important ways.
First, Florida enforces longer quiet hours: texts may only be sent between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. local time, shaving an hour off the
end of the TCPA window. Because Florida straddles both Eastern and Central time zones, businesses need to build that complexity into their compliance systems too.
Second, Florida adds message caps. A business may not attempt to contact a recipient by text more than three times in a 24-hour period. Consumers can bring lawsuits just as they can under the TCPA, with damages of $500–$1,500 per message plus attorneys’ fees. A recent amendment adds a small buffer: before suing, consumers must opt out and give the sender 15 days to stop texting. That “cure period” gives businesses a chance to correct mistakes but doesn’t change the underlying rules on hours or frequency.
Texas SB 140: Never on a Sunday (morning)
Texas joined the fray on September 1, 2025, when SB 140 took effect, and it may be the strictest regime yet. Under the new law, businesses may only send marketing texts between
9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and between 12:00 noon and 9:00 p.m. on Sundays. That Sunday rule is unique: it flatly bans all Sunday morning campaigns.
The enforcement regime is also stricter, with violations of SB 140’s time-of-day restrictions constituting an “unfair and deceptive practice” under Texas law. That means violators face $500 to $1,500 per unlawful call or text in statutory damages, and the Texas Attorney General can seek civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
On top of that, Texas has added a registration requirement for businesses making calls or texts into the state. Covered businesses must register with the Texas Secretary of State and post a $10,000 security bond. Certain exemptions apply. For example, businesses are exempt if they text existing or former customers or those that operate primarily from physical retail establishments. But outside of those carve-outs, failure to register is an independent violation and can trigger a civil penalty of up to $5,000.
Compliance Recommendations
To minimize exposure under this patchwork of rules, businesses should:
• Audit message timing: Confirm that outbound campaigns align with both federal and state “quiet hours.”
• Segment by time zone: Do not rely on area codes alone; they often don’t reflect where consumers actually live.
• Apply heightened scrutiny in Florida and Texas: Their narrower rules and stronger enforcement make mistakes far more costly.
• Register in Texas where required: Secure a certificate and post the $10,000 bond before sending messages.
• Vet SMS vendors: Make sure platforms can filter by time zone, cap message frequency, and suppress texts automatically outside allowed hours.
• Keep logs: Document message timing in both Universal Time and local time, along with proof of consent and opt-out responses, to help defend against claims.
The temptation to fire off a late-night promotional text may be strong, but the legal risk is stronger. As state laws grow more aggressive and enforcement expands, businesses must treat time-of-day restrictions not as a footnote but as a front-line compliance priority. In SMS marketing, timing isn’t just everything, it could be the difference between a successful campaign and a costly lawsuit.
With contributions from HBA LLP’s head of litigation, Adam Michaels
Douglas Hand is one of the preeminent fashion lawyers in the country. His industry bona fides include member of the CFDA Fashion Awards Guild, chairman of the board of FIT, professor of fashion law at NYU and Cardozo Schools of Law, and recognized Super Lawyer for the past 10 years. He can be reached at dhand@hballp.com.
WHY AI?
Get on board with this rapidly evolving technology to help both sales staff and customers make better decisions.
By Craig Crawford
With the September launch of Ask Ralph, Ralph Lauren’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) shopping assistant, which aims to bring the experience of an in-store stylist to customers’ phones, it appears that menswear retailers cannot ignore that AI is here to stay.
Since we first reported on AI shopping assistants a year ago (MR November 2024 Fashion Futures Forecast) the technology has rapidly evolved beyond helping consumers find what they want through computer vision/image recognition—take a photo of what you’d like and let AI do the finding and price comparison work for you—to helping consumers find garments that actually suit their body shape, complexion, hair color, and lifestyle. It also now helps coordinate new purchases with clothes they already have at home.
Ask Ralph allows consumers to ask natural language questions, such as “What should I wear to a wedding?” and receive personalized recommendations based on current inventory. While currently only available to US customers on the Ralph Lauren mobile app, Ask Ralph will continue to evolve with new features and personalization options, expanding to additional Ralph Lauren brands, platforms, and global markets based on how users initially use and engage with it.
“AI is transforming the way consumers get inspired, educated, and purchase from fashion brands around the world,” explains Shelley Bransten, Corporate Vice President of Global Industry Solutions, Microsoft. “We‘re proud to bring the combination of our trusted generative AI capabilities through Azure OpenAI together with Ralph Lauren’s iconic brand to pave the way for an entirely new conversational commerce experience.”
With benefits for brands and retailers, AI-powered curation across content and search is helping shoppers overwhelmed by choice to find the items they want, according to the Business of Fashion-McKinsey State of Fashion 2025 report.
79% of customers surveyed by Google say they would find it helpful for AI to understand their specific needs and recommend products. 82% say they want AI to reduce their time spent researching what to buy. To address this, 84% of organizations indicate that hyper-personalized experiences across customer touchpoints are a priority for the next 12 months, according to the report.
“Most people leave 80% of their clothes unworn and continue to wear the same things that they understand or have copied from a mannequin,” says Elena Volkova, CEO and Co-Founder of Barcelona-based StyleDNA, an AI-powered mobile shopping app that allows
consumers to “travel with their closet.”
Clients upload their own clothes, share photos of themselves, and StyleDNA’s patent-pending AI mixes and matches it all into ready-to-wear outfits with recommendations for appropriate occasions—everyday, dinner, and special events.
“Clients purchasing new clothes can see what the new item will coordinate with so they can make informed choices before they buy,” she explains. “Our recommendations are not based on a brand’s collection but instead on what complements the client.”
While initially targeted at women when it was launched in 2022, the app launched for men globally this month.
StyleDNA is the result of more than three years of machine learning, trained through stylists and image consultants working with clients to recommend wardrobe choices that work in their daily lives based on their personality, identity, and lifestyle.
“Image consultancy is a science,” Volkova explains. “How to work with clients, match color, the right textiles, the right shapes. There are some rules, and then there are some of the rules you break!’
Through assessment of selfies and other photos, StyleDNA recommends products from more than 250 retailers based on a consumer’s coloring, body shape, and lifestyle.
Are AI agents replacing humans who sell, advise, and style?
“Absolutely not,” says Cathy McCabe, Co-Founder and CEO of Proximity, an award-winning Retail Super-App that connects clienteling, events, appointments, and payments to help store teams sell smarter by delivering exceptional customer experience anytime, anywhere. Proximity clients include Paul Smith, Rodd & Gunn, and MCM.
“In the age of agentic AI, chatbots as agents can solve customer queries, but sometimes the experience and results are very poor,” she explains. “We are finding that consumers want human contact, personal advice, and in-store interaction.”
Marcus Dawson, CTO of Proximity and former Head of Business Solutions at Selfridges, agrees. “People are getting fed up with automated self-service,” he says. “People are craving talking to people, a personal stylist, going into a store. Consumers desire more personalized relationships with retailers.”
“We don’t believe AI is going to replace relationships with sales associates. Instead, it’s important to plan your AI strategy to augment and amplify the human touch,” Dawson explains. “How can AI help drive efficiency and expand relationships to more people?”
“Instead of replacing the store associate’s role, AI tools can help store teams with outreach, follow-up, and recommendations at scale, making better use of their time,” McCabe explains.
Launched in October, Proximity’s AI-powered Message Maestro helps store associates with brand and local language (think the US word “pants” vs. the UK’s “trousers”) to ensure more relevant and deeper engagement. Pulling together a collection, a curated presentation, showing an outfit realistically, or helping with styling visuals powered by AI helps store associates demonstrate they understand the customer.
Digital means data.
“By running Machine Learning over data, we are not just reporting analytics to the retailer, but through gamification, we can create healthy competition between store locations or sales associates,” Dawson explains.
Many retailers are keen to use AI but are nervous about data security and sharing, he says.
“Don’t be too nervous and wait,” he warns. “This space is fast-paced!”
Patrick Kayton, Co-Founder of Cognician, a US-based online platform that activates behavioral change through an interactive process inspired by the Socratic method and the theory of cognitive apprenticeship, agrees. Cognician’s retail clients include Nike, Gap, DeBeers, Pandora, and TJX.
Kayton compares the adoption of mobile to that of AI to illustrate the pace of workforce behavioral change due to technology.
The iPhone was invented in 2007. This year, roughly 20% of the US workforce and 15% of the UK workforce are mobile natives, he says.
AI’s breakthrough moment was the release of ChatGPT in 2022. By comparison, there are currently no AI natives in the workforce. Kayton refers to today’s workforce as “AI-infused.”
“Which means that everything we’re doing, the decisions we’re making as leaders, the learning that we are doing, the ways in which we’re changing our work—this is all happening for the first time. There’s nobody to turn to who grew up in an AI native world,” he explains. But by 2030, the first true AI natives will be entering the workforce, he says.
“Clearly, this is very, very significant, if not one of the most significant things that we’ve all lived through. Even perhaps more than, say, the mobile revolution,” adds Cognician Chief Strategy Officer Colin Sloman.
“It took ten years for smartphones to become ubiquitous and truly influence the workplace, where it’s taken probably two years for AI to go from interesting personal use into truly turning up in significant ways inside corporations,” he explains.
“I think we’re at the cusp of AI Agents and AI Co-workers becoming a normal part of our working practices,” he says. “It’s this flywheel effect—the speed of change and speed of adoption of technology—that is the really significant factor here.”
Kayton agrees. “I think the only way we’re gonna get there is by making bold decisions, not by standing back and waiting.”
The longer you wait to invest in using GenAI tools in your business, the more you’re out of the market for realizing the upside of your investment. Even if you don’t see immediate relevance based on what the tools can do today, you’ll benefit from the enhanced GenAI mindset of your people tomorrow. 79% 82% 84%
of consumers want AI to understand their needs and recommend products
of consumers want AI to save them time by reducing research before buying
of organizations are responding by prioritizing hyper-personalized experiences in the next 12 months
Craig Crawford is a two-time Tabbie award-winning author and founderprenuer of Crawford IT (https://crawfordit.com), a London-based consulting firm specializing in the digital transformation of brands. He’s on Instagram and X, @getamobilelife; or call +44 07834584785.
PLAYBOOK SPECIALTY STORE
MAKING MOVES
Smart merchants are refining strategy according to sales figures, economic reports, and intuition.
By Karen Alberg Grossman
Despite numerous economic indicators that seem worrisome, most independent menswear retailers in a recent MR study are more than satisfied with business, reporting fall 2025 sales far better than predicted. On average, year-to-date increases are in the mid-single digits (0-9 percent range) over a record-breaking 2024.
But satisfaction does not mean complacency, and smart retailers continue to pay close attention to numerous factors: inventory levels, economic reports, government shutdowns, business lay-offs, menswear market offerings, stock market fluctuations, and conversations
James has “reevaluated all the consultant and vendor partners we use for our digital business and made some big changes. This has led to greater efficiencies and growth.” Bob Mitchell of Mitchells in Westport, Conn., has invested in technology, especially in an app that allows sales associates to digitally locate inventory in all their doors from Westport to Dallas to San Francisco to Seattle. “This gives sellers the broadest possible inventory from which to sell. They can now easily access all the info they need to enhance the in-store experience for their clients.”
Bob Rosenblum from his namesake stores in Jacksonville, Fla., has planned aggressively for
Several retailers, including Jose Bolado from J. Bolado in Miami, Fla., have reduced inventory levels based on economic forecasts. That said, Jose plans to spend more on marketing. At Stackpole Moore Tryon in Hartford, Conn., Jody Morneault is cutting back on made-tomeasure. “It’s very time-consuming and expensive,” she explains. “I’m working hard to make people feel that they can afford to shop in our store.”
On the other hand, some merchants are successfully growing their custom business. At J.Parker in Savannah, Ga., Dale Parker has added a sixth location with J.Parker Custom. “This fully rounds out our offerings,”
“We once had ladies’ stores that did significant volume, but we struggled to do it profitably. We’d consider it again with the right team in place to grow it.”
Pat MonPere, Patrick James, California
with vendors and customers. In the end, thoughtful merchants are refining their strategy according to sales figures, economic reports, and intuition.
Changes Big & Small
While some retailers are planning to work with less inventory or else with fewer brands, others are “cautiously aggressive.” Nick Hilton of Hiltons Princeton in New Jersey has hired a PR firm to assist with branding and marketing. He’s also added several new brands in men’s sportswear. Pat MonPere at Patrick
Spring 2026. “We’re not too concerned about price increases; we’re focused on having the right stuff to excite customers and hopefully exceed their expectations.” Tom Gangitano at Gene Hiller in San Francisco, Calif., continues to elevate his “by appointment only” approach to the business. Kenny Rubenstein in New Orleans, La., is focused on a bonus incentive program for employees and recognition via social media. “We’re also enhancing luxury in all categories and increasing our focus on outerwear to include hybrid pieces that can be worn indoors and out.”
she explains. “We’ve always provided in-house alterations, but we’ve now added custom and bespoke in a beautiful new space next to our midtown Savannah location.”
Gary and Teresa Drinkwater are leaning into what has always differentiated their store: personal service. “People can buy clothes anywhere, but they come to us for the experience, the knowledge, the relationship. This neighborhood has supported us from day one; we’ve doubled down on giving that back via the way we take care of our customers.”
David Perlis has recently completed major renovations on his original Perlis store in New Orleans. Rick and Jim at Puritan have updated and re-designed their website to enhance the customer experience and increase their commitment to social media. By not standing still, smart merchants are making the moves needed for long-term success, while staying flexible enough to change course midstream as needed.
Goals and Aspirations
Says Dana Katz from Milton’s in Massachusetts, “Our goal now is to convert more of our special occasion customers to regular frequent shoppers for all their clothing needs.” Brian Cohen at Harpers in College Park, Pa., is planning “a really fun year, celebrating our first century in business!”
An admirable goal at Gene Hiller is to inspire younger guys to dress up more. Andrew Gushner at Boyds in Philadelphia, Pa., hopes to transform a notable portion of the men’s sportswear department, and is introducing Gerald, a somewhat edgy new clothing collection named after his grandfather. Pat Mon Pere is investing in technology “to get our stores and our website on the same platform.”
Nick Hilton is preparing for the next generation to control merchandising and management. He’s also increasing the financial incentive for sales personnel. Jody at Stackpole vows to “downplay the impact of tariffs. I’m not making a big deal about them; I’m leaving the conversation totally off the table.” She’s also using her store to do more fundraising events.
A goal for Kenny at Rubenstein’s is to develop marketing for online sales. “We need to be constantly in front of customers, in-store and online. We’re also planning more community involvement to highlight our contributions to the New Orleans economy. This should engender good will and build social value to our brand. Finally, we’ll continue to focus on our employees: we believe that a happy, fun culture attracts customers who become like family.”
Online Selling: Growing Slowly
According to our study, online business represents an average 4.3 percent of total sales in independent specialty stores (0-45 percent range). A full 69 percent of stores surveyed do less than 5 percent of their business online; 38 percent do no online business at all. That said, about a third of respondents plan to grow their
6% 5% 4% TAILORED CLOTHING
MENSWEAR SALES 2025
31%
online business by a few percentage points in 2026, with none planning to cut it back.
Dale Parker is concentrating on expanding online offerings and promotions. “Treating our online business as a seventh store has been challenging, but we’re invested in its continued growth.” Says Pat MonPere at Patrick James, whose online business is 45 percent to total sales, “It’s become quite expensive to sell online if you want to make it a serious part of your business. It can be a great channel, but you need expertise to navigate the challenges.”
Kenny Rubenstein is planning to add select items for online selling via social media and emails. Dana at Miltons notes that “we will continue to improve our online presence as an effective marketing tool to drive traffic to our site and to our stores.”
David Perlis is also working on “a redesign and platform change for our e-commerce website.” His online business contributes 8 percent to total sales, 75 percent of which is private label with their store’s custom logo. “The 25 percent that’s branded is much harder to grow,” he confides.
14%
40%
**Special order, collegiate, gifts
At J. Parker, where online sales are 5 percent to total, Dale believes that growing online is a necessity. “We’re re-designing our website and social media strategies to address this.” Gary Drinkwater does a small percent of his business online: “Online is important as a showroom for a variety of our popular brands. It helps extend our reach beyond Cambridge. But for us, it will never replace the in-store experience. Men want to touch the fabrics, try on the clothes, and have a knowledgeable conversation about fit and style.” Nick Hilton strongly agrees; “I’m not even slightly interested in online selling,” he confides, reflecting the feelings of more than a third of surveyed merchants who do no online business at all.
Women’s
Fashion: Asset or Liability?
Women’s apparel, carried by 40 percent of the stores in our study, represents an average 26 percent to total sales volume in those stores, ranging from 10 to 45 percent. Most of these retailers are planning their women’s business to grow slightly in 2026. Says Nick Hilton,
“We’re streamlining procedures to better manage inventory and make life easier for staff and customers. Running the back end more efficiently gives us more time upfront with our customers.”
Mass.
“We’re starting a multi-media PR initiative to help grow our women’s business, which is now 27 percent of our sales.” Says Pat at Patrick James, who does not currently carry women’s, “We used to have ladies’ stores, did significant volume, but struggled to do it profitably. We’d consider it again with the right team in place to grow it.” Kenny Rubenstein agrees: “We might try it again when our fourth generation gets married and takes over. That’s what usually spurs fresh ideas.”
Dale Parker from J. Parker Ltd does about 20 percent of her volume in women’s. “We hope to see continued growth, as the women’s business is very new for us,” she confides. David Perlis does about 10 percent of his volume in women’s, noting that it’s a tougher business for them, but it brings crossover traffic to men’s. Rick Penn, at Puritan Cape Cod, who does 45 percent of his volume in women’s, also acknowledges that growing business in women’s has helped fuel business in men’s.
So Many Challenges…
“Sportswear continues to be an issue,” shares Rosenblum. “It’s difficult to compete with vendor websites offering larger selections and immediate discounts. We continue to seek out sportswear that’s wearable and not too trendy.”
Reflecting the challenges of many, Jose Bolado mentions price increases and a consumer that’s already burdened with higher living costs. “In Miami, it’s well documented that cost-of-living increases are higher than increases in consumer income.” A merchant who wishes to remain anonymous says that “getting vendors to innovate and add newness to their collections each season is increasingly difficult.” Gary Drinkwater hopes to “streamline things a bit more. We hope to manage inventory and use technology to make life easier for both our staff and customers. In other words, we want
to run the back end more efficiently to give us more time with our customers.”
Jody at Stackpole regrets holding on to non-performing brands. “My goal is to no longer sit on dead brands, even if certain customers like the product.” Pat MonPere joins many in bemoaning the challenge of competing with his own vendors. “It’s not just their DTC websites but also the storefronts they’re opening. These drive up everything from leases to selling costs since they work on a completely different margin structure. Specialty stores need to be special, and it’s hard to be that when so many of your vendors are everywhere now…” Dale Parker agrees, noting that she’s working hard to create in-store experiences that online competitors can’t match. These include personal styling sessions, exclusive events, and exceptional customer service. “Our strong relationships with our customers keep them coming back,” she observes.
Most responding retailers struggle to find top-tier talent to work in-store. Says Andrew Gushner, “We must continue to be the best and most competitive place to work in retail.”
Brian at Harpers notes that he’s continually looking to “hire and develop a solid and super friendly staff.” At Gene Hiller, Tom Gangitano admits that finding qualified associates is a constant struggle. Rick Penn notes that “we’re always looking for great people to join our company…”
David Perlis worries about finding quality tailors and sellers who embrace technology. “We’re investing in in-house training and teaching,” he explains. Kenny Rubenstein also worries about finding skilled tailors and sales associates, but worries more about the uncertain state of our country, and of our world. “Will New Orleans end up underwater? Will people come downtown to shop with masked military men walking the streets? Am I safe
living in America if I’m not a Christian? Am I even allowed to ask these questions?” he wonders, as many sane people do the same. Compared to these increasingly widespread concerns, staffing seems a valid but surmountable problem.
Puritan’s Penn concludes on a positive note. “We feel positive about our business going forward and confident that we can react quickly to any possible changes in the economy.” And from Gary Drinkwater in Cambridge, “I worry about the rising costs of doing business, about competing with fast fashion, and with online discounting. That said, our strategy is the same as ever: stick to our values. Offer timeless, wellmade pieces, stand behind them, and provide the kind of service you can’t get online. As long as we keep delivering value, quality, and personal attention, our clients should continue to support us.”
I’m not discussing tariffs with my customers. I’m leaving the conversation totally off the table. I’m also using my store to do more fundraising events.
Gary and Teresa Drinkwater, Drinkwaters, Cambridge
Jody Morneault, Stackpole, Moore & Tryon, Hartford Ct.
In a world of one-click convenience, the specialty retailers that will thrive tomorrow are those who create spaces where consumers don’t just browse but belong.
by Michael Fisher
Remember when your favorite store felt like a second home? When the sales associate knew your name, your style, even your dog’s birthday? Those weren’t just transactions—they were relationships.
Somewhere along the way, we lost that magic and hospitality. The race for efficiency turned retail spaces into glorified warehouses. We optimized for “get it and go” but forgot what makes us human: the need for genuine connection. Now, something’s shifting.
The New Loneliness Economy
Walk past Aimé Leon Dore on Mulberry Street in New York City on any given day, and you’ll see the line around the block. These aren’t just shoppers—they’re pilgrims seeking something Amazon can’t deliver. They want the DJ sets, the café conversations, the feeling of belonging to something bigger than their shopping cart.
The numbers back this up. According to Ipsos, 70% of consumers actively seek community-oriented retail experiences, with 45% willing to spend more time and money in spaces that foster real connection. Post-pandemic, we’re dealing with what experts call a “loneliness epidemic.” Brick and mortar isn’t just competing with digital—it’s offering an antidote to isolation.
“You’re competing with the internet, where you can buy anything,” explains Blaine McGowan, creative director of the store, Politics, speaking
at MR’s recent Project panel in Las Vegas called “The Unique and Dynamic Relationship of Menswear and Retail.” “What makes it special to go into a store? Why does somebody want to come in and see your employees?”
The answer isn’t just better customer service. It’s reimagining retail as a fourth space— somewhere between home, work, and the coffee shop where belonging beats buying. It’s a clubhouse approach to merchandising that welcomes customers to become members rather than mere visitors, where products tell stories and every display invites exploration rather than demands purchase.
[Editor’s note: to clarify, unlike the “third place,” a 1980s term which Starbucks touted last year as an alternative to home (first) or work (second), the fourth place is purpose-led, leading to deeper personal growth and “phygital” experiences.]
Beyond Instagram Moments
Sure, Printemps brought champagne bars and Instagrammable fitting rooms to Manhattan earlier this year. That’s a start. But “Living Room Retail” goes deeper than viral moments. It’s about creating spaces so welcoming, so engaging, that customers don’t just visit—they inhabit. Think about your own living room. It’s where you relax, create, connect with friends. You linger because it reflects who you are. Now imagine that feeling in retail.
LIVING ROOM RETAIL
Buck Mason gets it. Their new SoHo flagship doesn’t just sell clothes—it houses a coffee shop and 1,000 vintage books. Walk in and you might forget you’re shopping. The fluffy sofas and mid-century chairs whisper, “Stay awhile.” Because when people feel at home, they don’t just buy—they belong. Founder Erik Allen Ford has talked about the importance of creating “timeless” experiences that reflect everyday living, saying, “It’s a word we meditate on a lot. How can we create objects and in-store experiences that will live on and continue to serve people, year after year, decade after decade?” The familiarity of the products extends to the surroundings themselves.
The Co-Creation Revolution
Here’s where it gets interesting: 40% of consumers are willing to pay more for personalized experiences. But personalization isn’t just about monogrammed shirts—it’s about giving customers creative control.
Your made-to-measure program? Transform it into a co-creation studio. Let customers help write the story of their garment. Make them feel like brand ambassadors, not just buyers. When people participate in creation, they develop active ownership that passive consumption could never achieve.
Huckberry understood this when they opened their first physical store this summer. Fourteen years of digital storytelling finally had
Turning the tables at Aimé Leon Dore
a home—complete with vintage TVs looping travel content and a listening bar inspired by Austin’s music scene. Co-founder Andy Forch didn’t just create a store; he built an incubator for community: “Hopefully the store reads like a manifesto. You leave inspired, ready for adventure, with fun ideas—and with a deeper sense of what Huckberry’s all about. We see it as a space where we can host product launches, screenings, listening parties—bring the media and mission to life in the shop itself.”
Consulting firm Accenture says 56% of consumers pledge stronger loyalty to brands that create community hubs, marking a fundamental shift where people seek spaces that represent a philosophy, not just products.
The Townhouse Takeover
J.Crew took this concept to its logical extreme with their “Housewarming” pop-up at 190 Bowery in September. For two days, they transformed a landmark building into an actual townhouse, complete with live music, comedy, and refreshments. Visitors didn’t shop—they lived in the space, exploring each room as if it were a friend’s home.
The genius? They made retail feel residential—a living, multi-dimensional catalog. Products weren’t displayed—they were integrated into living spaces, creating what felt like a very stylish friend’s apartment, where everything happened to be for sale. While an entire townhouse takeover isn’t necessarily budget-friendly for most specialty retailers, creating spaces that help assortments come to life in multi-sensory, four-dimensional ways is just clever merchandising.
Your Store as Town Square
This isn’t about adding a coffee corner or hosting the occasional event. Living Room Retail requires a fundamental shift: from being a product purveyor to becoming a cultural educator. Your space needs to serve your community even when they’re not buying anything.
What would happen if your store became the place where your customers wanted to work, meet friends, or just escape? If your fitting rooms became phone booths for important calls because the atmosphere was so welcoming?
The opportunity is massive. We’re living through the collision of digital convenience and human loneliness. The retailers who recognize this aren’t just selling products—they’re selling belonging. They’re creating spaces where
70% of consumers actively seek communityoriented retail experiences
discovery feels natural, where connections grow organically, where the line between shopping and living disappears.
Making the Shift
For specialty retailers ready to embrace this evolution, the path forward requires intentional design choices. Consider how you can layer experiences throughout your space. Maybe it’s a workshop area where customers can learn leather care or styling techniques. Perhaps it’s a reading nook with industry magazines and coffee-table books on craftsmanship. Or collaborative walls where associates and customers can share their stories and style inspiration—an in-store mood board of sorts.
The key is thinking beyond square footage as selling space. Every corner should serve a purpose in building community. Your backroom could become a podcast studio. Your window displays might rotate to feature local artists or customer spotlights and storytelling. Even your checkout counter can transform into a conversation starter—a place for meaningful exchanges rather than hurried transactions.
Smart retailers are already experimenting with membership models that extend beyond purchases, offering exclusive access to events, early product drops, or even co-working privileges during slow hours.
The Living Room Revolution
The most successful retailers of tomorrow won’t just understand their customers’ style—they’ll understand their lives. They’ll create spaces that feel less like stores and more like extensions of home. Places where you don’t just browse inventory, but explore possibilities.
Because in the end, we’re not just buying clothes or accessories. We’re buying identity, community, and connection. Living Room Retail recognizes this fundamental truth: the future belongs to brands brave enough to prioritize belonging over buying, community over commerce.
The revolution isn’t coming. It’s here, one living room at a time.
The comforts of home at J. Crew.
Huckberry’s Gerogetown hangout.
Couched in style at J. Crew.
THE PRINT REVIVAL:
Why Specialty Retailers Are Going Analog
By Michael Fisher
In an era dominated by AI and digital innovation, savvy specialty retailers are making an unexpected move: they’re bringing back print. Catalogs, mailers, and thematic circulars—once considered relics of a bygone retail age—are experiencing a renaissance, and the strategy is proving remarkably effective with younger consumers.
The shift represents more than nostalgia. It’s a calculated response to a market saturated with digital noise, where consumers crave tangible connections and authentic storytelling. For specialty menswear retailers, print has become both a differentiator and a collectible—something customers want to hold, display, and revisit long after the initial purchase.
The Unexpected Digital Natives
The assumption seemed logical: Millennials and Gen Z, the first generations to grow up with smartphones and tablets, would naturally gravitate toward digital everything. However, according to the World Economic Forum, nearly 71% of consumers say print catalogs or magazines feel more authentic than digital ads, with 65% actually looking forward to receiving them. A Harvard Business Review study found customers who received physical catalogs and digital marketing purchased 24% more than those who received emails alone.
This counterintuitive preference stems from digital fatigue, the irreplaceable sensory experience of print, and surprisingly, the influence of social media platforms like TikTok, where #BookTok has transformed physical reading into a shareable, aesthetic experience.
This generational shift has created an opening for specialty retailers willing to invest in high-quality print materials. When J.Crew announced the return of its iconic catalog, it wasn’t just a marketing stunt—it was recognition that print could cut through the clutter of email inboxes and Instagram ads. The tactile experience of flipping through glossy
pages, the ability to tear out inspiration for later, and the coffee-table appeal of well-designed catalogs offer something digital can never replicate: permanence. Furthermore, the store doesn’t drop two catalogs a week to every customer on its mailing list like the old days. Instead, they build entire online campaigns and pop-up events built around the release of their seasonal story.
Men’s creative director at J.Crew, Brendon Babenzien, says, “The catalog is a physical thing that gives a little more gravity to the images and clothes. It’s a really nice time to see something different, to touch something, flip through it and actually live with it, because digital stuff is so fast. Having things in your personal space that you can refer back to in your own time and at your own pace is really nice.”
Leading the Print Renaissance
Designer Todd Snyder has embraced this approach. His print catalogs don’t just showcase products; they tell stories about craftsmanship, heritage, and the people behind the clothes. Then his Behind the Seams Instagram series extends the narrative, offering followers intimate glimpses into the mills like Pantex in Vaiano, Italy, factories, and mom-and-pop brands he partners with. This cross-platform strategy creates a cohesive story in which print serves as the anchor and social media provides behind-the-scenes depth.
The Rake magazine has elevated this concept even further, positioning itself as a collectible publication that readers display and preserve. Each issue functions as both editorial content and shopping inspiration, with production quality that commands respect on a bookshelf.
Traditional specialty retailers have also recognized the renewed power of print. Rothmans and Mitchells, both bastions of men’s specialty retail, continue to invest in direct mail campaigns and seasonal catalogs that speak to their established clientele while attracting
younger customers seeking substance over digital ephemera. Not surprisingly, according to FGI Research, printed catalogs generate an average of $850 in average annual purchases per consumer. These aren’t afterthoughts or budget line items—they’re central to how these retailers communicate their curatorial expertise and personal service model.
When I asked Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, Chief Marketing Officer at Mitchell Stores, what their customer wanted from a printed piece, he said, “to be inspired, see trends and how to dress for the season. The same way mannequins in-store present how to dress; this does so at home.” In fact, they don’t call them catalogs, but rather, “image books that are a representation of our brand and of the quality of brands and merchandise we curate for our customers…We use it also to celebrate us as a multi-brand luxury store. Monobrands do this well, as we believe showing multi-brand is critical and how our customers like to shop.”
The New Intimacy of Retail Marketing
What distinguishes today’s print revival from its predecessors is the integration with digital storytelling. Smart retailers understand that a catalog isn’t the end of the conversation—it’s the beginning. The physical piece establishes credibility and creates a moment of focused attention, while social media extends the relationship through layers of additional content.
This omnichannel approach enables a new level of intimacy. A customer might receive a print catalog featuring a heritage flannel shirt, then encounter Instagram content showing the Scottish mill where it was woven, followed by a store associate’s video explaining the fabric’s weight and drape. Each touchpoint reinforces the others, building a comprehensive narrative that transforms a simple purchase into an informed decision grounded in story and authenticity.
Store discussing collection on social designers ing their eos, origin stories—these represent an evolution in retail outreach. The print piece provides the gravitas and permanence, while digital channels offer accessibility and relatability. Together, they create marketing that feels less like selling and more like inviting customers into an ongoing conversation about craft, style, and values.
Restorytelling and the Power of Archives
Perhaps no trend better captures this moment than “restorytelling”—the practice of mining brand archives to add new dimensions to heritage narratives. Younger consumers, far from dismissing history as irrelevant, actively seek connections to the past. They want to understand where brands came from, what they stood for, and how they’ve evolved.
Print provides the perfect medium for restorytelling. Archival photographs, vintage advertisements, and historical catalogs can be reproduced and recontextualized in ways that digital formats struggle to match. When a specialty retailer showcases a 1970s catalog alongside contemporary imagery, the juxtaposition becomes powerful—a visual demonstration of continuity, evolution, and authenticity. This approach resonates because it counters
digital culture. In an environment where content vanishes within 24 hours and feeds refresh endlessly, archival materials offer weight and permanence. They suggest that a brand or retailer has a story worth preserving, values worth maintaining, and a perspective that transcends seasonal trends.
The Collector’s Impulse
There’s another factor driving print’s resurgence: the collector’s impulse. Well-executed catalogs and brand magazines have become objects of desire in their own right. Fashion enthusiasts photograph their catalog collections for Instagram, vintage retail ephemera on eBay, and first issues of brand publications trade among enthusiasts. Chloe Malle, the new Head of Editorial Content for Vogue, announced plans to shift the magazine’s focus away from a monthly schedule toward fewer, high-quality “collectible” issues centered on specific themes or cultural moments. This collectability creates marketing that appreciates rather than depreciates. A digital ad disappears; a catalog becomes part of someone’s personal library. It might inspire an outfit six months later, serve as reference for a future purchase, or simply exist as a beautiful object that reinforces positive associations with the brand.
Forward Back print in more strateIn a world drowning in digital content, physical materials offer respite, substance, and legitimacy. They signal that a brand has something worth saying and the confidence to say it in a format that can’t be scrolled past or algorithmically suppressed.
For specialty retailers competing against fast fashion and e-commerce giants, print provides differentiation. It’s a statement that they’re not just selling clothes—they’re curating perspectives, preserving craft traditions, and building relationships that extend beyond transactions. When integrated thoughtfully with digital storytelling, print becomes the foundation for marketing that feels personal, authentic, and enduring.
As the industry continues its AI-driven rush toward automation and efficiency, the retailers succeeding with more discerning consumers are the ones willing to invest in slower, more deliberate forms of communication. They understand that in an age of infinite digital abundance, scarcity and tangibility have become the ultimate luxury. The future of specialty retail marketing, it turns out, looks a lot like its past—but with better photography and an Instagram account to match.
“In my 31 years in the industry, I’ve yet to see a customer spontaneously combust because not all of his purchases had the same designer label.”
SALES TRAINING
How to succeed at selling men’s clothing!
By Bill Wynne
Bill Wynne spent 26 years at Saks Fifth Avenue, starting as a men’s clothing salesman. He advanced to the position of clothing buyer and ultimately created and ran the Saks private label brand ambassador program in 50 stores, as well as the annual Saks Million-Dollar Sellers Summit. We’ve asked Bill to share some of the secrets to his selling success.
The journey starts before the store opens with these important tips:
Know your inventory. Walk the selling floor and take note of what’s out there as well as what’s in the back stockroom. Since you get a finite amount of time with potential customers, most of whom have short attention spans, the last thing you want is to waste time searching for product.
Note that it’s okay to mix and match designers as needed. While vendors want you to sell their label head-to-toe, it’s better to sell what you have in stock vs. asking customers to wait for special orders. In my 31 years in the industry, I’ve yet to see a customer spontaneously combust because not all his purchases had the same designer label.
Specific to tailored clothing: it’s always good to try on jackets and pants yourself, so you understand the fit. It also makes sense for co-workers to try on jackets and pants to compare the fits on different body types. Female sellers should also try on men’s jackets in the smallest size so they can feel the weight of the garment, which depends on both the fabric and the jacket’s construction. All this helps make you look like the expert, puts the customer at ease, and enhances the relationship. Bottom line, there are only two types of male shoppers: the ones who enjoy shopping and research the latest fashion, and the ones who would rather get their hand slammed in a car door before they’d ever shop if they didn’t have to.
Now that you know your inventory, you’re ready to face the day. The doors open, and hopefully, there are hordes of potential customers ready to storm in. (Okay, I realize those days are behind us…) Among the many opening greetings one might use, the one that should not be used is “Hi, can I help you?” Eventually, you’ll say it, just not as the lead. Otherwise, you’re giving the potential customer a way out of the conversation as they’ll inevitably respond with “No thanks, I ’m just looking.” You’ve now cut yourself off from interacting. Better
to lead with “good morning, good afternoon, how are you today, how goes it?” The idea is to put the potential customer at ease enough to let their guard down so you can establish the relationship that will help lead to a sale. Once a connection is established, then you ask, “What brings you in today?” or “How can I help you?”
Project yourself as the “expert,” but don’t come off as cocky. The key is to qualify the customer so you can decide which price points to lead with. Depending on their answers, you can then decide whether to upsell. Finding out what they do for a living, or how often they wear a suit or a sportcoat, will help you make a better educated guess as to what they will spend.
Another key question is what they need the clothes for. Is it for work or leisure? Both can lead to multiple sales. Let the customer tell you if you’re showing them too many items. When I worked on the floor, I’d always wait to hear the customer say ‘no’ three times before backing off. Remember, you’re looking to create a longterm shopping relationship, not a hit-and-run purchase. Listen to the customer’s concerns and don’t push too hard.
Once the foundation item (the suit or sportcoat) is selected, it’s time to add on to the sale by showing related items such as dress or sport
“Let the customer tell you if you’re showing them too many items. When I worked on the selling floor, I’d wait to hear the customer say no three times before backing off.”
shirts, ties, pocket squares, pants, dress trousers or denim. Although dress trousers are on an upward trajectory going into 2026, denim (no longer skintight), worn with a sportcoat is still a popular uniform in most parts of the country. Don’t hesitate to enhance the sale with socks, underwear, shoes, and a perfect belt.
Help customers try on items when possible and where it makes sense. This reaffirms your expertise in your field. Men also appreciate affirmations when it comes to their purchases, so once you’ve rung up the sale and sent the items that need alterations to the tailor shop, be sure to thank the client. Let him know that he made a good choice, and if appropriate, wish him good luck at his daughter’s wedding, his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah, or his upcoming job interview.
Other suggestions:
Look the part! Wear what you want to sell, but don’t hesitate to personalize the look within reason. Make sure the fit of both jacket and pants is close to perfect.
Make sure to gather all contact information to stay in touch. Let clients know when alterations are ready or when a fabulous new collection will be arriving. Be sure to take notes on sizes, preferred colors, prices, and other relevant details. Whether this information is digitalized or you’re writing by hand in a composition notebook, the easier you make it for guys to shop, the more likely they’ll be back to see you!
Finally, a few suggestions for the Don’t column:
• Don’t memorize a sales training script, as most customers will view that (and you) as inauthentic.
• Show enthusiasm, but don’t be overly enthusiastic about everything, or it will kill your credibility.
• Be honest: don’t tell a customer an item or outfit looks great on him when it clearly doesn’t.
• In short: Be yourself, do what you love, and love what you do!
Saks Fifth Avenue and tailored clothing veteran Bill Wynne considers himself a student of the Frank Schipani School of Salesmanship. He can be reached at Bill@retailandfashionsolutions.com
461-9526.
WHAT 2025 TAUGHT US
By Steve Pruitt
At the start of 2025, retail headlines were dominated by one theme: tariffs. Retailers worried about higher costs, disrupted supply chains, and an uncertain global trade environment. Many feared consumer demand would falter under the weight of higher prices.
Six months later, the story looks very different. The U.S. retail industry is tracking toward an annual sales growth rate of roughly 4%, according to Census Bureau data. This was well above early-year forecasts.
Summer sales surged among our client stores, with July up 11% and August up 8%, representing some of the most significant mid-year gains on record. Instead of a slowdown, retailers saw energized shoppers and healthier cash flow.
So, what happened—and what lessons can we take into 2026?
Early deliveries changed the game
Even though some tariffs were delayed, vendors adjusted pricing immediately. Merchants responded by moving up delivery schedules, pulling forward fall merchandise into summer.
This reshaped the season: instead of summer being dominated by markdowns, customers were met with fresh new collections earlier than ever. Retailers who landed goods early gained an extra month of fullpriced selling and captured consumer excitement.
This not only worked in brick-and-mortar stores, but also online. Early merchandise generated brisk sales for our e-commerce retailers, despite the luxury online business appearing to be shrinking. Increased competition from vendors is taking a considerable bite.
Headlines don’t always match the data
Despite dire predictions, a tariff-induced collapse hasn’t materialized. Wealthier consumers, in particular, continued spending.
For merchants, the lesson is clear: don’t let headlines drive your decisions. Your own sales, margin, and on-order data are more reliable than macro forecasts or how it “feels”.
Flexibility
is the new superpower
If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that rigid inventory planning no longer works. Supply chain timelines remain unpredictable, and tariffs could shift again in 2026, depending on the outcome of trade negotiations. Retailers who kept close contact with vendors and monitored real-time data were able to adjust buying, pricing, and marketing strategies on the fly.
Looking ahead to 2026
The lesson of 2025 is one of resilience and adaptation. A year that was supposed to be defined by doom and gloom instead produced record sales rates for many of our client stores.
Retailers don’t control trade policy or consumer sentiment—but they do control planning, timing, and responsiveness. In 2025, those levers made a significant difference for our clients, who reported record-breaking growth.
If you don’t have a disciplined planning routine in place, now is the time to adopt one. Next year is likely to be as unpredictable as 2025, but at least you’ll all have all the tools in place to weather the ups and downs.
BLACKS’ TRENDS NUMBERS
SUCCESSION PLANNING: HOPE IS NOT A PLAN
By Don Opatrny
“Hope is not a plan — succession succeeds when it starts years before the handoff.”
Why do so many independent retailers put off being pro-active on succession planning?
In our death-denying and status-obsessed culture, succession touches on two very difficult, even taboo, subjects: mortality and money. When topics are deeply emotional, it’s human nature to turn away from them. Most store owners are focused on what they do well and/or what seems urgent. Serving customers today is hard enough without the complication of worrying about who will run things tomorrow. There’s also much satisfaction in being the leader of a successful retail store, especially when one is highly engaged with customers and visible in their community. One’s identity can be very connected with the role of being a business leader. The transition to something new late in life can be daunting unless one is highly invested in making the transition or unafraid of losing status. Additionally, in family firms, the fear of conflict makes avoidance a tempting short-term stress reducer. But it often becomes chronic and so pervasive that avoidance has been called the “silent killer” in family business. Owners often wait until illness or crisis forces action on succession planning and by then, choices are fewer and more painful.
How should a store owner prepare for a first meeting with a professional planner?
When interviewing prospective consultants, come prepared with a list of questions reflecting what is most important to you in the process. Include in your list questions about both the technical and relational aspects of the succession process. Here are 10 examples of questions to ask when choosing a succession planner:
Expertise & Perspective:
• In your view, what makes succession succeed or fail? Do you think it’s more technical (legal/structural/financial) or relational? How do you work across both?
• Can you describe a time when you helped a family not only transition leadership but also deepen their relationships in the process?
• How do you approach situations where a family says, “The business is thriving, but we’re not thriving as a family”?
Chemistry & Fit
• How do you handle conversations that are related to difficult family dynamics such as loyalties, rivalries, or unspoken resentments?
• What values guide the way you work with families in times of stress or disagreement?
• How do you make sure younger voices, spouses and quieter family members feel included in the process? How do you include non-family leaders of the business in the process?
Process & Partnership
• What does your process look like beyond the first family meeting? How do you balance short-term business decisions with long-term culture building for family well-being?
• How do you help families integrate the perspectives of outside advisors (legal, strategic, tax, wealth managers) without losing their own voice as a family?
• When you’ve finished your work, what might we expect will be different for us as a family and as business owners?
• If we asked your past client families to describe your impact in a couple of sentences, what would they say?
After choosing a professional to work with, start simple and aim to grow trust over time. Bring the following with you to the first meeting:
• A family tree showing all family members for at least three generations and who is and is not involved in the business.
• A snapshot of financials (sales, debt, ownership).
• An org chart or list of key employees, family or not.
• A mindset of openness. Come ready to talk honestly about hopes, fears, and possibilities. Remember that succession is about people and relationships as much as it is about structure and numbers.
• A list of your goals for the process and the values or guiding principles you will use to achieve them. If you don’t have these, ask your consultant for help clarifying these in the beginning of the process.
What are some of the most common mistakes store owners make in the process?
One of my early mentors in family therapy once said she thought family business succession should be outlawed, because she had seen how destructive it can be when mishandled. She had lived through a personal tragedy in her own family’s business, and her warning stays with me. Many store owners underestimate the challenges and tend to overfocus on structure or finances. Succession can be very risky when relationships are ignored.
Common mistakes in intergenerational transmissions:
• Confusing “fair” with “equal.” Equal pay or equal ownership shares for siblings with different levels of involvement often breeds resentment.
• Postponing leadership preparation or real tests of the next generation’s capability until the founder is suddenly gone.
• Assuming family loyalty will hold everything together without clear agreements or structured governance processes.
• Waiting until the rising generation is engaged in other careers or until they are disgruntled about things not moving forward.
• Ignoring rising generation spouses in the process. Pillow talk is the most underappreciated force in family business!
Example of a plan that did not work out well. What went wrong?
We once worked briefly in a succession process with a very successful retailer where two brothers each had two children working in the business. Rather than making a firm commitment to work together to form a shared vision for their succession plans, and then approach their children as a united front, each brother was more interested in securing leadership positions for their own children than in what was appropriate for the business. The cousins originally seemed quite motivated to work together and to participate in co-creating a succession process with their fathers; however, tensions between the brothers began to seep into their relationship and each sibling group began building a case against the other family. When one brother unilaterally promoted his son above his level of competence, it created a rift between the two family branches that grew to the point of being unrepairable. The two brothers ended up selling their business (because their children couldn’t get along) and their children all felt betrayed.
Example of a successful plan. Why did it work?
On the other hand, we worked with a group of 5 siblings after a succession process with their father that had nearly destroyed their family, even though the business itself was thriving. For two years these siblings committed to finding a way forward and repairing their relationships. They
Family valued: Planning and preparing for your store’s future can bring siblings closer together than ever.
The greatest legacy is not
a
store that survives, but a family that thrives together.
built new governance structures, clarified roles, and most importantly, worked diligently on growing their ability to relate and communicate with each other. The result? They now say they are closer as siblings because of being in business together. That is the hidden benefit of doing the hard work: succession planning can transform a family from barely holding together into a stronger, more united team. This sibling system has 15 cousins in the rising generation. They have been proactive in some very sophisticated estate planning regarding the ownership of the business and have been very innovative about the ownership governance. Because this next generation succession is exponentially more challenging, they have a very proactive and comprehensive approach to engaging with their rising generation, beginning in their teenage years.
If family members are to take over the business, what tips do you have for the current store owner?
• Give them responsibility before you give them authority. Let them prove themselves with real leadership responsibilities or real projects where results will be measured.
• Don’t confuse unconditional love with unconditional employment. In business, performance matters, and family relationships will suffer if bad performance persists over time. You can guarantee that!
• Be willing to let go gradually, so trust and confidence can build on both sides.
• Set a date for a succession party, not a retirement party. Plan to make a big public celebration and work back from that date so that everything is done by the time the party starts.
Your best advice for the new generation?
• Show up early, stay late, and earn respect through effort.
• Learn the traditions before you reinvent them.
• Be humble and honor what came before you. You’re building on the shoulders of those who came before you.
• Be courageous and innovate. But also be patient and learn to deal with messiness without drama.
Do siblings need to be compensated equally? Why or why not?
No. Equal is not always fair. Compensation should reflect actual roles and responsibilities in the business. If one sibling manages daily operations
and another is peripherally involved, paying them the same is unfair to both. Ownership can sometimes be divided differently, but day-to-day pay should be based on contribution. As acclaimed business consultant David Bork (the recently deceased author of Family Business, Risky Business) reminded us: fairness is about aligning rewards with responsibilities, not dividing by headcount.
How do you know when it’s time to move on?
The truth is, you probably won’t. Realize that a good succession process takes about 10 years so start before you think you’re ready. Do it in a spirit of service to your family, your employees, your customers and your community. Remember that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. So face the difficult conversations and decisions with courage as you do in so many other areas of business.
Building a successful business is hard work, planning for it to have a life after you are done can be very rewarding. Preparing your children, or key employees, for leadership transition is an act of heroism in a time when so many are searching for meaning and purpose. You need to be proactive in looking for signs of readiness in small steps along the way. When rising stars start to show competence, celebrate these successes and take this as a sign of your success as well as theirs; then quickly offer more responsibility. Seeing others succeed does not have to be a threat, but it will be a loss of some important aspects of your identity. Prepare yourself for dealing with these losses gracefully and stretch yourself to engage in things outside of the business that are interesting and compelling to you. Invite your spouse into planning for your future after you have passed the baton.
Take steps proactively before you feel ready; this will help you get ready gradually as everyone evolves into their new roles. Succession is not an event: it is a journey of many steps.
Don Opatrny is co-founder and Managing Partner of
The Lovins Group. He specializes in working with couples and families of significant intergenerational wealth to navigate relational challenges, build trust and create structures that foster well-being throughout their families, and empowers transformative conversations and shared approaches to complex relationship situations.
LEVY’S NASHVILLE: HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE FOR 170+ YEARS!
By Karen Alberg Grossman
Clearly one of the oldest (arguably THE oldest) family-owned menswear store in the country, Levy’s Nashville just celebrated 170 years of selling beautiful men’s and women’s clothing. Here, we chat with David Levy, the store’s 5th generation to take charge, who’s been minding the store for 49 years. (His wife, rock, and business partner Ellen has clocked in a mere 42…) Here, David answers a few questions on his near 50 years in the business.
Did you always know you’d work at the store, or did you have other ambitions?
My dad was my best friend so growing up, I’d hang out at the downtown store six days a week just to be with him. When he passed in 1976, I immediately joined the business. Ellen was a buyer for a local department store chain before she joined Levy’s. She brought her sophisticated buying skills to our family-owned small business, first as a women’s buyer, then adding men’s.
What do you like most about your work?
What have been the best of times for Levy’s?
We both love the genuine relationships we’ve built with our vendors and clients, always practicing our motto: “Committed to you and your image.” When we see muti-generational clients in the store together, we are thrilled. For us, our best business years have been post-Covid. But personally, the best of times has been 45 years of marriage, two children, and now five grandchildren.
What’s been the toughest part of your job over the years?
I consider every problem with a client to be an opportunity. Solving problems with humility and caring has resulted in many new friendships and much client loyalty. The secret to dealing with a disgruntled customer is to admit
the problem without embarrassing the team, learn about the client, and relate a solution with references to his or her career.
What are the biggest challenges you now face as a merchant?
It’s no longer just about competing with vendors who have online websites and monobrand stores. It’s now also about dealing with tariffs and freight issues, and finding dedicated staff who can work in a team environment.
What lessons have you learned from previous generations?
My father was my best teacher – he had great taste, loved the business, loved his customers, and was totally dedicated to family. Whenever I’m faced with important decisions, I miss him terribly. We sometimes wonder how my great-great-grandfather and Levy’s founder Zadoc Levy survived the Civil War, how he dealt with the creation of “ready-to-wear” and how Edison’s invention of the light bulb impacted his clothing business? We’re proud of our heritage, but wish we knew more…
I recently located a letter written to my dad by my grandfather Herbert in 1955. Prior to taking time off for some sort of surgery, he expressed concern about some personnel issues. I was amazed that these were the same types of
personnel issues that have existed throughout my career. That competitive sales environment still exists 70 years later.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in your career?
We kept our two suburban stores open for too many years. Interstate highways destroyed their viability since most specialty store clients preferred to work with the store owner. Other than that, I’d do nothing differently. Joining the family business in my early 20s allowed me to meet Ellen, who’s been my inspiration and best friend for more than 45 years.
Are any of your children interested in joining the business?
At the moment, we have some great part-time and consulting help from family. Our son-inlaw Jacob and our son Joseph have helped tremendously with our 170th Anniversary plans and with our new www.levysclothes.com reimagined website with ecommerce.
What you might be doing if not this?
My dad’s untimely death at age 56 didn’t allow me time to train elsewhere or pursue something else. My graduate degree was on-the-job training. That said, I’d studied Near Eastern history in college (and business) and considered being a Rabbi. Ellen has always been inspired by retailing from an early age.
So bottom line, what’s your success secret for surviving 170 years?
We both love our job (most days) and hope that we are excellent mentors to our amazing associates. Although we don’t know much about my ancestors, they must have been smart, strong-willed, and tenacious for that’s what it takes to survive and thrive in this exciting but unpredictable business.
Photos by Peyton Hoge
Part of the next generation of Levy’s (there are more!).
L to R: Anna Rose and Jacob Kleinrock, Marci Levy and Solomon Kleinrock, David, Ellen, and Joseph Levy.
“It’s only when we consider the significance of “170 Years” that it becomes a true cause for celebration. Founded as a small shop before the Civil War, Levy’s has continued its long journey through U.S. history including the momentous economic, political and cultural events that have shaped this nation and many others.
“During this time, the number of fashion designers, apparel brands and trends that emerged, made their marks and disappeared are far too many to count. Many have been long forgotten. But in the hands of David and Ellen, Levy’s continues its steady pace to maintain its significance in our business and community, to foster better dressing, and to provide dedicated customers with the gracious service that only a true family business with an immense legacy can provide.
“We at Canali are proud to be part of the Levy’s story. Our most sincere congratulations to David, Ellen, to their family and the entire Levy’s extended family.”
—Enrico di Giovanni, Director, Canali North America
“David and Ellen Levy are a true dynamic duo! Ellen’s sharp intuition for upcoming trends perfectly complements David’s strategic vision for evolving a 170-year-old brand. Together, they create a powerful synergy that keeps their business thriving and moving forward!”
—Rian Gardiner, Triluxe
“When I moved to Nashville from Los Angeles 21 years ago, I was looking for a good men’s clothing store. I’d drive by Levy’s after work but never found it open. (I didn’t realize that stores in Tennessee close at 5:00 pm rather than 9:00 pm. Who from L.A. ever heard of that?)
“When I finally managed to stop by during their business hours, I was pleasantly surprised. The store had a great vibe. The staff was extremely attentive. Their suits were upscale and well-made—classic but with a distinctive quality. I prefer quality to fast fashion and would rather buy fewer expensive suits than numerous cheap ones. It’s like fine wine: once you’ve had the best, it’s hard to go back...
“On my second visit, David shows up and I found myself in friendly conversation with a truly likeable guy, knowledgeable and very much a gentleman. My wife and I both love shopping at Levy’s: the friendly vibe, the product integrity and consistency. In fact, I just last week purchased two Canali suits...”
“Congratulations to the Levy’s on their incredible 170th anniversary! Ellen and David continue to shop the markets in New York, Chicago, and Italy in search of new fashion from new brands to delight their customers. The DLS office is thrilled to see their ongoing commitment and passion, which remain an essential part of their success. Here’s to the next 170!”
—with love from the DLS team
“I remember my first shopping experiences at Levy’s as a Vanderbilt undergraduate in the late 1970s. Having grown up in a family business, I’ve always made it a priority to support family-owned establishments. The Levy family has made me feel like part of their own over the years, offering the latest in fine fashion not only for me but for my entire family.
“Whether I’m shopping for business attire or something more casual, David and his team always ensure I look just right for any occasion. When my son got his first job, I took him to Levy’s to purchase his first professional outfits, and for nearly every special occasion, my family and I have been dressed in Levy’s clothing.
“Every associate at Levy’s treats us like family—greeting us by name, welcoming us warmly, often with a hug. I wholeheartedly congratulate the Levy family on their 170th anniversary and applaud this remarkable milestone. May the next 170 years be as successful and inspiring as the first.”
—Matthew Kisber, customer
“My most memorable meeting with Ellen Levy was actually our very first showroom appointment — done over the phone, long before Zoom was even a thing. We put together a great assortment of women’s fashion for her store and became wonderful industry friends from that day on. The Levys are truly A+ retailers, and it’s no surprise they’ve been a cornerstone of the Nashville community all these years.”
170 years - JUST INCREDIBLE! Ballin has been proud to partner with Levy’s and the whole Levy family for over three decades now. They’ve had and continue to have a great team in place, who are always a pleasure to be with. Ballin will turn 80 next year, but at 170 years, Levy’s makes us seem like a baby still. Wishing them only more success, as they continue to build on a true legacy.
—Ron Balinsky, Ballin
“Over the past two years, it has been a true honor to work with and get to know David, Ellen, Robin, and the entire Levy’s team. From the very beginning, they’ve treated me like family—always warm, genuine, and supportive. We’ve shared chili cook-offs, trunk shows, and plenty of laughs. David brings a special energy to Levy’s—he makes every interaction memorable and every customer feel like family. I am deeply grateful to be part of their world, to do business together, and to call them friends. Working with them has been both meaningful and inspiring, and I truly cherish the relationship we’ve built.”
—Maddie Moehler, Trands USA
“I’ve been shopping at Levy’s for 45 years! My father discovered the store in the late 1960s when we moved to Nashville; he first brought me along with him when I was about 15. I’ve been shopping there ever since for all my clothing needs. Their assortment is sensational—a one-stop shop for everything from suits to casual wear to shoes. And once they know your preferences, they always bring out just the right items that fit your style and your body type, never failing to build confidence. I don’t shop anywhere else.”
—Nolan
Mitchell, customer
—Dan Laufman, customer
—Eve Bender, Frances Valentine company
THE ALLURE OF BARNEYS: AN INTERVIEW WITH GENE PRESSMAN
What retailers can learn from the rise and demise of the world’s greatest store.
By Karen Alberg Grossman
MR: How would you simply describe the magic that was Barneys?
Gene: It’s hard to simplify because there were so many factors involved. It was a combination of long-term thinking toward a goal of building something relevant, something with a sense of humor that maybe becomes cool. The process is very organic: you want to do something exclusive, but you don’t want an elitist point of view. This was always the Barneys way. We used to call it the Magic Mix: a blend of many different factors, all with a similar point of view. You take the customer on a journey, you know? I always believed that you don’t give customers what they want because they don’t know what they want. You have to show them what they want, take them on an adventure. I always felt Barneys was that kind of experience.
Did you set out to create an adventure? Did you know what you were doing early on?
Not exactly, but you know I didn’t come from nothing. Obviously, I’m a very lucky guy: my father was a genius, a brilliant merchant. He’s the one responsible for bringing men’s designers to America; he was a long-term thinker with great taste and vision. So through osmosis and hanging out with him, I learned so much. In the 1960s, we were known as the largest men’s store in the world. And back then, menswear was a uniform: men dressed conservatively, they had to wear suits and ties to work, and they didn’t like to shop. The look at the time was more Brooks Brothers than European. But the irony is that when my father
Interior of Barneys New York 17th Street and 7th Avenue men’s and women’s store in 1994. (Photo by Thomas Iannaccone/Fairchild Archive via Getty Images)
wanted to change Barneys to a more upscale and stylish store, nobody in America (Oxxford, Hickey Freeman, Ralph Lauren) wanted to sell him. So, he got frustrated and went to Europe, where most of the European manufacturers were thrilled to sell a New York store. He started bringing in all these brands: Zegna, Brioni, and many others. And through the Barneys umbrella, he started to develop real designer merchandise. And then in 1976, he brought Armani to America, and that changed everything.
In what sense did it change everything?
I began to notice the store becoming cooler, if you will; I started to see a clientele change. Around 1975, I noticed kids from Saturday Night Live suddenly shopping there. I started seeing a lot of celebrities, rock and rollers, artists, a whole different customer. And that was fun to be around. And as the sea level rose, so did our quality and taste level become more sophisticated, more European. And as the store evolved, we brought in women’s in 1976, another natural evolution. Because as menswear started getting softer, more relaxed, more sportswear-like, the obvious next step was to bring in women’s. Because men hated to shop, they’d bring in their girlfriend or wife or sometimes both. Since women were the ones who were selecting clothes for their men, why not offer some fashion for the women? I spoke with a friend who was a buyer at Henri Bendel. In those days, I thought Henri Bendel was like a mini-Barneys for women. Geraldine Stutz was a great merchant with a wonderful point of view. My friend at Bendel’s told me about a huge women’s show out near the Paris airport. I flew over with one of my men’s buyers. We had no clue what we were doing. We’d been buying men’s sportswear, but never women’s. We had no plan, no open-to-buy. We worked strictly by gut, yet for some reason, my father gave me his blessing.
“”
Because men hated to shop,
they’d bring in their girlfriend or wife or sometimes both.
Gene
I remember that show being really huge, and we were like two kids in a candy shop. It was three days, and we didn’t have enough time. By the third day, we were panicking. We loved all this stuff, so we bought in a frenzy: Issey Miyake, Kenzo, a lot of little French lines, and we made some space on the men’s sportswear floor. Turned out, we had gone so overboard in our buying that the new women’s stuff almost kicked the men’s sportswear off the floor. We had no budget to stick with, and it all started to sell at once. It was so exciting to see women coming in specifically for women’s fashion. And then the next season, we went to Italy. Like an idiot, I’d forgotten to go to Italy that first season! We brought in Gianfranco Ferre and lots of other designers. We bought what we loved, what we believed in, and being young and adventurous, we took risks. We started snooping around to find lines that other stores didn’t carry, which started making Barneys very special indeed.
Gene, if you could go back, knowing what you now know, what would you have done differently?
I would have limited our expansion to maybe three stores in America: Los Angeles, Madison Avenue, and probably downtown. I always believed New York City could sustain two big stores, and I was always emotionally connected to our original 17th Street location. It was our roots and our family heritage. So, for me, when that store closed, it was really upsetting. Between the two stores, L.A. and New York, we did over half a billion dollars annually when I was still there. And I probably could have done the same amount online.
What else would I have done differently? I would have held on to our Japanese license. We had a big business there, and they did a great job for us. And I would have gone into other ventures under the Barneys name, like real estate, hotels, maybe condos, certainly a resort. We could
Pressman
Gene Pressman
have gone into the arts, added a Barneys magazine, and restaurants (we already owned several in addition to Fred’s). With our loyal following, we could have built some kind of media company; our customers would have followed us wherever we went, as long as our execution was exceptional. And I think I can safely say that whatever our team at Barneys did, they did it flawlessly or not at all. Consider Simon Doonan’s windows, Peter Marino’s interiors, our buyers’ taste level, and our innovative advertising and marketing. And of course, we were always real sticklers when it came to details: we didn’t allow weak links. Everything had to be extraordinary, and with a Barneys sensibility, meaning it had to have a sense of humor and/or a certain degree of irony. It was all part of the allure.
So Barneys’ demise wasn’t as simple as over-expansion?
The many problems seem obvious now, but back then, I was too busy making things happen to notice. At some point, our excellent Japanese partner started giving us small amounts of funds to open what we called Barneys America stores: small shops around the country, mostly in better malls. Now I’m not a mall guy, so right away I had an internal conflict with the concept. Nevertheless, we agreed to it and, in exchange, gave them the license for stores in Asia.
But our real dream was to open a big store uptown. We’d been downtown forever, and it put a chip on our shoulders. It made us extremely hungry because let’s face it: uptown had it easier. Those stores were established. They were in the hood where wealthy people lived, or just walking distance away. Since they weren’t that hungry, they didn’t have to over-extend, whereas us: that’s all we did! And while being that downtown kid made Barneys what we were, I always felt that if we went uptown with a big space right in their neighborhood, then let the games begin!
Surprisingly, the small stores did well. Every single store, except one, had positive cash flow, so it wasn’t that they weren’t successful. I just didn’t like the statement it made: that, in a 6,000-square-foot store, we couldn’t have the breadth or depth we wanted. I mean, how do you fit it all in? Do you carry suits or not? Does men’s become only sportswear? How much women’s do you carry? What about cosmetics, which takes up a lot of space? And women’s shoes, for which Barneys was well known? I mean, we could fill a whole store with just women’s shoes! So, it was a tough thing, deciding what to carry in these smaller Barneys America stores. If I could go back, I never would have gone that route.
“A store without a soul is just real estate—at best it’s a supermarket.”
Gene Pressman
What are you doing now Gene, and what would you like to be doing?
Well, obviously, I wrote my second book, They All Came to Barneys, which I’m proud to say is on The New York Times Best-Seller list. I’ve been involved in the media business, and there’s now exploration about a TV series based on the book. I went to film school and have always loved theater and storytelling, so for me, it’s a natural extension.
I almost did a quarterly magazine last year, to be called Fred’s. It was going to be multifaceted, with an online component, special events, and trunk shows. (What I didn’t want was a brick & mortar component; those days are over for me!) I put a whole team together, including my art director and PR person from Barneys, and my top two merchants. But in the end, the sponsor sort of ran out of money, and I didn’t do it.
I enjoy public speaking, so I’ve been doing a lot of that. I just came back from speaking at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) yesterday, where I spoke in front of the student body, which was really fun. I also speak at business seminars because so much of the creativity of Barneys was right side of the brain: how we approached business, margins, private label, etc. I mean, Barneys women’s business was almost 50% private label, which was extraordinary. Go into vintage stores now, and online, and all the Barneys stuff is sold out. It’s now considered a designer label, but with better value.
And speaking of value, I said it in my book, and I’ll say it here: I find the prices of ready-to-wear these days obscene and obnoxious. I believe the three corporate giants that own the fashion business have ruined it. It’s all about greed. And it’s not just in the fashion business; it’s the arts, motion pictures, and television. Consolidation has squeezed a lot of the creativity, so that young creators no longer have the opportunities they once did. Everything now is so safe; there’s no risk-taking. Sadly, the accountants really are running the show.
Barneys in 1934. Image courtesy of Gene Pressman.
A Study in Texture, Tone, and Timeless Ease. Photographed by
Laura Arnold
A few years ago, No Chaser, a new large-format fashion and lifestyle magazine for men, appeared on the scene. Its mission: to celebrate authenticity and refinement without pretense, to highlight craftsmanship, culture, and character with honesty and style, to unite cultures through style. The publication’s founder and Editor-in-Chief, Guerre to those who know him, and his incredibly stylish team have been spotted all over the world, wherever events that celebrate the menswear industry, personal style, and finer living happen. MR has had the pleasure of collaborating with the No Chaser editors to produce the fashion pages of this November issue.
Left, on Ontario: Mandelli coat and pants, Brunello Cucinelli sweater and T-shirt, Ghurka duffel, Septieme Largeur boots. Center, on Guerre: Borsalino hat, Kiton jacket, Raffi sweater, Heritage Gold pants, Bresciani socks, Jacques Solovière shoes. Right, on Kamau: Brooks Brothers blazer, Grand Sasso knit top, DL1961 pants, Steele bag, St. Laurent boots. 37
Rich texture contrasted with smooth, comforting finishes. These
are the elements of design that make fall feel more inviting.
Left, on Guerre: Borsalino hat, Raffi vest, Far Afield sweater, Universal Works pants, Jacques Solovière shoes. Right, on Ontario: Jack Victor blazer, Stenström turtleneck, J Mueser jeans, Jacques Solovière shoes.
True sartorial skill shows when interpreted to fit the personality of the wearer: edgy, classic, or right in the middle.
On Guerre, left, Borsalino hat, Manto jacket, Zanella trousers, Oncept sneakers. On Kamau, right, Manto jacket, Buck Mason trousers, Saint Laurent boots.
All products shown, Brunello Cucinelli
This page, right: On mannequins, Kiton sportcoat and necktie, Brunello Cucinelli shirt. Perry Ellis blazer, Stenström turtleneck. On Kamau, Brooks Brothers blazer, The Armoury shirt, DL1961 jeans, St. Laurent boots. Opposite page, clockwise from upper left: Oncept sneakers, Mandelli sneakers. Perry Ellis, Gala, Far Afield, Universal Works, Original Penguin sweaters. Tateossian jewelry. On Ontario: Perry Ellis jacket, Raffi sweater, Mandelli trousers, Jacques Solivière shoes. On floor: Footwear by Brunello Cucinelli, Sanders, and Paolo Scafora On mannequins, Heritage Gold sportcoat, Brunello Cucinelli sweater, Daniel Hechter suit jacket, Robert Talbott shirt, Stefano Cau necktie.
The perfect shoe, a cozy pullover, to tie or not to tie; these decisions lead to the personal expression of style.
Opposite, clockwise from upper left: Craig Hill knife and corkscrew, S.T. Dupont lighters, Ettinger catch-all, Tateossian bracelets. Ontario wears a Raffi sweater. Kamau in Universal Works jacket and his own denim. This page, below: Pineider pens, journal, and chess set. Right, on Guerre: Borsalino hat, Heritage Gold blazer and trousers, Sartorio shirt. Bottom right: G. Inglese white pocket square, Edward Armah paisley pocket square, Stefano Cau paisley necktie, Bonobos neat necktie.
Laura Arnold
Depending on who you quote, God or the Devil is in the details. A strategic approach wins the game either way.
Photographer:
Photo Assistant: Darrin Twitty
Catching up with No Chaser’s Karl-Edwin Guerre
We asked Guerre to tell us how he got interested in fashion, what inspired him to publish a magazine (see The Print Revival, p. 22), his thoughts on personal style, and what he's looking forward to in the upcoming market weeks. —JRJ
Style has always been a part of my world. I can’t remember ever seeing my father in a pair of jeans. From a young age, I was taught that dressing well is more than just appearance; it’s a way of communicating. It reflects not only how you want to present yourself to the world but also the respect you have for yourself and others.
Before COVID, I had the chance to contribute to publications like The Rake, Esquire, GQ Japan, The New York Times, and Marie Claire But during that quiet, uncertain period, I realized there wasn’t a menswear magazine that truly reflected the world I wanted to see—one that spoke a modern, classic, elegant, and undeniably cool language. Instead of complaining, I asked myself, why not create the magazine I’d want to read? Something that echoes my taste, my sensibilities, and the global experiences that have shaped my perspective.
Ontario, our Creative Director, embodies the classic menswear customer: timeless, composed, and rooted in tradition. Kamau is a published writer and stylist with a sharp, rebellious edge, representing the fashion-forward client. I fall somewhere in the middle. My personal style balances both worlds—respect for classic tailoring and craftsmanship along with a modern, global perspective. Together, the three of us embody No Chaser’s broader mission: to connect with every type of man who cares about style.
This coming season, I’m looking forward to seeing how brands continue experimenting with mixed fabrics; it’s a space that feels both innovative and necessary. Blending luxury and performance materials, cashmere with technical fibers, wool with fleece, opens the door to pieces that are not only beautiful but functional and modern.
I’m also curious about how silhouettes will develop. There’s a noticeable shift toward ease and fluidity, and I look forward to seeing how designers balance structure and comfort for Fall/Winter 2026. It’s always intriguing when craftsmanship combines with innovation in a way that still feels timeless.
Just part of the No Chaser dream team; L to R: Karl-Edwin Guerre, Kamau
Hosten, and Ontario Armstrong All products shown, Brunello Cucinelli
All products shown, Brunello Cucinelli.
Brick-and-Mortar Ain’t Dead Yet
People crave connection, touch, and instant payoff—but none of it matters if you cheap out on the people serving your customers.
By Richie Goldman
I’ve heard it all before. Brick-and-mortar retail has one foot in the grave, the other soon to follow.
That’s a $5.9 trillion-sized foot, by the way, according to the Census Bureau. Butwhatever.
First, it was online—anything online—especially dog food. Then it was Amazon—why would anyone ever buy a book at a physical store again? Now it’s AI. Between artificial intelligence knowing what you want (before you want it, no doubt), and AI’s link to the online world, why would anyone ever again leave home to buy stuff? Here are a few reasons:
We’re social creatures
Yeah, we’re humans, and what differentiates us from beings further down the evolutionary chain is that we are social beings. We like going out, rubbing elbows with other humanoids. True, we’re a little less social since Covid, but the consequences of that seclusion are beginning to appear, and it’s not pretty. Bottom line: even if we don’t always love each other’s company, dishing on what someone else is wearing is always good for a few laughs.
We like to touch
We are social creatures who like to feel things. Whether the softness of a fabric or the firmness of the shaft of a golf club, the act of touching is
part of our DNA. In a store, you can pick the thing up, touch it, try it. Makes customers feel better about what they’re buying—and yeah, they walk out happier.
Instant gratification
Yes, it’s wonderful to order from Amazon today and get whatever it is tomorrow, but tomorrow can feel like forever when you’ve just forked over many hard-earned bucks. Packages? Don’t get me started on the risk of injuring oneself with a sharp knife while opening the package. In a store, you buy it, they bag it, you’re done. Walk out with it right then and there.
But here’s the catch
Too often, retailers hire the least expensive employees, give them little to no training, toss in bare-minimum benefits, and then bemoan the fact that they’ve got bored clerks who seem bothered when a customer dares ask a question. Coresight Research’s CEO sums it up best: shoppers want the path of least resistance. Make it difficult, and shoppers will take the easy way—straight out the door.
The chicken-or-egg query is simple
“Which came first?” The answer is always: the employee. Period. End of story. Hire mediocre people, you’ll get mediocre results.
Get mediocre results, you’ll have to cut expenses by doing what? Cutting payroll. And round and round you go.
Building a positive culture inside a retail box takes money—that’s a given. But it also takes time and patience. It’s far from a “one size fits all” concept, but the mere act of showing your employees that you care is a giant step in the right direction.
At the end of the day, you’ll not only see results at the cash register, but you’ll also see less shrink. An employee who feels valued will feel less inclined to steal, more inclined to watch out for others stealing, and more inclined to ensure that paperwork and inventory counts are thorough. At its peak, shrink at MW was continually at .5%. Think about that—what’s your shrink?
Yes, merchandise is important. But no great product assortment or hot item will sell nearly as well as a sales staff invested in your most important brand—YOUR STORE.
Invest in your people. Invest in creating a culture where employees feel nourished, loved, and appreciated. That’s what drives results, and AI can’t do any of that for you. Only you can.
Richie Goldman is a retail commentator and co-founder with George Zimmer of Men’s Wearhouse. His regular Curmudg column is available at curmudg. substack.com.
