FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 FirstWWD Look THEThe NEW SUITS: Magazine SLIM SHAPES, NEUTRAL PALETTE RAF SIMONS FROMHEADLINE AVANT-GARDE TO CENTER STAGE Super Manny EMANUELGOES CHIRICO’S GLOBALHERE VISION FOR CALVIN & TOMMY ZEGNA AT 100 PLUS

RETROSEXUAL REVOLUTION MISTAKES MEN MAKE LUXURY REDEFINED JAPAN’S NEXT WAVE THE J. CREW FACTOR

Display untilTHE XXXXXX LOOK 00, 2006 OF $10.00 WALL STREET DENIM ON THE BEACH JEREMYSPRING RENNER The Toast of the Town

0621.MW.001.Cover.a;23.indd 1 6/7/10 10:36:57 PM FABRIC N°1 A re-edition of the 1910 original, for the modern man

AN ENDURING PASSION FOR FABRIC AND INNOVATION SINCE 1910 zegna.com FABRIC N°1 A re-edition of the 1910 original, for the modern man

AN ENDURING PASSION FOR FABRIC AND INNOVATION SINCE 1910 zegna.com American Style. Ame rican Made. American Style. Ame rican Made. contents IN THE KNOW 15 People, places and things—talking points from the world of Menswear. RISING IN THE EAST Five Tokyo-based designers of the moment aim to build an international presence. 18 By Amanda Kaiser LET’S BE FRANK J. Crew’s Frank Muytjens has emerged as one of the most infl uential designers in 20 men’s fashion. By Jean E. Palmieri GREED LOOKS GOOD As Gordon Gekko resurfaces in the hedge fund era, Oliver Stone’s sequel tracks 22 the evolution of Wall Street style. By Brenner Thomas ON THE GRID 24 Highlights of fall culture and commerce. By Brenner Thomas MISTAKES MEN MAKE 26 The experts weigh in on the worst blunders in men’s fashion. EDITORS’ PICKS Retro meets modern in fall’s best pieces—updated wing tips, sleek watches, 28 sunglasses and a fresh whiff of iconic fragrances. CHIRICO IN CHARGE PVH chief Manny Chirico heads up a $4.8 billion fashion giant with the Calvin Klein 32 and Tommy Hilfi ger brands in its portfolio. By David Lipke AS LUXE WOULD HAVE IT Racked by recession, the luxury market has begun to rebound, with elite brands 36 offering gentler prices. But the affl uent consumer isn’t the same. By Jean E. Palmieri

ON THE COVER: Jeremy Renner wears Dior Homme’s wool suit and Armani’s cotton shirt, Thom Browne’s pocket square. Photo by Matthias Vriens-McGrath.

D&G’s wool and acrylic jacket, Gucci’s cotton and silk shirt and Yigal Azrouël’s wool pants. D&G boots. PHOTO BY RODOLFO MARTINEZ PHOTO BY

6 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.006(8).TOC.a;14.indd 1 6/7/10 2:58:42 PM www.brunellocucinelli.it contentsxxxxxxxxx

THE RETROSEXUAL REVOLUTION The latest incarnation of the male consumer is a throwback to traditional masculinity, but he 38 hasn’t abandoned the metrosexual’s attention to detail. By David Lipke and Brenner Thomas NATURAL SPRING 44 Designers take a youthful approach to tailored clothing for spring. TOAST OF THE TOWN Jeremy Renner won acclaim in The Hurt Locker and he’s next appearing in Ben 52 Affl eck’s The Town. So why won’t he quit his day job? By Vanessa Lawrence OUTWARD BOUND 56 Masculine, outdoorsy style with a hint of heritage. THE INFLUENCER Raf Simons, creative director at Jil Sander, refl ects on the balance between that brand’s 62 minimalist legacy and his own relentless focus on the future. By Jean Scheidnes SUMMER DREAM 64 Denim brands take inspiration from the Beach Boys and Baja. ZEGNA MASTERS A century after Ermenegildo Zegna launched a new kind of Italian textile business, his 68 grandchildren give new meaning to his global vision. By Emilie Marsh Ermenegildo Zegna’s sprawling steel and glass Milan OFF RAMP: TRAJECTORIES headquarters, built in 2007. For more on Zegna as the Tracking the vagaries of the good, the bad and the really bad. By David Lipke luxury brand celebrates its 100th anniversary, see page 68. 74

8 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.006(8).TOC.a;14.indd 2 6/7/10 3:06:06 PM

Published by Fairchild Fashion Group, a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc., 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

EDWARD NARDOZA, Editor in Chief JAMES FALLON, Editor DIANNE M. POGODA, Managing Editor, Fashion/Special Reports JOHN BIRMINGHAM, Consulting Editor MILES SOCHA, European Editor JEAN PALMIERI, Senior Editor ALEX BADIA, Fashion Editor DAVID LIPKE, Senior Editor JEAN SCHEIDNES, Designer Sportswear and Accessories Editor BRENNER THOMAS, Market Editor, Tailored Clothing, Outerwear EMILIE MARSH, European Men’s Wear Editor VANESSA LAWRENCE, Entertainment Editor LUIS CAMPUZANO, Assistant Fashion Editor CARRIE PROVENZANO, Photo Editor

WWD.COM AMY DITULLIO, Managing Editor VÉRONIQUE HYLAND, Associate Editor, Fashion RACHEL STRUGATZ, Assistant Online Editor

BUREAUS Milan: ALESSANDRA ILARI (Bureau Chief), Luisa Zargani, Alessandra Turra London: SAMANTHA CONTI (Bureau Chief), Nina Jones, Louise Bartlett, Brid Costello Paris: Jennifer Weil (Beauty), Laurent Folcher, Katya Foreman, Chantal Goupil, Joelle Diderich, Natasha Camilla Montrose (Web Reporter/Editor), Tokyo: AMANDA KAISER (Asian Editor), Tara Bonet-Black (Editorial Assistant, New York)

Heather Evitts, Troy Goodwin, Leo Jimenez, Jemma Lee, Madison Moore, Jessica Scicchitano, Simon Sirixay, Fashion Interns

LAYOUT/COPYDESK PETER SADERA, Copy Chief MAUREEN MORRISON, Deputy Copy Chief LISA KELLY, Senior Copy Editor Ben Cake, Adam Perkowsky, Copy Editors

ART DEPARTMENT ANDREW FLYNN, Group Art Director ERIC PERRY, Art Director SHARON BER, AMY LOMACCHIO, Associate Art Directors Courtney Mitchell, Designer Tyler Resty, Art Assistant

PHOTOGRAPHY ANITA BETHEL, Director Pasha Antonov, John Aquino, Delphine Achard, Stephano Bianchi, Talaya Centeno, George Chinsee, Thierry Chomel, Steve Eichner, Kyle Ericksen, Stéphane Feugère, Giovanni Giannoni, Thomas Iannaccone, Tim Jenkins, Davide Maestri, Dominique Maître, Mauricio Miranda, Robert Mitra, Kristen Somody Whalen, Dave Yoder

PHOTO Ashley Linn Martin, Lexie Moreland, Photo Coordinators

CHAIRMAN & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR PATRICK MCCARTHY

10 MENSWEAR

00621.MW.010(12).Masthead.a;16.indd621.MW.010(12).Masthead.a;16.indd 1 66/7/10/7/10 22:56:17:56:17 PM alfred dunhill ltd. www.dunhill.com chuo-dori tokyo, prince’sbuildinghongkong villasshanghai bourdon house london,twin mink liningfor uncompromising warmthandluxury. the dunhilltopcoat:realised inbrushedcashmere, features abeaver and xxxxxxxxx

Published by Fairchild Fashion Group, a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc., 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

MARC BERGER, Publisher

ADVERTISING KRISTIN BARONE, Executive Director, International Fashion JOEL FERTEL, Executive Director, Innerwear/Legwear/Textile PAMELA FIRESTONE, Sales Development Director HILLARY GRAHAM, Account Manager JULIA HAWKINS, Fashion Director JENNIFER MARDER, Executive Director BRETT MITCHELL, Executive Director, International Fashion SHELLY RAPOPORT, Executive Director GOMATIE SANICHAR, Office Manager

REGIONAL OFFICES RON TROXELL, West Coast Director, 323-965-7285 JILL BIREN, West Coast Director, 323-965-7283

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES GUGLIELMO BAVA, International Advertising Director, 011-3902-6558-4225 OLGA KOUZNETSOVA, Account Manager, Italy, 011-3902-6558-4224 GIULIA SQUERI, Account Manager, Milan, 011-3902-6558-4236 ODILE EDA-PIERRE, Account Manager, Paris, 011-331-4451-1290

BUSINESS GROUP DEBI CHIRICHELLA, Chief Operating Officer, Fairchild Fashion Group KATHY RIESS, Executive Director of Finance & Operations, Fairchild Fashion Group ALISON SMITH, Associate Business Manager RON WILSON, Director of European Operations

PUBLIC RELATIONS DAN SCHEFFY, Director of Communications

ADVERTISING ASSISTANTS Michelle Busse, Jessica Casey, Nicole Gallucci, Hillary Kribben, Tina Schlissel, Joyce Graham, Pascale Rajac, Emanuela Altimani

PRODUCTION GENA KELLY, Executive Director, Manufacturing & Distribution CHRIS WENGIEL, Group Production Director KEVIN HURLEY, Production Director JILL BREINER, Associate Production Manager MICHAEL WAGNER, Senior B2B Distribution Manager

CONSUMER MARKETING DAN DYNAN, Executive Director JOHN CROSS, ACMD Planning and Operations JAMES ROSSI, Marketing Director RICHARD FRANZ, Circulation Sales Director SUZANNE BERARDI, Online Marketing Manager LEZA ZAMAN, Business Planning Manager

TO DIAL DEPTS. DIRECT AREA CODE 212 News: 630-3500 Fashion: 630-3535 Display Advertising: 630-4600 Classified Advertising: 630-4610; Single Copy Sales: 800-289-0273; Production: 630-4710; Editorial Reprints: SCOOP Reprint Source, 949-453-4680

FAIRCHILD OFFICES LONDON WC2: Samantha Conti, 20 Shorts Garden, WC2H 9AU, 441-0171-240-0420. LOS ANGELES 90048: 6300 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 720, 323-965-7280. MILAN 20121: Piazza Cavour 2, 011-39-02-6558-4201. PARIS 75008: 9 Rue Royale, 331-4-451-1300. WASHINGTON 20036: 1050 17th St., N.W., Suite 600 202-496-4975.

PRESIDENT & CEO GINA SANDERS

VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER WILL SCHENCK PHOTO CREDIT HERE

0012 MENSWEARSEASON xxxx

00621.MW.010(12).Masthead.b;17.indd621.MW.010(12).Masthead.b;17.indd 2 66/7/10/7/10 33:39:04:39:04 PM Los Angeles: Gianfraco Ferrè, 270 North Rodeo Drive - Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Boulevard Chicago: Neiman Marcus, 373 N.Michigan Avenue gianfrancoferre.com New York: Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue a world of fashion and style cod. GA790 PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS—TALKING in the know POINTS FROM THE WORLD OF MENSWEAR.

MODEL MINORITY THE THINGS THEY SAID The controversy about the lack of racial and body-type diversity on the “I was very surprised because what I knew of Dubai runways hasn’t permeated men’s as much as women’s. (Where is the hand- was that it was like Vegas in the desert. And my fi rst wringing about impressionable young boys?) There’s an aesthetic dichotomy question was very direct: Are you sure you want me? in men’s that has always produced more diversity on the runways, at least in Because my style is very minimalistic.” —Giorgio Armani one sense. Some designers consistently cast fragile-looking, skinny, somewhat interchangeable boys, while others reliably produce a parade of Adonis types “I think France is a place to enjoy life, and it’s where people genetically blessed with lean muscle and chiseled faces. Recently, Givenchy’s take time—and shopping and dining are two of the most Riccardo Tisci has been forging a third way. He strongly favors non-Caucasian important things.” —Ralph Lauren on why he likes Paris models whose inverted-triangle physiques display a serious and intimidating dedication to weight lifting. This unconventional model is inherent to Tisci’s “It’s a good time, but a little wet.” —Jean streetwise vision, rather than a product of tokenism, and it’s beginning to Paul Gaultier of the leather underwear he infl uence editorials. —Jean Scheidnes claimed to be wearing at an amfAR gala. The Riccardo Tisci runway. “I only know two French words: THE PRICE ISN’T QUITE RIGHT ballet and buffet.” Fashion’s price squeeze is going to continue for a while. —Zach Galifi anakis Despite rising commodity prices—a pound of cotton cost 73 cents at the end of April, up from 40 cents a year earlier, and wool increased to $3.51 a pound, up from $2.49—there is little “It’s now accepted that absolutely no chance that retailers will be able to push higher prices onto skittish consumers this early in commitment is what the male wants the recovery. and increasingly what the woman “It’s important to note that men’s wear prices have fallen sharply this past year as wants.” —Martin Amis commodity prices have risen, squeezing margins,” says Charles McMillion, president and chief economist with MBG Information Services. Men’s apparel prices were 2.3 “I like to preserve some sense of percent lower in April than they were a year earlier, according to the Labor Department’s self-deprecation. Montaigne said it Consumer Price Index. Compared with fi ve years earlier, April prices were down 4 percent, beautifully: ‘No matter how high you and in 10-year comparisons, they were 11.3 percent lower. are sitting on your throne, you are still sitting on your In the height of the recession, the ability to pass on rising commodity prices was limited by a couple own behind.’” —Vidal Sassoon of factors, says McMillion. Overcapacity for producers limited their ability to pass prices along, and retailers, already burdened with large inventories, were also faced with a very sluggish market in “I think [British style] has to do with the weather. We which consumers cut back drastically on expenditures as unemployment rose and wages stagnated. have terrible weather. It’s very gray and drizzly, so we As the economy has shown signs of life, McMillion notes, “If job and wage growth continues to improve, then the need things to cheer us up. —Emma Watson market condition for retailers and producers will improve. More consumers will have money to go out and spend, and retailers will be able to raise prices and catch up what they lost over the last year.” —Liza Casabona “When we spoke to men, they told us they care about sex, sports, sex and then their community. Fashion is just not up there as something that drives men.” —Mike Kelly, BIRTH OF THE COOL executive vice president for Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., Anyone who has ever made the mistake of wearing a wool suit in the summer owes on why sports marketing works in selling apparel to men a thank-you to Joseph Haspel Sr., who founded his brand in New Orleans 100 years ago and with it introduced the country to seersucker, the puckered cotton “There is no connection fabric known for its merciful cooling properties. between saggy pants and Originally a blue-collar fabric, seersucker took on a new role in suit form and the ability to succeed. Just came to epitomize Southern casual style under the auspices of the Haspel brand. look at what buttoned-up Preps, movie stars and presidents cottoned to the lightweight suit, as well. America has done to the A century later, Haspel, still partially owned by the family, endures as a go-to rest of the world and each label for the lawn-party set, but the brand is upping the ante in its anniversary other.” —Russell Simmons, on year with the goal of dressing men head to toe and year round. Polos, dress shirts New York State Senator Eric and ties have already joined the line’s range of suits, and this fall, the brand will Adams’ campaign against unveil its fi rst coat collection. Because as much as one hates to admit it, summer sagging pants doesn’t last forever. Several other important brands are celebrating milestones in 2010: “We believe that [David] Hasselhoff’s popularity • Brioni—Still independently owned and operated, the luxury Italian [or lack thereof] is relevant for the investment manufacturer turns 65 this year. community.” —Credit Suisse analyst Paul Lejuez • Tommy Hilfi ger—The quintessential American designer, who has taken his explaining different tastes in the U.S. and Europe red, white and blue sensibility to countries around the world, marks his 30th A Haspel ad, circa 1950. anniversary. “A lot of companies don’t make jeans for athletes very • Dolce & Gabbana—The duo celebrates two decades of design with a Milan extravaganza. well. We have a bigger butt and bigger thighs. I think • Bergdorf Goodman Men—The New York City retailer gave men’s its own 40,000-square-foot home across the street in 1990. there’s less of an effort to adapt to our body type than • John Varvatos —The designer created his fi rst men’s wear line in 2000. to a woman’s.” —Bode Miller on his personal style

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 15

0621.MW.015(16).InTheKnow.a;17.indd 1 6/7/10 3:42:40 PM in the know

HOT SPOT: BRAZIL BRAZIL, BY THE NUMBERS Host of the World Cup in 2014, the Olympics in 2016 and, in the meantime, one of the most promising markets Population in the world for luxury goods, Brazil is getting ready to do a global samba. 2004 183,864,000 After years of political, social and economic instability, the South American country has emerged as one of 2009 193,734,000 the fastest-growing markets for international fashion labels. Global gross domestic product growth is expected to increase 3.6 percent this year, according to a recent report from the World Bank, and the country boasts both Expenditures on Apparel and Footwear a signifi cant middle class as well as a hefty wealthy contingent. 2004 14.61 billion Among the brands that have moved into the country are Ermenegildo Zegna, Missoni, American Apparel, 2009 32.79 million Replay and many others. The city of São Paulo attracts the most interest from the luxury sector. With a population of more than 11 Annual Disposable Income million, it’s Brazil’s largest city and boasts the largest number of billionaires in Latin America. There are more 2004 $413.57 billion 2009 $1 trillion than 70 malls in the city, the best of which are the Eldorado, Ibirapuera, Iguatemi, Morumbi and the Pátio Higienópolis. But perhaps the most desirable shopping destination is the Rua Oscar Freire, in the Jardins Households With Annual Disposable Income More Than $10,000 neighborhood, which is home to Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, Montblanc, Cartier, Zegna, Versace and 2004 9.2 million Diesel. Other prominent shopping streets in São Paulo include both the Rua Augusta and the Rua Haddock 2009 22.4 million Lobo, as well as the Alameda Lorena. Other Brazilian cities that are attracting interest from fashion brands include Jardim, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Source: 2010 Euromonitor International Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Brasília. —Jean E. Palmieri

WHO’S YOUR DADDY POINT, CLICK Josh They might still be whippersnappers, but they rely on the Old Guard Just 30 years old, Josh Olins has enjoyed an enviably Caption goes Olins for inspiration. prolifi c career over the past decade, shooting for pretty here for this Three next-generation men’s wear designers go back at least much every leading-edge fashion title: Pop, Love, caption. two decades in citing their style icons. “My sartorial hero is Dazed & Confused, British Vogue, V and Japanese Vogue Morrissey—more specifi cally, Morrissey in the Eighties, when he Hommes among them. This spring, he scored two of the was in The Smiths,” said modernist sportswear designer Patrik biggest men’s advertising campaigns—Louis Vuitton Ervell. Meanwhile, for Richard Chai, who launched men’s in and Giorgio Armani—as well as the unisex Benetton 2008, it’s “River Phoenix ads. For fall, he’ll again shoot for Vuitton and Benetton. and Kurt Cobain—for their Yves A photogenic chap himself, British-born Olins carefree and effortlessly cool Saint got his start studying photography at Middlesex attitudes.” And denim lover Laurent University, but left school to become a freelance Simon Spurr singled out Yves assistant to several top lensmen, including the duo Saint Laurent. Noting that Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. Encouraged by his the late designer once said older sister, Kim Sion, a well-known fashion photo he wished he had invented agent and creative consultant, Olins struck out on his blue jeans because “they own in his early 20s and found quick success after a have expression, modesty, breakthrough shoot for Another magazine. Describing sex appeal, simplicity,” Spurr his men’s work, Olins says: “With a couple of called YSL “the epitome of exceptions, I’d say I always try to capture the character modern elegance.” Kurt of a very masculine man. Someone who is desired by —Alex Badia Cobain both women and men alike.” —David Lipke

A NEW DEFINITION Umberto Angeloni Each season, fashion houses try to outdo one another on and off the runway, hoping their latest collections will translate into increased sales. For Italian entrepreneur Umberto Angeloni, that incessant display of one-upmanship is “repulsive.” “Brands today try to impress by sheer size, by ubiquity, by celebrity association—all things that are completely irrelevant to the renaissance man,” Angeloni says. Instead, the former chief executive offi cer of Brioni Roman Style SpA proposes an alternative, or “antidote,” as he puts it. A year ago, Angeloni, launched Uman, a concept wardrobe for the thinking man. “At the moment, the affl uent consumer has a choice between a custom tailor who will make him something very traditional or a fashion house that will make something very seasonal. But nothing relates to his way of life, to his passions, to his skills, to his values,” Angeloni says from his studio in Via Gesu in Milan. “We are building a community to address these concerns and a wardrobe to accommodate.” Angeloni commissioned a study of 3,500 contemporary men to ascertain the ultimate iconic silhouette created to fi t and dress all gentlemen. By average, Angeloni notes, he means “a man of 40 who lives in London, Milan or Paris, successful, on the move and in good condition.” So far, the wardrobe comprises silhouette-conscious navy suits as well as six “passion jackets,” including an alpine version and even a derivation of a golfi ng coat. “We need suggestions and interaction with the renaissance man—we are not sitting on a pedestal and deciding. In a reset world, everything is two-way.” To fully understand the essence of Uman, you’d need a manual. And Angeloni has obliged. Called Uman, The Lexicon, the book is a six-chapter defi nition and clarifi cation of the concept, which will be on sale in the fall at Uman corners including Barneys New York in New York and San Francisco, Harrods and Lane Crawford. —Emilie Marsh

16 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.015(16).InTheKnow.a;17.indd 2 6/7/10 3:45:48 PM

in the know

FIVE TOKYO-BASED DESIGNERS OF THE MOMENT AIM TO BUILD INTERNATIONAL PRESENCES. RISING IN THE EAST BY AMANDA KAISER TOKYO IS PROVING TO BE A FERTILE ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUNG MEN’S jacket. Most of them are gearing up to present their collections in New York or Paris—partly in wear designers. Despite Japan’s economic stagnation in recent years, neighborhoods such as an effort to fi nd relief from the pressures of doing business in Tokyo. “It’s a really diffi cult market Jingumae and Daikanyama are teeming with edgy boutiques and fresh men’s labels ready to here,” says designer Yosuke Aizawa, “so I think that’s why more men’s brands are looking abroad.” raise their international profi les. The pieces under each label vary (from N.Hoolywood’s military fatigues to Phenomenon’s Here are standouts from the new crop: fi ve designers, all in their 30s, who take a long pleated trenchcoats), as do the people and places each designer looks to for inspiration quintessentially Japanese approach to sportswear, scouting out the latest high-tech fabrics and (from Ralph Lauren to the Beat Generation). But these fi ve share a common goal: to indulge paying meticulous attention to detail, down to the choice of an antique button or the lining of a what Factotum’s Koji Udo describes as a distinctly Japanese obsession—“to look cool.”

N.HOOLYWOOD JOHN LAWRENCE SULLIVAN FACTOTUM PHENOMENON WHITE NAME: Daisuke Obana NAME: Arashi Yanagawa NAME: Koji Udo NAME: Takeshi Osumi MOUNTAINEERING AGE: 36 AGE: 35 AGE: 38 AGE: 36 NAME: Yosuke Aizawa BACKGROUND: A BACKGROUND: Formerly a BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: Designed for the AGE: 32 former vintage professional boxer, Yanagawa got Studied fashion street brand Swagger, which he has BACKGROUND: clothing buyer, he his start designing his own boxing at Tokyo Mode run with a partner for 10 years. Studied textile began reworking gear, including fringed trunks. “I Gakuen, then INSPIRATION: Hip-hop. “It uses a lot design at Tokyo’s old pieces to create started boxing because my father worked as a of sampling, and I think it’s similar Tama Art University, new ones. “Japanese infl uenced me, but always knew I salesman at to clothing. With clothes, you take then joined Junya people think the most wanted to do fashion someday.” the iconic store classic styles, newer things, street Watanabe’s staff at important thing about INSPIRATION: Ralph Lauren. Beams. Later styles and you mix them together.” Comme des Garçons. vintage clothing is the “There are edgier and more helped launch the Lounge THE LABEL: Named after the INSPIRATION: condition, but I really high-fashion brands, but as far as Lizard line. famous rapper, the brand has an Technical challenges. liked dirty T-shirts.” the base of my work goes, I most INSPIRATION: Each season, edgy, urban feel. Like his former INSPIRATION: “The history admire Ralph Lauren.” Udo travels to a new place. Past WHERE SOLD: Joyce, Hong Kong; sensei, Watanabe, Aizawa designs of the United States.” THE LABEL: Named after a 19th- destinations include Ireland, H Lorenzo, Los Angeles, and Club his own textiles from scratch. THE LABEL: Based on Obana’s century heavyweight champion. India and Berlin. “[The clothes] 21, Singapore. THE LABEL: Stands for stylish yet nickname, “Mister Hollywood.” WHERE SOLD: Joyce, Hong Kong; are kind of like souvenirs, but it’s THEME FOR FALL: The garage— functional outerwear. The quirky spelling plays off the H Lorenzo, Los Angeles, and still basic, wearable stuff.” garage rock, projects people work WHERE SOLD: Colette, Paris; fact that he’s still a Japanese guy 10 Corso Como, Seoul. THE LABEL: Takes its name from on in their garages and the items Antonia, Milan, and Union, despite frequent trips to the U.S. THEME FOR FALL: The Beat the Charles Bukowski novel. that are stored there. Osumi Los Angeles. WHERE SOLD: Opening Ceremony, Generation. “I looked at photos WHERE SOLD: Aloha Rag, combined mink, fl eece and pile into THEME FOR FALL: An outdoorsy New York and Los Angeles; and researched colors from New York; Lane Crawford, one jacket and conceived a long coat take on the Scottish Highlands. Blackbird, Seattle, and Vertice, that era and kept expanding Hong Kong, and H Lorenzo, as a hybrid between a motorcycle Aizawa layered his models with London. from there.” Los Angeles. jacket and an old kimono. jacquards, Fair Isle knits, parkas THEME FOR FALL: The Vietnam PLANS: Might show in Paris for THEME FOR FALL: Tibet. Udo PLANS: “I’d like to try a and puffy vests. War. Obana sent real-life military spring, but has not yet decided. transformed a geometric Tibetan presentation or show in New PLANS: To present his fall personnel in fatigues and khaki pattern into a print on a high-tech York or Paris or somewhere collection in New York in January. down a sandbag-lined runway. polyester jacket. internationally.” “While I think it will be a bit of a PLANS: A presentation in New York PLANS: To take a break from the challenge to exhibit internationally,

for spring. runway and focus on expansion. it’s sort of a natural progression.” KASUGA YUKIE BY AIZAWA AND OSUMI UDO, OBANA, ISOBE; YANAGAWA, YUKO BY PHOTOS RUNWAY

18 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.018.JapaneseDesigners.a;15.indd 1 6/7/10 1:04:42 PM

in the know LET’S BE FRANK A CANDID CONVERSATION WITH J. CREW’S FRANK MUYTJENS, THE DUTCH INNOVATOR WHO HAS STEPPED OUT AS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL DESIGNERS IN AMERICAN MEN’S FASHION. BY JEAN E. PALMIERI

So how do you pronounce your name exactly? “Mow-jens.” It’s the “u” and “y” together that throws people off. Even by Dutch standards, it’s an unusual name. My fi rst name in Dutch is pronounced “Fronc,” but here I prefer Frank. It’s much easier and I feel more like an American now anyway.

What originally drew you here? I was always interested in American culture: cowboys and Indians, the Gold Rush, Dorothea Lange and the Empire State Building—all the American iconic places. It was my dream to drive around in a camper for six weeks crossing the country, like everyone else in Europe.

Did you ever realize that dream? No, they won’t let me go for six weeks in a row. That would be a sabbatical.

Tell us about your fi rst trip to America. My fi rst visit to New York was in ’86. Together with my classmates, I organized a fashion show at Danceteria. Later, after working in the Dutch fashion industry, I thought it was time to explore whatever New York could offer me. So I moved here in ’94.

What was the impact of your eight years at Polo? Just to sharpen my eye and immerse myself in everything American, from rustic Americana to midcentury modern. I did outerwear there, but then the J. Crew position came up and it was a great way for me to put my signature on a whole line.

How did you establish that signature? First we looked at the fi ts and the colors. Before, maybe we were a little too colorful, so we changed the color palettes into one that was more masculine, but still sophisticated. Then we looked at American history—from more formal, classical men’s wear to workwear, with elements of army-navy thrown in—to give everything a heart and a soul. Frank Muytjens at his country home in Hillsdale, N.Y. Sounds like a contradiction—new looks from the past. I like things with a patina. But I like to juxtapose them against something clean. Who are your style icons? They’re all dead, but I love Montgomery Clift and how he dressed, Jacques Cousteau’s striped Does your home in upstate New York refl ect that sensibility? Ts, The Clash and Brancusi—he had great style. With people like this, it seemed more genuine, Absolutely. There’s vintage industrial stuff and there’s a cleaner sensibility right next to it. It’s less thought out. There were no hair and makeup people. It’s hard to see personal style anymore. vintage French industrial mixed in with American midcentury modern. You’ve done some interesting brand collaborations. How do you come up with novelty, given the inherent limits of men’s wear? It started with Red Wing. We were always crazy about them. And then we thought, Why don’t Men’s wear is almost like a framework. All the shapes are there and you can tweak them, but we seek them out and see what we can do together instead of just copying them, which we’d you have to keep it understandable. You want a guy to recognize it. There are only so many never be able to do right anyway. elements you can play with. That’s a challenge, but it’s also what I fi nd interesting. Do the brands you choose to work with have something in common? Your storyboards show an eclectic mix of items, from Vice-Grip wrenches and They have a long history. They do one thing and they do it best. They’re not bothered by trends; their birds’ nests to a Bob Dylan album. logos stay the same for ages. To pull them out of their comfort zone and put them in a new world, Yes, look at those old long johns. We found them in London. They’re mended, darned and it becomes something new. Mixed in with a curated version of J. Crew, it gives them a new life. patched —they might be from the Twenties or Thirties. You start to think about the journey of those pants. I love things that tell a story. What’s up next? For fall, we have Crescent Down Works and Russell Moccasins. [Russell’s] factory is about Which artists inspire you? as big as this room, and their process has been in place for such a long time now. It makes me Many. [Constantin] Brancusi, Fairfi eld Porter—he’s a great American painter. The Belgian appreciate the craftsmanship even more because you know what’s behind it. architect Vincent Van Duysen—I love his clean lines. The photography of Irving Penn.…I also look at nature. I love the California coast—Big Sur, Muir Woods. I’ve always been a bit Now that you’re feeling American, would you say you’re the J. Crew man? of an outdoorsy guy, and that translates well [in my designs]. Nothing is too precious or too Yes, I think so. Maybe I take more liberties than the actual J. Crew guy. But I should be a few elegant—there should always be a tougher, masculine edge to it. steps ahead of him anyway—at least a year in advance. PHOTO BY MATTHEW SANDAGER MATTHEW BY PHOTO

20 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.020.FrankMuytjens.a;22.indd 1 6/4/10 7:15:51 PM CARUSOMENSWEAR.COM VIRTUOSO MENSWEAR in the know GREED LOOKS GOOD AS GORDON GEKKO RESURFACES IN THE HEDGE FUND ERA, OLIVER STONE’S MUCH-ANTICIPATED SEQUEL TRACKS THE EVOLUTION OF WALL STREET STYLE. BY BRENNER THOMAS

OLIVER STONE DIRECTED WALL STREET AS A MORALITY PLAY, AN ATTACK ON THE venal corporate culture of the Eighties and an ethical lesson on the perils of profi t-driven excess. But apparently not everyone saw the same movie. To Stone’s dismay, his fi lm’s antihero Gordon Gekko—played by a suave and predatory Michael Douglas—inspired a new generation with his “greed is good” ethos to head straight to Wall Street. Many adopted the character’s style along the way. With his contrast-collar shirts in peacock colors, bold braces and tautly gelled hair, Gekko became a sartorial icon for aspiring brokers, as a certain whimsical touch became the outward expression of internal bravado: the yellow conversational tie as middle fi nger. Today, on the eve of Gekko’s return in Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, which hits theaters in September, the fi nancial world is a decidedly different place. Banking is global, many of the industry’s marquee institutions have vanished and its groaning failures make the sins of the fi rst fi lm—insider trading and corporate raiding—seem quaint. Men’s style has changed, too. The fi nancial world has become less colorful and more casual. Braces are passé, and the Hermès power tie has lost some of its punch. The job of updating Wall Street style for the new fi lm fell to veteran costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, who also dressed the characters in the original movie. Gekko’s Eighties dandy, a look she says she based on a mix of Pat Riley and the Duke of Windsor, has given way to an image that is darker, sleeker and more urbane. “The suits are gray and dark blue, and they hug the body. These guys are sharks—I wanted them to look slick,” Mirojnick says. “Everyone on Wall Street does bespoke, so we did bespoke as well.” The new style favors understatement: no tie bars, subdued pattern mixing, a preference for solid white or blue shirts, which echoes that of real-life Wall Street execs such as the beleaguered Goldman Sachs chief executive offi cer Lloyd Blankfein. In the movie, banking neophyte Jacob Moore, played by Shia LaBeouf, wears white shirts exclusively—a subdued alternative to the pink stripes and club collars that Gekko brandished in the Eighties. Overall, there’s less emphasis on personal fl air, more on quality. Conspicuous display of wealth shows up in just one place: the wrist. For the main characters in the fi lm—including Douglas, who reprises his role as Gekko, and Josh Brolin, who plays hedge fund manager Bretton James—luxury watches are critical. In Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Shia LaBeouf and Michael Gekko’s current brands of choice: Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Douglas favor sartorial understatement, replacing the Eighties’ dandy “You can tell a man from a boy by his watch, which are big and expensive,” Mirojnick says. “If you don’t look with sleekly tailored bespoke suits in subdued gray or navy. have a big watch, you’re nobody.”

WALL STREET: THE EIGHTIES AND TODAY

BAD-BOY BANKERS POWER ACCESSORY GEKKO STYLE TOXIC ASSET SIN

THEN: Michael Milken THEN: Brightly colored braces THEN: Bold and brash THEN: Junk bonds THEN: Insider trading NOW: Lloyd Blankfein NOW: Oversize luxury watch NOW: Subdued and sophisticated NOW: Mortgage-backed securities NOW: Ponzi scheme

22 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.022.WallSt.a;14.indd 1 6/4/10 7:17:43 PM www.lanvin.com in the know ON THE GRID ANDA FALL HIGHLIGHTS OF CULTURE AND COMMERCE. BY BRENNER THOMAS

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 COURTESY OF EVERETT COLLECTION; THE ONE GENTLEMAN BY JOHN AQUINO; GANT BY DAN & CORINA LECCA; BURBERRY PRORSUM BY MAURICIO MIR MAURICIO BY LECCA; PRORSUM CORINA & BURBERRY DAN BY GANT AQUINO; JOHN BY GENTLEMAN ONE EVERETT OF THE COLLECTION; COURTESY GRIT TRUE KAUFMAN; DEAN BY PHOTO MUSEUM NEW

13 14 15 16

1. The Robert Geller x Common Projects collaboration hits stores. 2. The trend in sweaters, like this one from Gucci: Go big or go home. 3. New Museum architect Kazuyo Sejima directs the architect exhibition of the Venice Biennale. 4. The Coen brothers remake the John Wayne classic True Grit. 5. Cervélo’s R3 breaks away as one of the lightest bikes on the racing circuit. 6. Ralph Lauren reopens the iconic Rhinelander Mansion as a men’s fl agship. 7. Rick Owens’ furniture collection—hot seats with a Gothic fl ourish. 8. Dolce & Gabbana signals a return to classic refi nement with its new fragrance, The One Gentleman. 9. Night move: Halston’s fi rst men’s collections in years are made for evening. 10. Assouline’s limited edition book on Tommy Hilfi ger’s career. 11. Designer Michael Bastian’s line for Gant offers a luxe take on Americana. 12. Newly cool Merrell and its wilderness boot, a fall runway favorite. 13. Monochrome boat from artist Xavier Veilhan and shipyard Frauscher hits the auction block in Monte Carlo. 14. The fall palette shifts into neutral with this camel coat from Burberry Prorsum. 15. The Nabucco Va Pensiero 4800 by Raymond Weil shined at the premier watch fair in Basel. 16. Watch impresario Severin Wunderman’s Jean Cocteau collection goes up for auction in London.

24 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.024.OnTheGrid.b;17.indd 1 6/4/10 7:58:16 PM Celebrating 100 Years of Style

T ailored Clothing Shirts Ties Outerwear 212.765.2302 haspel.com in the know MISTAKES MEN MAKE THE EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON THE WORST BLUNDERS IN MEN’S FASHION.

KRIS VAN ASSCHE, DIOR HOMME: “Dressing to functional. My personal style is inspired by show what one has rather than who one is.” the British infl uentials that have defi ned Bostonian style. Everything I wear must GIORGIO ARMANI: “Jackets are the backbone have an element of comfort, quality and of men’s wear, so when you buy one, make precise tailoring.” sure it fi ts properly. Just because it is a piece of tailoring doesn’t mean it is a magic RENZO ROSSO, DIESEL: “I dislike wand. A badly fi tting jacket—however exaggerated looks—for example, when expensive—will look awkward.” someone wears a shirt completely unbuttoned.” DEAN AND DAN CATEN, DSQUARED: “Buying a suit—and thinking it JEREMY HACKETT: “Short socks with a suit. is a tracksuit! A suit is to be tailored, So often on television you see the presenter sharp and smart, not big enough to do with his legs crossed showing acres of bare cartwheels in.” VIKTOR & ROLF: “Men traveling with matching calf. It’s just plain ugly.” designer luggage—that just ain’t right.” TOM FORD: “Button your jacket. It takes 20 TOM KALENDERIAN, BARNEYS NEW pounds off your silhouette.” PATRICK GRANT OF NORTON YORK: “My biggest beef is that they & SONS AND E. TAUTZ: buy two suits and wear them to JOHN VARVATOS: “Square-toed shoes. They are “Overbuttoning. A man death. Buy a wardrobe—live an outdated style that can instantly make any should never fasten more with it, enjoy it! Don’t man look bad.…I can’t tell you the number of than one button on a single- kill your clothes.” women who have told me that a man wearing breasted jacket.” square-toed shoes may have just lost himself SARAH RUTSON, LANE a second date. Shallow? Maybe. True? MICHAEL BASTIAN: “A really CRAWFORD: “Trucker caps. As soon Defi nitely.” pressed, oversize oxford as I see one and the way they are shirt, pressed pleated chinos, worn, perched and balancing on top bad dress shoes—the invisible of the head, it makes my skin crawl. corporate potato.” Hate it, hate it!

SCOTT STERNBERG, BAND OF ROBERT BRYAN, AUTHOR, AMERICAN OUTSIDERS: “The high-groom factor. Dudes FASHION MENSWEAR: “Wearing jeans shouldn’t shine or shimmer. It’s just wrong.” with everything, including tailored jackets, as a way of expressing your THAKOON PANICHGUL: “The Justin Bieber individuality—when everyone else bang sweep.” is doing exactly the same thing.”

EDDY CHAI, ODIN: “Fur coats. MARIA CORNEJO, ZERO + This look has only been MARIA CORNEJO: “When pulled off by Snoop Dog their outfi ts look too DOLCE & GABBANA: “A man who wears and men in the tundra.” perfect or they are too something that does not ‘belong’ to him aware of themselves. proportions end up framing your face can makes a mistake and he comes to be RAG & BONE: “Square- I think that’s very make the difference between this cynosure ridiculous.”—Stefano Gabbana toe shoes.” —Marcus unattractive.” being brought to life or not. If you’re out “Be yourself and wear something that is Wainwright. “With boot- buying a dress shirt and you don’t know to suitable for the situation.” —Domenico Dolce cut jeans.” —David Neville KELLAN LUTZ, CALVIN think of the face as a picture and the shirt KLEIN UNDERWEAR collar its frame, then buying a shirt based ROBERTO CAVALLI: “Not taking enough ANDREA PERRONE, BRIONI: MODEL: “Trying mostly on its color or pattern is likely to lead risk. There is nothing I admire more than “Trying too hard. Still, there too hard.” you to a less-than-ideal purchase.” when a man adds a little personality into are some rules that I never his look, whether it be color or mixing the break: Formal shoes must NICK WOOSTER, NEIMAN SIMON DOONAN, BARNEYS NEW YORK: “Not right prints.” always be worn with socks, MARCUS: “One doesn’t get giving yourself permission to enjoy your tie knots should never be too big credit for an ill-fi tting suit—no clothes because you think it isn’t masculine ANGELA MISSONI: “Gray leather shoes.” or wide and never wear black shoes matter the price point.” or is self-indulgent. Vivienne Westwood said with a brown suit.” that people who wear impressive clothes BRUNELLO CUCINELLI: “I prefer a man not to ALAN FLUSSER: “One function of lead better lives, and she’s right. In the 18th wear bracelets or rings. As a general rule, REMO RUFFINI, MONCLER: “Wearing male attire is to lead the viewer’s century, all straight men wore lace hankies. So simplicity is always best.” something that isn’t essential or eye to the face. Which colors and put that in your pipe and smoke it.” ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHI BIRMINGHAM CHI BY ILLUSTRATIONS

26 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.026.MistakesMenMake.a;15.indd 1 6/4/10 8:03:01 PM

RETRO MEETS MODERN IN FALL’S BEST PIECES—UPDATED WING TIPS, SLEEK BLACK WATCHES, EIGHTIES- INSPIRED SUNGLASSES AND A FRESH WHIFF OF ICONIC SCENTS FROM THE PAST. BY ALEX BADIA PHOTOS BY GREG BROOM picks e d it or ’s

Clockwise from top: Thom Browne, Florsheim by Duckie Brown, Gucci, To Boot New York and Church’s English Shoes.

28 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.028-31.EdPicks.a;17.indd 1 6/4/10 5:38:08 PM editor’s picks|black watches

Clockwise from top: Cartier, Chanel, IWC, Tag Heuer and Bulgari.

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 29

0621.MW.028-31.EdPicks.a;17.indd 2 6/4/10 5:38:56 PM editor’sxxxxxxxxx picks|round frames

From top: Tom Ford, Emporio Armani, Theo by Tim Van Steenbergen, Persol, Cutler and Gross, Oliver Peoples and Selima Optique. PROP STYLING BY RACHEL HAAS RACHEL BY STYLING PROP PHOTO CREDIT HERE CREDIT PHOTO

0030 MENSWEARSEASON xxxx

0621.MW.028-31.EdPicks.a;17.indd 3 6/4/10 5:39:21 PM PHOTO CREDIT HERE 0621.MW.028-31.EdPicks.a;17.indd 4 Armani andCreed1948Vetiver.Armani Parma Colonia,AcquadiGiòbyGiorgio Eau SauvagebyChristianDior, Acquadi L’Eau d’IsseybyIsseyMiyake,Aramis, AllureHommebyChanel, From topleft: editor’s picks | i conic fragrances FALL 2010/SPRING2011 WWD THEMAGAZINE 6/4/10 5:39:46PM 00

31 man in the news CHIRICO IN CHARGE PVH CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER EMANUEL CHIRICO WAS ONCE AN ASPIRING DENTIST FROM THE BRONX. HE NOW HELMS A $4.8 BILLION FASHION GIANT WITH MEGABRANDS CALVIN KLEIN AND TOMMY HILFIGER IN ITS PORTFOLIO. BY DAVID LIPKE

THE BRONX GAVE BIRTH TO TWO OF THE Chirico, who has a grounded and approachable biggest names in American fashion in Ralph Lauren and demeanor, was born in 1957 to a homemaker mother Calvin Klein—and now it may be time to add a third: and a father who was a crane operator on construction Emanuel Chirico. sites. His parents sent him to a prestigious Catholic Who? high school in the Bronx, Cardinal Spellman. Among He may not be quite the household name of his his schoolmates was a notable young woman: future Bronx brethren, but Chirico—who goes by Manny— Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “She was captains an apparel company, Phillips-Van Heusen, three years ahead of me. I remember her because that is fast becoming one of the largest in the world, I played basketball with her brother, who’s now a owning Calvin Klein and now Tommy Hilfi ger, which it doctor,” Chirico recalls. “She was president of the offi cially acquired on May 6. The deal doubled the size student body. Even back then she was the smartest of PVH—which, for most of its 130-year history, was a person in the room.” respected but sedate shirtmaker—and catapulted it into Planning on becoming a dentist, Chirico went on the fi rst ranks of modern, global fashion fi rms. to Fordham University, but orthodontics wasn’t in the “There must be something in the water,” says cards for him. “That idea lasted for one biology course,” Chirico, chairman and chief executive offi cer of PVH, he admits. “So I took some accounting courses. I was of his outer-borough origins. “I have to pinch myself getting married and needed something stable.” every once in a while. I fi nd it amazing that I’m running After graduating, Chirico joined Ernst & Young two of the most iconic brands in fashion.” and ended up staying for 14 years. In 1993, he jumped to Including licenses, those brands ring up massive sums PVH, and in 1999, he was promoted to chief fi nancial at retail, with Calvin Klein—which PVH acquired in offi cer. In 2005, he became president and chief 2003—bringing in about $5.8 billion, and Tommy Hilfi ger, operating offi cer when ceo Bruce Klatsky retired and $4.5 billion. And while those two labels represent the Mark Weber, the previous president and chief operating highest-profi le elements of PVH, the heritage businesses offi cer, was appointed to the top job. However, in a are important moneymakers, as well. The company is the surprise move eight months later, Weber was removed largest dress shirt manufacturer in the world, commanding from the ceo position by PVH’s board, and Chirico was a more than 45 percent market share in the department elevated to the role—much sooner than he or anyone store channel with owned and licensed brands such as else at the company would have predicted. Geoffrey Beene, Arrow, Nautica and DKNY. “It’s not the way I wanted to get this job,” said In neckwear, PVH’s dominance is even greater, as Chirico at the time. “It was a big surprise, and this it makes 50 percent of all ties sold in the U.S. under a isn’t a company that delivers surprises.” (Weber is now portfolio of more than 50 owned and licensed brands. chairman and ceo of Donna Karan Inc. and ceo of The company also owns the Izod sportswear brand and LVMH Inc. U.S.) markets Timberland sportswear under license. PVH’s Klatsky, who is now a partner at White Plains, retail business includes about 650 outlets for its Calvin N.Y.–based private equity fi rm LNK Partners, says Klein, Izod, Bass and Van Heusen brands. Chirico was long viewed by the PVH board as a ceo-in- Including Tommy Hilfi ger, PVH’s total 2010 waiting. “That succession was planned. Mark, Manny revenue is forecast at $4.8 billion, with earnings before and I were a triumvirate while I was ceo,” he explains. interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of close to “Manny has tremendous fi nancial acumen, and he also $800 million. has a tremendous set of personal values that were very Chirico, a former college basketball player and important to the culture of PVH.” boxer, may seem an unlikely fashion enthusiast, but he Klatsky adds that, while Chirico is at heart a gravitated toward the industry early in his career as an numbers person, he also has a fi rm grasp of other accountant at Ernst & Young. He ended up heading that “IT WILL TAKE 18 TO disciplines vital to the fashion business. “Manny is a fi rm’s retail and apparel practice before being recruited 24 MONTHS TO DIGEST fi nancially oriented fellow, but he has the ability to by PVH, one of his clients, to become its controller. relate to the marketing folks. It’s not very often you “I’ve always been interested in the fashion industry TOMMY, BUT WE WILL fi nd a talented fi nancial executive who respects and because it’s fast and exciting, and I love the dynamic understands that function so well,” says Klatsky, who of the business,” says Chirico, 53. “You can make CONTINUE TO LOOK AT spent 35 years at PVH and engineered the Calvin Klein changes relatively quickly compared to other industries. OTHER ACQUISITIONS acquisition. (LNK Partners helped fi nance part of If you can get the right product and design into the PVH’s acquisition of Tommy Hilfi ger, but Klatsky, who marketplace, you can effect change within months. In GOING FORWARD.” hasn’t had an active role in the equity fi rm for several something like the auto industry, it would take years.” —EMANUEL CHIRICO years, was not involved in the deal.)

32 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.032(34).Chirico.a;22.indd 1 6/4/10 6:13:47 PM T. (1)2036987459 /[email protected] /www.premierevision.fr Parc d’Expositions Paris-Nord France Villepinte The World’s Premier FabricShow™ 3 days Photo C. Chaize

autumn winterIII2 Sept.2010 14-16 man in the news

Summer 2010 looks from Tommy Hilfi ger and Calvin Klein Collection, left.

Chirico, for his part, calls Klatsky a key mentor. “He’s the one who really helped me with and its senior management team, intact, including Gehring. Only some back-offi ce functions my management style and opened my eyes to the possibilities of my own career,” says Chirico. will be rationalized between the two fi rms, with about $40 million in cost savings there. “I always thought of myself as a fi nancial manager, and he broadened my own ideas of what I Tommy Hilfi ger, who is based in New York, is staying on as principal designer and visionary could do and manage.” for the brand. In one of his non-PVH roles, Chirico—who is an enthusiastic golfer, despite his admitted Successfully integrating the Euro-centric Tommy Hilfi ger organization under the PVH “above 20” handicap—sits on the board of the $4.41 billion Dick’s Sporting Goods chain. umbrella will be a crucial test for Chirico. “When a merger fails, it’s usually not the economics, He’s also a trustee of Fordham University and a board member of the HealthCare Chaplaincy, but the culture,” points out Calvin Klein Inc. president Tom Murry, referring to his own a nonprofi t organization that provides chaplains to hospitals and education on the impact of successful experience with the process. “From Day One, Manny was one of the guys I felt a spirituality on health care. connection and chemistry with. Our management styles are very similar and I think that’s one Chirico’s interest in health care has close personal relevance. At 39, he was diagnosed reason we work so well together. We’re both delegators who surround ourselves with a strong with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. “It was a scary time, with six months of management team, giving them authority with accountability.” (Apart from Gehring and chemotherapy and radiation and fi ve years of follow-up testing, but everything is fi ne now,” he Murry, Chirico’s other key lieutenants are PVH president and chief operating offi cer Allen says of his early brush with mortality. Sirkin, vice chairman of wholesale apparel Ken Duane and cfo Michael Shaffer.) Today, Chirico lives with his wife, Joanne, in the affl uent town of Bronxville, N.Y., and is Chirico echoes Murry when describing his management philosophy. “My focus tends father to three sons—who have all followed in his footsteps, one way or another. The youngest to be to work with the teams running each business, overseeing their individual three-year is an undergrad at Fordham University, the middle son is a senior accountant at Ernst & Young plans,” he explains. “We map out strategy and I push the team to quantify results, build a and the eldest this year opened a boxing and mixed martial arts gym in New Rochelle, N.Y., cohesive fi nancial plan and make sure we get appropriate results. And then it’s allowing the called Westchester Fight Club. management teams to execute the strategies and hold As fate would have it, the Hilfi ger deal was actually them accountable for those results and to constantly fi rst set in motion by Chirico’s wife. Last September, at a Fred Gehring and communicate any variances to the plan or strategy.” Chirico in the charity dinner hosted by Macy’s chairman, president and One of the more challenging issues facing Chirico Tommy Hilfi ger ceo Terry Lundgren, she was serendipitously seated next Fifth Avenue store. and Gehring in the Hilfi ger business is, ironically for to Tommy Hilfi ger. The designer casually told her Chirico the red, white and blue brand, the U.S. market. Over should call Fred Gehring, ceo of Tommy Hilfi ger, to the past decade, Hilfi ger’s sales in Europe—where discuss what the two companies might cook up together. the brand enjoys a more premium positioning—have “I took that as a catalyst to call up Fred, and we had steadily grown from $76.6 million in fi scal 1999 to $1.13 dinner together, where we talked about possibilities,” billion last year. During the same period, U.S. sales says Chirico. “In October, we took a trip to [the Tommy have slid from $1.57 billion to $719.2 million, with the Hilfi ger headquarters in] Amsterdam, and we could see steepest falloff in the wholesale segment, where sales on the ground how strong the brand was and how strong dropped from $1.33 billion to just $192.7 million. their operations overseas were. It started a dialogue that However, under an exclusive deal with Macy’s, kept intensifying, and the economics of a potential deal which started in 2008, the U.S. wholesale segment has really fell into place around Christmas.” turned a corner, and Tommy Hilfi ger management The rest, as they say, is history. Following a period of expects sales to climb to $237.4 million this year, the fi rst due diligence, PVH agreed to pay British private equity increase in a decade. fund Apax Partners 2.2 billion euros, or about $3 billion at “The brand had gone through a period of decline in current exchange, in cash and PVH stock for the company. America, and our challenge is to reeducate the consumer (Apax paid $1.6 billion for the brand when it bought Tommy Hilfi ger in 2006.) here on what Tommy Hilfi ger stands for,” says Gehring during an interview in the company’s “It’s a large amount, but as a multiple of earnings, it’s fair,” Chirico explains. We are paying lavish Fifth Avenue fl agship. “The brand lost a lot of credibility. We are going to be patient and eight times EBITDA. We paid 2.2 billion euros, but we’re getting 275 million euros [or $338.8 not compromise the brand. We want to nurture it, but in a controlled and aspirational way.” million] in operating earnings.” If PVH’s success with Calvin Klein is any indicator, Hilfi ger’s growth prospects look To fi nance the transaction and provide liquidity for operations, PVH has taken on more than bright. Since 2003, Calvin Klein’s retail sales have increased at a 16 percent clip a year. In $3 billion in debt, but Chirico is confi dent the combined companies’ hefty free cash fl ow will the same period, PVH has improved its top line with a compound annual growth rate of 7.3 retire the debt relatively quickly. “In the go-go days of previous buyouts, leverage was at six or percent through fi scal 2009, an EBITDA expansion of 14.5 percent a year and a total market seven times EBITDA. Our leverage is less than three-and-a-half times EBITDA,” notes Chirico. capitalization increase of 25 percent annually. As with Calvin Klein (which PVH acquired for about $700 million, give or take, One might think that Chirico would be ready to rest on his laurels a bit, but he’s already depending on earn-outs), PVH intends to keep Tommy Hilfi ger an autonomous division of looking forward to PVH’s next move. “It will take 18 to 24 months to digest Tommy, but we will the company. Its headquarters will remain in Amsterdam—unbeknownst to most American continue to look at other acquisitions as part of our strategy going forward,” he says. “When

shoppers, the company’s center of gravity, along with most of its sales, are now in Europe— you’re a public company, you have to grow.” IANNACCONE THOMAS BY PHOTO CHIRICO AND GEHRING

34 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.032(34).Chirico.a;22.indd 2 6/4/10 6:14:09 PM Congratulations Ermenegildo Zegna on your centennial !

100 years of excellence in design. From Kiton’s lower- feature priced CIPA 1960 line, a wool blazer that retails for $4,495.

AS LUXE WOULD HAVE IT

RACKED BY RECESSION, THE LUXURY MARKET HAS STARTED TO REBOUND AS ELITE BRANDS OFFER A “MORE GENTLE PRICE POINT.” BUT THE AFFLUENT SHOPPER ISN’T THE SAME. BY JEAN E. PALMIERI

FOR A LONG TIME, LUXURY LABELS WERE ABOVE IT ALL. BRANDS AIMED AT THE MOST affl uent sliver of the market were simply immune to recession, they had long maintained. So it caused a minor stir this spring when Kiton, the renowned Neapolitan tailored-clothing company, introduced a lower-priced line called CIPA 1960 at Bergdorf Goodman Men. Everything remains relative. Although CIPA is pronounced “cheap-a,” the new collection is anything but. It includes beautifully tailored suits for $5,500, stitched entirely by hand, but made with fi ne archival wool or linen fabrics instead of Kiton’s usual cashmere blend. This helps shave about 30 percent off the typical $8,000 price of a classic Kiton suit—a meaningful saving for the upscale shopper still skittish after the Wall Street meltdown of fall 2008. And if the economic crisis has taught luxury marketers and retailers one lesson, it’s this: The old notion that they are recession proof is a myth. Leaders in the luxury fi eld are quickly adapting to a seismic shift in the market, one that affects not just pricing, but also consumer attitudes, shopping patterns and the very defi nition of luxury. As Gregory Furman, founder and chairman of the Luxury Marketing Council, puts it, “The luxury shopper has changed and will continue to be changed as never before.” Ron Frasch, vice chairman and chief merchant of Saks Fifth Avenue, sees opportunity for those who respond to this rapidly evolving consumer. The Great Recession, he says, was a “wake-up call that signifi cantly changed what we do. And perhaps it was long overdue.” The shake-up stems in part from a signifi cant decline in the size of the core luxury market. According to the 2009 World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management and Capgemini, the world’s population of high-net-worth individuals—defi ned as those with investable assets of more than $1 million—shrank 14.9 percent Continued on page 72

36 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.036(72-73).Luxury.a;19.indd 1 6/4/10 6:03:50 PM

feature

THE RETROSEXUAL REVOLUTION MEET THE NEWEST MALE CONSUMER ARCHETYPE. HE’S REPLACED THE METROSEXUAL OF THE PAST DECADE AND FAVORS BRANDS, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES INSPIRED BY TRADITIONAL NOTIONS OF MASCULINITY —BUT WITH A TWIST. BY DAVID LIPKE AND BRENNER THOMAS

FREEMANS SPORTING CLUB ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN IS A Age, Rogues Gallery, Red Wing boots and vintage Ray-Ban carefully art-directed establishment that re-creates the look and feel of an old-time barbershop. sunglasses. Men’s retailers have also gotten into the act, creating Customers sit in vintage chairs from the Thirties, and antique chrome dispensers ooze heated old-school environments based on men’s clubs or hunting shaving cream. It’s an overtly masculine haven inspired by an era when men were men and the lodges. Tom Ford fl agships evince the masculine swagger of barbershop was a pretty straightforward grooming experience. swank bachelor pads, while stores such as Odin and John Varvatos Still, this isn’t your father’s barbershop. A cut and shave here is actually a meticulously stylized have more of a Depression-era general store vibe, with rough-hewn experience in the guise of a retro-manly ritual. There are fancy products applied to the hair and fl oors, exposed brick and worn-leather furnishings. face from pricy purveyors such as Malin + Goetz and Baxter of California. The straight razors are “People respond to things that feel authentic and have a history, even made by hipster artisans at Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons, and the barbers themselves are gussied if that history is fabricated,” says Taavo Somer, co-founder of the two up in plaid shirts with ties, up-to-the-minute premium denim and newsboy caps tilted just so. FSC barber shops, as well as the associated Freemans Sporting Club FSC is one of a wave of upscale barbershops catering to guys who are seduced by the trappings haberdashery and Freemans restaurant, which all evoke the simple of masculine tradition, but demand it in a fashionable form. These are the same male consumers masculinity of the past in their decor and offerings. who have made carefully groomed beards ubiquitous in certain stylish quarters, decreed that While Freeman’s and its ilk cater to a trendy crowd, experts plaid is de rigueur and somehow turned DIY butchering into a trend (“Dude, let’s go scope out recommend that men’s retail in general adopt the strategy. In his book, A Levi’s fall the Henckel cleavers after we check out the Quoddy boots at J. Crew Liquor Store”). Branding the Man, Bertrand Pellegrin makes the case that men avoid 2010 look. It’s all part of a movement some call “retrosexual,” a play on the dated and derided term shopping because retail space is not designed for them. “In order for “metrosexual.” If the latter heralded the rise over the past decade the male customer to understand the merchandise, it needs of a newly manicured and somewhat emasculated modern male, Here and above: to be framed in a way that makes sense and can be instantly the retrosexual is at once an evolution and a renunciation of that FSC Barber in read as ‘masculine,’” he notes. “A man seeks places that offer trend. While these men are looking back to the styles, values and New York. compelling and emotional experiences that enhance his sense pastimes of traditional masculinity, they are doing so through of manhood.” Just as the retrosexual pulls from historical male the lens of the post-metrosexual male—one with heightened archetypes, Pellegrin suggests, men’s retailers should borrow from discernment about brands, aesthetics and lifestyle. traditionally male spaces such as gyms, sports bars, men’s clubs In the extreme, the retrosexual is hard to miss. Look for the and electronics stores. fl annel-clad urban woodsman with an encyclopedic knowledge Cultural observers say the current backward glance to the of single-malt Scotch or the nouveau gentleman riding around masculine norms of yesteryear is largely a reaction to the increased town on a fi xed-gear bicycle or the latter-day faux-laborer with blurring of gender roles as well as male economic insecurity. While meticulously inked-up arms in a boutique chambray shirt. But seeking authentic experiences amid today’s mass production and more subtle examples are everywhere. See Justin Timberlake’s marketing, men are looking to previous eras for a surer sense of taste for fedoras, Johnny Depp’s Buddy Holly–era eyeglasses self. “Guys have experienced a loss of power, and masculinity has and Jamie Oliver’s vintage Ford Bronco, which showed up been under pressure,” explains Ian Pierpoint, chief executive regularly in the chef’s TV show Food Revolution. offi cer of The Sound Research, a market research fi rm. “They are The trend can also be seen in the burgeoning popularity of looking to the past to borrow what they see as more stable and brands that connote Americana and heritage, whether real or authentic forms of masculinity.”

manufactured—such as Filson, Woolrich, Pendleton, Gilded Pierpoint identifi es two primary sources of male insecurity. INGALLS ANDREW BY PHOTOS BARBER FSC

38 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.038(40).WhatMenWant.a;14.indd 1 6/7/10 2:29:46 PM IndIvIdualIzedshIrts.com • 877-Is-shIrt amerIca’s custom shIrt maker 0621.MW.038(40).WhatMenWant.a;14.indd 2 40 will hold your lip balm. I will say holdyourIwill will balm. lip ‘yes’ when you want OldSpice aired metoafunny say ‘yes.’” where mendully beleaguered-looking recite sacrifi thelittle seemed preoccupied with male powerl launchedessness. Dodge acont executive offi the mid-Eighties. “Ithinktheunisex years are over,” says Charles Kirkpatrick, theassociation’s have Boards ofBarber Association ofAmerica.Thosenumbers increased steadily since alow in 100,000 shopsintheU.S.last year, thehighest in recent memory, according to theNational in author America: ofManhood A Cultural History “If thesexes are gravitate equal,menwill to thethingsthatdifferentiate them,”says Kimmel,the grew when theirsideburnsandbeards duringperiods women toward madevisiblestrides equality. He recalls astudy thatshowed thatmen more long-term confl two reasons: therecent recession andthe expressionstraditional for ofmasculinity that menare increasingly drawn to State University ofNew York, maintains president Candace Corlett. has really gotten theirattention,” says WSL concerned about [price], but thisrecession “Traditionally,coupons. we seemenasless percent—even admitted to clipping close. Agrowing ofguys—49 number of whom seekthelowest price, but it’s quite thesamelevel aswomen, 70 percent up from 59 percent That’snot in2008. thelowestgetting price was 62 percent, the percentage ofmenconcerned with In 2010 “How its AmericaShopsSurvey,” to theresearch fi asfrugal aswomen,becoming according in otherways, aswell. are Maleshoppers marketer TheInteger Group. president ofinsights andstrategy atbrand for marketers,” says Craig Elston, vice “open upalotofuntapped opportunities study in2007. inbehavior Suchshifts ago, up9percentage from points asimilar shopping today thantwo to three years say they are more involved withgrocery showedDecember percent that29 ofmen men’s. AMen’s Health study conducted in to $43.50—now just slightly aheadof increased more modestly, from $37.44 from $27.49 to $41.67, while women’s basketdollar size”ingrocery stores grew data, from to 2004 2009, men’s“average such asshopping.According to Nielsen once by handled women,responsibilities roles,masculine menhave taken on andasconsumers. in society thechangingroles ofmen documenting conducted over studies thepast few years notes Jack ofthatcompetition,” ispart their best Essig, publisher of ofLabor.the Department “Men are withwomen competing intheworkplace, andlooking fi ofpreviousand attitudes generations.” difference betweenthesexes thanever, andoneway guys dealwiththatisby thestyles adopting on sex, relationships, marriageandchildren have converged,” says. Pierpoint “There isless increasingly, they share similaroutlooks. “Ifyou to talk young menandwomen, theirviews men andwomen play equalroles atwork andshare more but ofthesamehouseholdduties, the jobless—more severely thanwomen. Theotheriswhat genderparity:Not hecalls only do nancial independence. Women now comprise 46.5percent force, ofthelabor according to Oneisunemployment, which hasimpacted men—who account for nearly 60percent of If menfeel marketers anxious, have to pickup onit.In begun February, Bowl Super ads Certainly shopshave barber enjoyed asurge inpopularity. There were 235,000 in barbers Michael Kimmel,asociologist atthe Shopping patterns have converged As women have adopted traditionally steadily parityhasdeepened Gender since World War aswomen II have increased their

MENSWEAR MENSWEAR cer, referring hairsalonsfavored to thedual-gender by metrosexuals. rm WSL Strategic Retail. uence ofgenderroles. The fallGildedAgepresentation. Fall looksfromBillyReid. Gant Rugger’snewBleeckerStreetstore. and14 onsimilarsubjects. otherbooks ces they make for theirwives: “I Men’s Health, which has roversial commercial want tested around last. andwill Guys stuff andbeen that’sbeen respond to afeeling of history.” really aspace thatwas by regular for dudes regular Guys dudes. are very suspicious offashion.They when “Ifyou atthemarket, appeal. asked look andboutique’s abouthisbarbershop there was not more packaging traditionallymasculine andpresentation. country. Meanwhile, edgeisgravitating theleading to fashionable with products andservices access to brands these andstyles, which would nothave available been to themfi merchandise to 50states. all “Technology isreally giving over menall theU.S.,even inremote areas, Richardson base. total notes thecompany membership 25 percent trendy ships its ofthee-tailer’s and general managerofmen’satGilt Groupe, which who has625,000 malemembers account for having andbrands oflife,” good clothes isanimportant part says Nathan Richardson, vice president three before times buying themselves somethingandasking ifthey really needit,”says NPD Group, men’sapparel more isrebounding slowly thanwomen’s. “Guys are two thinking or world,”in today’s sheobserves. counts inAmericanmen—sparked insperm decline thelatest campaign. “Men are struggling Dockers vice president ofglobal marketing, says various trends—including thatshow studies a marching around intheirunderwear, needto buckupandstart wearing ThePants. Jenn Say, spokesman urges, out pointing theinadequacy ofthelump onthecouch. the average watching atme.Now joe athome.“Look atyour look man. Now atme,”the look attention thatcalled tospot thedifference between thebrand’s handsomespokesman and The J.CrewLiquorStore. “I thinkthere isalongingfor somethingthatwas missing inthemarket,” says FSC’s Somer So themetrosexual isn’tcompletely dead:He simply moved from thecityto therest ofthe Perhaps thatstruggle hasinhibited astrong return According to spending. to TheNPD Dockers unveiled anaddeclaringthatmen,represented by agroup ofhomely guys from Buckler. A fallstyle metrosexual trend isthatmost guys feel that more money ongrooming products. whiledid, 88percent saidthey spend regimen thantheirfathers’generation said they have amore extensive grooming years ago. Themajority—63 percent— about one’sappearance today than10 men saidthere ismore pressure to care 83behaviors andattitudes, percent of jointly conducted astudy ofgrooming happening.” isstill differences itdescribed irrelevant. ofgender Theneutralization that passed, but what we ‘thetrend’ call is trend adecadeago. “Theterm was afad at Euro RSCG who identify the helped contends MarianSalzman, aforecaster whole metrosexual very thingisstill real,” represented have mainstream. “The become metrosexual seemsdated, thetrends it into retrosexual. today’s Even iftheterm metrosexual phenomenonasitevolves to effectmen points thelingering ofthe guys, oflike issort thelabel thecarhedrives.” men thanto women,” notes Cohen. “For to “Brands $962.8 meanmore million. to brands inwomen’s wear 3.7percent declined Group. ofdesigner sales In thesameperiod, to $922.6 according million, to TheNPD designer brands inmen’srose 9.6percent three months endedinMarch, totalof sales strong For rebound isdesigner labels. the women’s, ayear earlier. inthesameperiod inmen’s,andthe3percentdecline drop in decreases are thanthe4.8percent smaller 1.5 percent to $105.48 those Still, billion. whilebillion, total women’s dipped sales men’s apparel fell sales 3.3percent to $51.58 changed to calculated consumption.” Cohen. “Conspicuous consumptionhas Group analyst chiefindustry Marshal “The by-product ofthewhole Earlier thisyear, when GQandAllure The revived designer business for One men’sapparel category a making For the12months endedinMarch, total ve years ago,” hesays. 6/7/10 2:32:57PM ■

BILLY REID PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA; BUCKLER BY STEVE EICHNER; GILDED AGE BY TODD MATARAZZO

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 1 6/4/10 5:42:47 PM DESIGNERS TAKE A YOUTHFUL APPROACH TO TAILORED CLOTHING FOR SPRING 2011, WITH SLIM-FITTING SUITS—BODY ENHANCING YET UNCONSTRUCTED—IN NEUTRAL-COLORED COTTON, LINEN OR SUMMER-WEIGHT WOOL. BY ALEX BADIA

PHOTOS BY ERIC RAY DAVIDSON

Jil

Ma

Do

Ro

Bu

Pra

Br

Ca

Marc Jacobs’ cotton suit. Giles & Brother and Sku bracelets; Gucci sandals; Bottega Veneta sunglasses.

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 45

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 2 6/4/10 5:43:08 PM Dolce & Gabbana’s cotton and silk jacket, Dior Homme’s cotton tank top and Caruso’s wool pants. Sku necklaces.

46 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 3 6/4/10 5:43:34 PM Jil Sander’s jacket and shirt, both in cotton.

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 4 6/4/10 5:44:01 PM Calvin Klein Collection’s cotton suit.

48 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 5 6/4/10 5:44:26 PM Burberry London’s cotton jacket, Christopher Fischer’s cashmere and linen sweater and Haspel’s wool pants.

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 49

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 6 6/4/10 5:44:55 PM Caption goes here for this Roberto Cavalli’s cotton jacket, Burberry caption goes here for this Prorsum’s cotton shirt and Louis Vuitton’s wool caption goes here for this shorts. Oliver Peoples sunglasses. caption goes here for this caption goes here for this caption goes here for. MODEL: PETEY/FORD; GROOMING BY SARAH SIBIA AT SEE MANAGEMENT; FASHION ASSISTANT: LUIS CAMPUZANO; FASHION INTERN: HEATHER EVITTS HEATHER INTERN: FASHION CAMPUZANO; LUIS ASSISTANT: FASHION MANAGEMENT; SEE AT SIBIA SARAH BY GROOMING PETEY/FORD; MODEL:

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 7 6/4/10 5:45:22 PM Prada’s suit and Prada Sport’s shirt, both in cotton. Bottega Veneta tie; Giorgio Armani sandals.

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 51

0621.MW.044-51.SummerSuits.a;11.indd 8 6/4/10 5:45:55 PM AND HISBY UPCOMING VANESSA LAWRENCE ROLE IN

THE HURT LOCKER,

Toa s t PROMISES TO BE EQUALLY EDGY. SO WHY WON’T HE QUIT HIS DAY JOB? THE TOWN of the PHOTOS BY MATTHIAS VRIENS-MCGRATH STYLED BY ALEX BADIA JEREMY RENNER WON ACCLAIM AS A RECKLESS BOMB-DISPOSAL EXPERT IN BEN AFFLECK’S

Don’t let his laid-back, down-home, “I’m just a dude” ’tude fool you. Though Jeremy Renner arrives at a recent photo shoot in Los Angeles wearing worn-in gray jeans, a Led Zeppelin T-shirt and a playful, boyish grin to match, put the man in a Dior Homme suit (“fi ts like a glove off the Towrack”) and the 39-year-old transforms into your childhood best friend who, n oh, just happens to be an Oscar-nominated movie star. This dude likes his Guinness with a side of Armani. “Oh, that’s it?” he says, the disappointment evident in his voice, when the photographer snaps his last shot. That’s not to say that Renner has gone completely fancy since the Academy Awards, where he was nominated in the best actor category for his leading role in The Hurt Locker. His daily uniform still consists of beat-up boots (an old pair from Amsterdam), a T-shirt and jeans, these days usually by Paige. Continued on page 54

John Varvatos’ cotton T-shirt.

52 MENSWEAR

00621.MW.052-55.JeremyRenner.a;22.indd621.MW.052-55.JeremyRenner.a;22.indd 1 66/4/10/4/10 55:54:21:54:21 PMPM E n

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 53

0621.MW.052-55.JeremyRenner.b;23.indd 2 6/4/10 8:00:53 PM Continued from page 52 tyle to me is something that represents your personality. If you look at any of the photos [from awards season], I have an H&M shirt on with, like, a Louis [Vuitton] jacket and I probably have some shoes from Aldo,” says the actor. “When it comes to fashion, I don’t like things where it looks like you really tried.” The same could be said of his on-screen appeal. Whatever considerable effort lies behind the characters he has tackled—from serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to the villainous Bobby Sharp in North Country—the end result is always seamlessly realized and recognizably human. Though often something of a loose cannon. His latest role, in the Ben Affl eck–directed The Town, is no exception. Based on the novel Prince of Thieves, the fi lm, which opens in September and also stars Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively, focuses on a group of professional bank robbers from Charlestown, Mass. (Though fi ctional, the story has a basis in fact, as many bank robberies in Boston each year originate in Charlestown.) Affl eck is Doug, a criminal with a sensitive side, while Renner is his best friend and foil, Jem, who’s working through some anger and violence issues. “There’s something I’ve always been attracted to in wild card characters, and Jem defi nitely fi ts the bill for that,” he explains. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen when you see this guy on the screen, and I think that’s a really exciting kind of character to play.” To prepare, Renner met with some real Charlestown vagrants—most in prison—to help him key into Jem’s refusal to go straight. “I don’t think he has the capabilities or really the will to fi nd the way out. He’s not really an expansive- mind kind of guy. He’s just nose to the grind, does what he does and does it well,” says Renner, whose Modesto, Calif., upbringing also helped his understanding of the part. “My small town of Modesto, most people stayed there and made babies. There’s not a lot of great jobs out there. So you’re resigned to the small-town, raising-a-family life, which is fantastic. Myself, I left and went to a big city and pursued a big dream of being an actor. And I didn’t look back.” TheT eldest of fi ve children, Renner didn’t always have movie-star ambitions. His parents worked at theth local McHenry bowling alley until he was eight, when they divorced and his mom moved just acrossacro the street and became a bookkeeper for Foster Farms Dairy. He describes his hometown as “a greatg kind of Middle America–feeling small town,” where he spent his high school years earning good grades, playing soccer and baseball and running track and jamming out with friends in a bandband, fi rst on drums and then moving on to songwriting, which he still does (“I think eventually I’ll probprobably start to get really serious about recording,” he says). “[“[I always had] the drive to do,” recalls Renner, who, as a kid, consistently had a job, from operatoperating a paper route to washing cars. “I just kind of had that drive to work to do things I wanted to do. I’ve always had a will to be curious.” This extended to his time at junior college, where he studied, variously, computer science and criminology, ending up with a double major in theater and psychology. And it was tthere he discovered acting. “I took thithis elective and it was an acting class, and then it was all over from there. And it wasn’t even a question,” says RRenner. “In refl ection, it was being able to hide in a character and explore all these feelings that I was personally having at the time that I wasn’t able to explore comfortably in myself.…It became a really kind of lovely playground for me, ththe stage. And then it became about the artistry of it, once I started purging all these feelings.” But artistry doesdoesn’t always pay the bills, a fact that explains the seemingly limitless vocational skills that have kept Renner comfortabcomfortable over the years. To earn extra cash, he’s worked in fancy resorts in Maui and even as a makeup artist, a stint that sstarted at a Modesto mall Lancôme counter and carried over to his early time in Los Angeles. He says he took the job because he enjoys painting (“a great way to hit on chicks”). Even nownow,, aafter his breakout role in The Hurt Locker, he runs a house-fl ipping business with one of his best friends, fellow actor Kristoffer Ryan Winters, that, over the past 10 years, has had them buying, moving into, renovating anand then selling 15 homes in the Hollywood Hills area. “This acacting thing doesn’t pay. We make money in real estate. And that affords me, as an actor, to not have to taktake things because I need money,” explains Renner. He currently is living in a 7,000-square-foot house that once belonged to Preston Sturges. “I call it f--k-you money. ‘No, I don’t need your goddamned movie; f--k you, I’ll go build another house with my brother.’ I love saying f--k you, too.” Aside from keeping him in the green, Renner’s real estate endeavors also have kept him grounded. During awawards season earlier this year, his midconstruction digs threw a comical wrench into his routine. “I was brushing my teeth in Starbucks because we didn’t have any plumbing,” he says. “I remember sleeping uunder painter’s plastic because it was so dusty. I had to create this tent, like Bubble Boy, around my bed. I had to put holes in it so I could breathe. It’s kind of pathetic.” Or as real as it gets. Though the “I’m not changed by fame” refrain can sound pretty lame coming from other actors,acto in Renner’s delivery, it sounds believable. “The fi ght is still the fi ght. The struggle is still the struggle. Two of the movies that I really wanted to do fell ththrough and are not going to happen,” he says. “So now I’m sitting here, unemployed, smoking a

cigarette with a cup of coffee in a dusty house.” GROOMING BY HELEN ROBERTSON AT CELESTINE FOR CHANEL; FASHION ASSISTANTS: LEILA BABOI AND KIM KAJOHN That is, until he plays his next wild card.

Polo Ralph Lauren’s leather jacket, A J. Crew’s cotton sweatshirt and Giorgio Armani’s cotton pants.

0621.MW.052-55.JeremyRenner.a;22.indd 3 6/4/10 5:55:15 PM GROOMING BY HELEN ROBERTSON AT CELESTINE FOR CHANEL; FASHION ASSISTANTS: LEILA BABOI AND KIM KAJOHN ASSISTANTS: FASHION CELESTINE FOR CHANEL; AT HELEN ROBERTSON GROOMING BY

Acne’s cotton denim shirt and Levis’ cotton denim jeans. Etiqueta Negra belt. FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 55

0621.MW.052-55.JeremyRenner.b;23.indd 4 6/4/10 8:01:20 PM BEEFY CABLE KNITS, THICK SHEARLINGS AND HEAVY BOOTS SET THE TONE AS DESIGNERS FAVOR RUGGED OUTDOOR LOOKS FOR FALL. THE RESULT IS MASCULINE STYLE WITH A HINT OF HERITAGE. BY ALEX BADIA Outwa r Bound PHOTOS BY RODOLFO MARTINEZ

Missoni’s wool sweater and pants and Band of Outsiders’ cotton shirt. Missoni scarf.

56 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.056-61.Alpine.a;15.indd 1 6/4/10 5:23:13 PM ard d

0621.MW.056-61.Alpine.a;15.indd 2 6/4/10 5:24:48 PM Dunhill’s cotton, leather and wool coat; John Varvatos’ wool shirt, and Hermès’ wool and cashmere pants. Dunhill tie, belt, fl ask and boots; Cire gloves; Pantherella socks.

58 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.056-61.Alpine.a;15.indd 3 6/4/10 5:25:18 PM Dries Van Noten’s wool coat, Hermès’ wool and cashmere jacket and D&G’s wool turtleneck.

FALL ’10 / SPRING ’11 00

0621.MW.056-61.Alpine.a;15.indd 4 6/4/10 5:25:45 PM MODELS: ADRIEN B./FORD, LINO/WILHELMINA AND BERTHOLD R./FUSION; HAIR BY RYAN TANIGUCHI USING REDKEN WITH KATE RYAN INC.; SET DESIGN: MATTHEW BETMALECK STUDIO, BETMALECK.COM; FASHION ASSISTANT: LUIS CAMPUZANO; FASHION INTERN: HEATHER EVITTS INTERN: HEATHER CAMPUZANO; FASHION LUIS ASSISTANT: BETMALECK.COM; FASHION BETMALECK STUDIO, INC.; SET DESIGN: MATTHEW RYAN USING REDKEN WITH KATE TANIGUCHI RYAN HAIR BY R./FUSION; MODELS: ADRIEN B./FORD, LINO/WILHELMINA AND BERTHOLD

Burberry Prorsum’s cotton canvas coat and wool pants and Hermès’ wool sweater. Burberry boots.

60 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.056-61.Alpine.a;15.indd 5 6/4/10 5:26:09 PM Hermès’ cashmere and silk cardigan, Lanvin’s cotton shirt and Z Zegna’s wool pants. Duckie Brown gloves. SIGN: MATTHEW BETMALECK STUDIO, BETMALECK.COM; FASHION ASSISTANT: LUIS CAMPUZANO; FASHION INTERN: HEATHER EVITTS HEATHER INTERN: FASHION CAMPUZANO; LUIS ASSISTANT: FASHION BETMALECK.COM; STUDIO, BETMALECK MATTHEW SIGN: MODELS: ADRIEN B./FORD, LINO/WILHELMINA AND BERTHOLD R./FUSION; HAIR BY RYAN TANIGUCHI USING REDKEN WITH KATE RYAN INC.; SET DE SET INC.; RYAN KATE WITH REDKEN USING TANIGUCHI RYAN BY HAIR R./FUSION; BERTHOLD AND LINO/WILHELMINA B./FORD, ADRIEN MODELS:

s

0621.MW.056-61.Alpine.a;15.indd 6 6/4/10 5:26:44 PM THE INFLUENCER ON THE MEN’S FASHION MAP, IT SEEMS, ALL ROADS LEAD TO RAF SIMONS. NOW, AS HE PREPARES TO BE THE GUEST DESIGNER AT PITTI, THE JIL SANDER CREATIVE DIRECTOR REFLECTS ON THE BALANCE BETWEEN THAT BRAND’S MINIMALIST LEGACY AND HIS OWN RELENTLESS FOCUS ON THE FUTURE. BY JEAN SCHEIDNES

THANKS TO HIS CREATIVE DIRECTORSHIP AT JIL SANDER, RAF SIMONS HAS BECOME the foremost authority on minimalism, while in a parallel world further from the mainstream, his own futurist label enjoys a fashion-cult following. The minimalist side will take the spotlight at Pitti Uomo this summer in Florence, where the designer is showing the fall collection for Jil Sander. “The Jil Sander world has always been very controlled, and I’m interested in freeing the brand,” Simons says. “People said, ‘Jil Sander? In Florence?’ That’s exactly why it interests me.” He’s already revitalized the brand with creative yet appropriate variations on the legacy he inherited, garnering strong reviews and the corporate confi dence to extend Jil Sander into new categories and roll out stores. When Simons arrived in 2005—upon the second retirement of founder Jil Sander from the brand, and in the midst of upheaval under Prada’s ownership—he found a company mired in a 1995 mind-set, but the staff proved thoroughly adaptable. “A lot of people there worked with Jil, and I learn from them every day,” Simons says of his initial plunge into the Jil Sander culture. “At the same time, I felt immediately its limitations and the limited process of thinking that went on before me. It’s OK to have a specifi c way of doing things, but fashion is not art. You have a responsibility to ask clients what they want, and ask what fashion is today. “I think it was Jil who did not allow it,” Simons adds. “Everyone had to overcome this. [Fashion in] the “I DON’T WANT TO SEEM THAT I’M ONLY INTERESTED IN BREAKING MEN OF THEIR RESTRICTIONS. THAT’S NOT AN ISSUE, BECAUSE I DON’T SEE A CLASSICAL APPROACH AS A RESTRICTION.”—RAF SIMONS

20th century became something else. Once you are responsible for feeding so many mouths, you’d better make sure you listen and concentrate on where fashion is moving to.” But while Simons relishes bending rules, he is steadfast about one: He will not sit for a portrait, despite the media interest surrounding Pitti. Two extant portraits, both of them years old, are proffered with apologies. Simons isn’t being icy. On the contrary, he loves conversation. He simply loathes being in front of a camera, and if that limits his media opportunities or forces others to live with a hazy mental picture of him, so be it. Besides, when people talk about Simons, mostly they talk about his infl uence. And that defi es easy defi nition. One approach would be to map the latest runway trends directly to the collections where he introduced them before everyone else. In 2010 alone, we’ve seen boomlets of oversize backpacks, brothel creepers, sleeveless blazers and contrasting sleeves, all of which were cornerstones of his 2008 and 2009 collections. Some would even argue that his skinny suits in the mid-Nineties paved the way for Hedi Slimane’s at Dior Homme, which led to the persistence of slimmer tailoring today. Yet Simons’ greatest contribution to fashion may not be a specifi c silhouette, accessory or style. It is his will to reinvent. Simons’ drive to improve upon his surroundings doesn’t seem to stem from displeasure or a critical view. He simply thrives upon the work, having found the work that suits him best. The designer was born in 1968 in Neerpelt, a Belgian village without a movie theater, record store or gallery. His parents, a career soldier and a house cleaner, sent him to a rigorous Catholic school that mostly

62 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.062-63.RafSimons.a;13.indd 1 6/7/10 3:10:33 PM shielded him from the arts. When Simons was 16, a Belgian curator placed the work of says. “I answer my own phone.” international artists inside homes in the city of Ghent, on the condition that residents allow Despite the turbulence caused by three different owners in fi ve years, the brand’s viability has the public inside to see them. That fi rst meaningful exposure to the arts world was a revelation mushroomed during Simons’ tenure. It has made strides into eyewear, fragrances, jeans, footwear, to Simons, whose school was pushing him into medicine or law (“my worst nightmare”). Then jewelry, innerwear and beachwear and a women’s diffusion line called Navy. Simons is not directly he came across an architecture book, a pivotal moment. He fi gured industrial design was the involved in Navy, but chief executive offi cer Alessandro Cremonesi expects it to boost Jil Sander’s thing, moved to Genk for his degree, and designed furniture for a short period, but found it too turnover of 100 million euros, or about $134 million, by 30 percent in the fi rst year. isolating and without many prospects. Simons is the only men’s designer enjoying such acclaim at two houses simultaneously. He By that time, the Antwerp Six had stormed the fashion world. travels weekly between Milan and Antwerp, where he lives alone in a midcentury modern “For sure it had a big impact for a small country,” Simons says. “We are most known for house, and where the design team for Raf Simons is based. diamonds and chocolates. The success of these designers The signature line and the diffusion, Raf by Raf Simons, was a big thing in Belgium. It showed us possibilities.” belong to Milan-based Futurenet via a joint venture agreement Antwerp’s fashion scene drew him in for good at age 25. with Japan’s Mitsui Group. Production is centralized in He interned for Walter Van Beirendonck and found a mentor Italy. The partners operate two freestanding Raf Simons R in the director of fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, stores, in Tokyo and Osaka. They aim to add two, in Hong Linda Loppa, who had instructed the Antwerp Six years Kong and Beijing, by 2011, and eventually one in New York. before. Simons launched a youth-oriented, street-inspired While Simons has obviously impacted Jil Sander, Jil collection under his own name in 1995; started showing it in Sander has also affected Raf Simons, sharpening his focus on Paris two years later, and quickly caused a sensation. quality and top-tier fabrics. And Simons has learned to think That unusually skinny tailoring? He showed it not on more commercially without dulling the avant-garde aspect. agency models but on noodle-thin adolescents. It made “Now I can think, Hmm, that’s something people might a proclamation of youth—but not the overindulged, understand, and think about doing it in a more commercial hyperstimulated youth lifestyle we see glamorized in way within the collection,” he says. “I know now about American media, because that’s not how youth feels [working within] big structure and small structure. I don’t to a Catholic school boy in rural Belgium. Simons want to say one is better than the other. But I see that in a continuously channeled the true emotional vicissitudes small structure, it’s diffi cult to bring out an idea and take of that age, the ideals and the confl icts. Sometimes it was the profi t fi nancially from it. A big house has so much more aggressive, sometimes poetic. In addition to referencing possibility to communicate the idea and educate buyers youth subcultures such as Goths, surfers and punks, and all that.…I’ve learned to hold ideas back until I think he sometimes borrowed codes from rebels and other it’s the right time and right structure to bring them out.” marginal types—even jihadists months before 9/11. In early 2009, Raf Simons staged a return to classical Simons found the design process of fashion suited his tailoring, a streak that continued for three seasons. The collaborative nature, which he attributes to the loneliness collections boasted plenty of novelties, as well, but the he felt growing up as an only child. He became an animal elegant suits initially delivered a shock to those expecting Jil Sander, Raf Simons, lover as numerous pets fi lled the absence of siblings. As something more outré. fall 2010. fall 2010. an adult, he constantly strives for a semblance of family “People might have thought I rejected tailoring, cohesion among his friends and colleagues, he says. but I never did. It’s how I started, and I have a constant “I’m a very communicative person in my work. I give attraction to going back to something, but still not looking a lot of freedom to the people I work with. I’m very much at things in a traditional way,” he says. “A man in a decent a talker,” he says. “This idea of doing it alone is much less suit is fantastic. It makes sense. I see the beauty of it. I see attractive than giving it to people and enjoying it together. the power of it. I just keep on thinking that I can also show I never saw fashion as something you do alone. For me, the other possibilities. I don’t want to seem that I’m only that’s not even possible.” interested in breaking men of their restrictions. That’s Simons’ ambitious and slightly sadistic showmanship not an issue, because I don’t see a classical approach as proved painfully effective. If you received an invitation, a restriction.” Mindful that his collection started with which was far from assured, you then had to deal with youthful tailoring, he wants to continue addressing the anxieties about remote locations, late hours, agitated men who grew up with the 15-year-old label. crowds. The more inconvenient, the more intimidating Since learning to work with such an established brand the venue, the more people wanted in. Once inside, there as Jil Sander, he has entered Raf Simons into collaborations would be a long wait, a glimpse of fashion’s future and with Fred Perry, Eastpak and Dr. Martens. Futurenet fi nally a longing to see more. opened 400 Fred Perry by Raf Simons accounts in 2008. Simons aligned his work with contemporary artists Another change? Despite holding fi rm on his almost from the start, long before the fashion industry’s resistance to portraiture, Simons has actually grown more sizzling affair with that world during the last bull market. comfortable with the more public role he’s had to play He incorporated sculptures and videos into his shows, and since arriving at Jil Sander. “I used to not come out after was an avid collector and curator on the side. the show, but now I understand better that it’s nice to These merits and more moved Prada SpA to tap Simons do, and it’s also nice for the people who work with me for the house of Jil Sander fi ve years ago, after the founder to receive attention,” he says, alluding to his practice of had fl ed not once but twice. Jil Sander had been a hallmark of bringing assistants out with him. “I’ve always been shy, all the minimalist Nineties, known for uncompromising quality, my life. But I also feel pride in my work.” Jil Sander, Raf Simons, intensive fabric research and quiet elegance. But it lost relevance spring 2010. spring 2010. Some designers pay lip service to modernity while in the years of dot-com excess, logomania and “It” bags. doling out retro-futuristic spaceman clichés. Simons, on With Simons installed, Prada sold Jil Sander in 2006 the other hand, is truly forward thinking and thought to London-based private equity fi rm Change Capital Partners for an estimated $146 million. provoking about new ways of relating to the body and addressing realities of life. He never Having returned the business to modest profi tability, Change Capital in turn sold it to Tokyo- serves up fashion as fantasy or self-aggrandizement. The clothes don’t have to convey power or based apparel giant Onward Holdings for $244.1 million in 2008. Simons is universally wealth or importance. They incite desire through sheer novelty and distinction. regarded as pivotal to the turnaround. “The future, for me, is romantic,” he says. “I don’t understand people who say the past is “I don’t think like I’m the boss. The people in my environment are all on the same level, romantic. Romantic, for me, is something you don’t know yet, something you can dream about, whether the ceo or the cleaning lady. I talk to them in the same way, and I talk to all of them,” he something unknown and mystical. That I fi nd fascinating.” ■

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 63

0621.MW.062-63.RafSimons.a;13.indd 2 6/7/10 3:13:27 PM DENIM BRANDS TAKE INSPIRATION FROM THE BEACH BOYS OF THE SIXTIES, RIDING A RETRO WAVE WITH HEAVY WASHES AND NARROW SILHOUETTES. LOOK FOR SHORTER SHORTS, DENIM JACKETS, BAJA-INSPIRED SWEATERS AND GRAPHIC T-SHIRTS WITH SUBTLE TIE-DYES. BY ALEX BADIA

64 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.064-67.Beach.b;13.indd 1 6/7/10 12:49:33 PM Here, from left: YMC’s sweater and Lightning Bolt’s shorts, both in cotton; Levi’s cotton denim jacket and Topman’s cotton T-shirt and nylon shorts; Steven Alan’s jacket, Aviator Nation’s T-shirt and 7 Diamonds’ denim jeans, all in cotton; Topman’s T-shirt and Cheap Monday’s denim jeans, both in cotton. Etiqueta Negra belt.

Top left, from left: Polo Ralph Lauren’s sweater and Nobody’s denim shorts, both in cotton; Lova’s tank top and Agave’s denim jeans, both in cotton; Unis’ cotton sweater, Christopher Fischer’s cashmere and linen sweater, on neck, and Vilebrequin’s nylon shorts; Zanerobe’s polyester swim trunks.

Top right, from left: Zanerobe’s cotton shirt, LNA’s cotton T-shirt and Trovata’s nylon shorts; J.Lindeberg’s jacket and shorts and Rogues Gallery’s sweater, all in cotton; American Apparel’s jacket, Luke Simon’s T-shirt and Vans’ shorts, all in cotton. AG cotton denim jeans.

0621.MW.064-67.Beach.b;13.indd 2 6/7/10 12:50:44 PM 0621.MW.064-67.Beach.b;13.indd 3 66

MENSWEAR MENSWEAR Left: GantRugger’s sweater andDiesel’sdenimjeans,bothincotton. Left: Cucinelli’sdenimjeans, both in cotton. Above: GantRugger’ssweater andBrunello all incotton. and Vanishing Elephant’sshorts, jacket,Lightning Bolt’sT-shirtLevi’s cotton sweater. Warriors ofRadness’ pants, allincotton. American Apparel’s Topman’s tanktopand Aviator Nation’s sweater, both incotton. Apparel’s T-shirt, and American NSF’s sweater 6/7/10 12:51:20PM

MODELS: RYAN S/RE:QUEST, TRAVIS B./WILHELMINA, HELGE/VNY AND RORY/MAJOR; HAIR AND MAKEUP BY ANNA BERNABE FOR CLINIQUE; FASHION ASSISTANT: LUIS CAMPUZANO; PHOTO ASSISTANT: FRANCOIS HUGON; FASHION INTERNS: SIMON SIRIXAY AND MADISON MOORE; JEWELRY THROUGHOU T BY MIANSAI AND SKU MODELS: RYAN S/RE:QUEST, TRAVIS B./WILHELMINA, HELGE/VNY AND RORY/MAJOR; HAIR AND MAKEUP BY ANNA BERNABE FOR CLINIQUE; FASHION ASSISTANT: LUIS CAMPUZANO; PHOTO ASSISTANT: FRANCOIS HUGON; FASHION INTERNS: SIMON SIRIXAY AND MADISON MOORE; JEWELRY THROUGHOU T BY MIANSAI AND SKU 0621.MW.064-67.Beach.b;13.indd 4 of Radness’shorts,allincotton. Insight’s tanktopandWarriors Shades ofGrey’sdenimjacket, cotton. jeans, bothin J. Crew’sdenim sweater and Riviera Club’s denim jeans. Sewn’s cotton Earnest 6/7/10 12:52:01PM 0621.MW.068-71.Zegna.a;16.indd 1 Generation Z:Paolo, GildoandAnnaZegna in theMilanheadquarters. 6/4/10 8:27:06PM

PHOTO BY SAKIS LALAS THE ZEGNA A CENTURY AFTER ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA LAUNCHED A NEW KIND OF ITALIAN TEXTILE BUSINESS, HIS GRANDCHILDREN GIVE NEW MEANING TO HIS GLOBAL VISION. BY EMILIE MARSH MASTERS

MAY 11 IS A SIGNIFICANT DATE IN TRIVERO, IN THE LUSH FOOTHILLS OF THE Also nearby is Ermenegildo’s original palatial home, maintained as it was during his Italian Alps, where Gildo and Paolo Zegna prepare to address 500 weavers on the distinguished lifetime: The founder’s elegant navy suits still hang in his armoire. past—and future—of their company. It was on this day in 1910, exactly 100 years ago, that an “The locals would call him Il Signor Conte, not because of the title, but out of respect— 18-year-old Ermenegildo Zegna opened a wool mill with a simple yet lofty goal: to produce as he respected them,” says Anna, who is image director and president of the group’s fabric that was, as he put it, “the most beautiful in the world.” philanthropic arm, Fondazione Zegna. “[My grandfather] knew all his workers by name, and In observation of Z Day, the founder’s grandchildren he shared everything with them. What he built around [the speak intently to the weavers—some of whose forebears factory] was to help the community.” also worked at the mill—about the crucial importance of “WITH THE CRISIS, Flipping through the pages of the recently published preserving that ambition. ONE MUST HAVE Ermenegildo Zegna Centennial Book, Anna stops at a photo “Without the passion, drive, dedication, creativity and of her impeccably dressed grandfather—in an exquisitely efforts of all the generations that have accompanied us THE ABILITY TO tailored suit, hat and cane—walking with his wife, Virginia. on this long, 100-year journey, the dream of our founder, “He was severe, but his soul was very human,” she recalls. Ermenegildo, would never have come true,” says Gildo, chief STAY COOL.…THIS In the center of the village, just a short stroll from the executive offi cer of Ermenegildo Zegna. WASN’T THE FIRST factory, a school, a hospital, housing facilities, a gymnasium His cousin, Paolo, chairman of the luxury suit maker, and a swimming pool stand as legacies of Ermenegildo’s adds, “The future is uncertain, as we know, but we are sure DOWNTURN AND IT public spirit during the Thirties. The company founder also [that] together, our tenacity and vision will lead us to even constructed Panoramica Zegna, a country road that today greater achievements.” WON’T BE THE LAST. provides a spectacular view of Oasis Zegna, a nature reserve Although this year offi cially marks Zegna’s centennial, the WHAT’S IMPORTANT that covers more than 60 square miles. Italian company’s roots reach back even further than that—to “He was a visionary, an ecologist and a philanthropist the 19th century, when Angelo Zegna, a watchmaker by trade, IS LEARNING FROM before the words were commonly used,” Anna says of swapped some of his timepieces for four wool looms. He later her grandfather, adding: “He had what we call today a turned them over to Ermenegildo, the last of his 10 children, IT IN ORDER TO sustainable vision of the future.” who established the Lanifi cio Zegna mill in his hometown. COME OUT MUCH Add to that a fl air for international business and a passion Adjacent to the Trivero factory, an imposing manor, for luxurious fabrics made with the fi nest fi bers. Although which Ermenegildo built for his sons, Aldo and Angelo, STRONGER.” —GILDO ZEGNA his vision was lofty, Ermenegildo never ruled from an ivory overlooks the cascading rooftops of the bustling mill and tower: Tin boxes stored at Casa Zegna still contain notebooks the verdant valley below. “This is where we grew up,” says Gildo’s sister, Anna Zegna, sitting in with his handwritten entries, including the fabric composition for every client order. the glass gallery of the family home, known as Casa Zegna, now a museum and textile research “The spirit of the entire company evolved around this: an eye for detail and quality, but also center, the day before her brother’s speech. “We never realized we lived so close to the factory the ability to be open minded, in order to really understand what people wanted,” says Paolo, just

PHOTO BY SAKIS LALASPHOTO BY because the factory was like an extension of our house.” back from Australia, where he presented the Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Trophy for wool.

FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011 69

0621.MW.068-71.Zegna.a;16.indd 2 6/4/10 8:27:27 PM Inside Casa Zegna.

The company’s support for local fi ber producers dates back to 1963, when Zegna which contributed to a vast business: Last year, Zegna reported sales of 797 million euros, or introduced its Extrafi ne Wool Trophy. Some may fi nd it diffi cult to imagine a fi ber measured $1.11 billion at average exchange. in microns as a building block to a billion-dollar enterprise. But at Zegna, the connection An aggressive global retail push also helped boost the top line. It began in the Eighties, between minute details and global ambition appears natural—the result, a vertical structure when the group completed its move toward vertical integration with the opening of the that enables the family to control every first single-brand Zegna boutiques, step of its business, from fi ber choices first in Paris and then in Milan. Ermenegildo Early to retail distribution. Zegna ads. The company today has more than Ermenegildo fi rst traveled to New 550 stores—300 of them directly York in 1938 in an effort to introduce owned—in 86 countries. These his fabrics to Italian tailors, whom stores account for 70 percent of the he saw as a conduit to the American company’s total sales, and 50 percent consumer. By 1945, Zegna fabrics were of its retail business is in Asia. sold in more than 40 countries. But it Zegna was a forerunner in wasn’t until 1968 that the founder’s China—by last year, the brand’s largest sons—Angelo and Aldo, who had market—where it began investing in taken over for their father earlier in retail as early as 1991. “It was a very the decade—opened a suit factory bold move,” Gildo says, noting the in Novara, Italy, and launched the company will hire a total of 300 people brand’s clothing business. Even then, in Greater China this year. they aimed for international growth, Sitting in the sprawling steel and starting with Spain and Switzerland. glass Milan headquarters that Zegna “My uncle and father also tried— built in 2007, Gildo refl ects on the similar to Ermenegildo—to anticipate way his grandfather’s values still apply the times,” Anna says. “I remember to his everyday work. “I learned from when they fi rst traveled to Japan, they my grandfather to have a long-term told us, ‘We must understand the view and to always set an example,” Japanese attention to detail.’” he says. “I set an example of ambition, Yet the company’s most dramatic but being fair. Being strong sometimes expansion has come under the watch of means being unpopular, but that’s life.” the current generation—Gildo, Paolo And, he adds, “I learned the hard way.” and Anna—with the help of other The 54-year-old ceo started his family members: Benedetta Zegna, career in retail, as an assistant buyer for talent manager; Laura Zegna, director Bloomingdale’s in the late Seventies, of Oasi Zegna, and Renata Zegna, who before heading up Zegna’s nascent U.S. sits on the board. division in the early Eighties. While classic tailored clothing and An avowed workaholic, he luxe sportswear remain the company’s inherited more than just boldness and Strolling on Panoramica Zegna. bread and butter, bold ventures beyond values from his grandfather. In the its traditional core business have helped fuel that growth. Zegna acquired a women’s label, Thirties, Ermenegildo was “determined to get the better of his British rivals,” according to his Lanerie Agnona SpA, in 1999, and formed ZeFer, a joint venture with Salvatore Ferragamo son, Angelo, who today is the group’s honorary chairman. SpA to produce footwear and leather goods, in 2002. Since 2003, it has signed a series of major Gildo exhibits a similar competitive streak, fueled by a passion for the business. “If you’re licensing deals, for fragrances, eyewear and underwear. In 2005, the company unveiled the not competitive, you become complacent,” he says. “We’ve moved quicker than the others fashion-forward Z Zegna brand—a radical move for a traditional Italian suit maker—and in the last couple years. We raised the bar in terms of benchmarking. You really have to a year later, it partnered with Tom Ford as the designer launched his men’s wear line. All of benchmark with the big boys in luxury.”

70 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.068-71.Zegna.a;16.indd 3 6/4/10 8:27:46 PM Not surprisingly for one of the world’s largest men’s luxury brands, a healthy dose of testosterone runs through the corridors of the Ermenegildo Zegna headquarters, and Gildo is not one for tiptoeing around. “New competitors are surfacing in men’s wear, and we want to make sure we defend and consolidate our kingdom,” he says. Today, that kingdom extends far beyond the cast-iron gates of the Lanifi cio Zegna mill, beyond Europe, Russia and the U.S., to Asia, South America, the Middle East and India. Next up is Vietnam, with a store opening slated for next year. As Gildo says, “We’ve always had a pioneering spirit—plant the Italian fl ag before any others.” Since 2007, Zegna has opened 10 extravagant “global store” fl agships, designed by architect Peter Marino, in key cities such as Milan, New York, Tokyo and Dubai. This year, China will see four of these fl agship openings, including the largest store to date, set to open in Shanghai this summer. To On the Milan runway. further demonstrate its commitment to the region, Zegna has even moved its group human resources CACCAMO GIOVANNI MAESTRI; MILL BY DAVIDE PHOTO BY MILAN RUNWAY department to Shanghai. Last year, Zegna suffered along with the rest of the industry, with sales falling 8.4 percent. But thanks to a strong fi rst quarter, it expects growth this year and plans to open a total of 30 stores. “With the crisis, one must have the ability to stay cool,” Gildo says. “Crisis management will be increasingly part of the status quo. This wasn’t the fi rst downturn and it won’t be the last. What’s important is learning from it in order to come out much stronger.” The company has an impressive record for coping in tough times. It has survived and fl ourished through the Great Depression, World War II and Italy’s Red Brigade revolt, when the Zegna family fl ed Italy out of concern for its safety. But times have changed, and Zegna along with them. What would Ermenegildo Zegna think of the company now? “He would think part of his dream has come true—and the same goes for my dad and my uncle,” Gildo says. “He would be happy to see we are still united and that we made his brand well respected worldwide.” With a fourth generation waiting in the wings, the continuation of that dream seems assured— which suits Gildo fi ne. “The secret to success is to enjoy what you do,” he says with a smile. “Life is tough anyway, so you may as well be positive and have fun with what you are doing.” The original mill. A Peter Marino–designed “global store.”

0621.MW.068-71.Zegna.a;16.indd 4 6/4/10 8:28:29 PM feature

The core suit price is now around $1,500, down from $1,700 in 2008, as Saks lures new Continued from page 36 AS LUXE WOULD HAVE IT customers with younger silhouettes and lower prices from brands such as Michael Kors, Hugo to 8.6 million people in 2008, as their combined wealth fell 19.5 percent to $32.8 trillion. The Boss, Z Zegna, Versace, Calvin Klein and Burberry. The retailer has also scored with its new ultrahigh-net-worth population—individuals with assets of $30 million or more—saw an even Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s Collection, a comprehensive assortment of modern classic men’s steeper decline of 24.6 percent. wear with sharp prices. Suit separates, for example, retail at $695 for jackets and $195 for pants. And the market didn’t improve in 2009. According to the global consulting fi rm Bain As Frasch tells it, the men’s luxury shopper is “looking for a quality product at a fair & Co., last year was the worst ever for the global luxury goods business, with sales falling value, not low price.” He cites the “tremendous resurgence of made-to-measure” as evidence 8 percent—albeit from a very lofty perch. the customer is willing to pay a premium for products with clear intrinsic value. Frasch sees Lately, there have been hints of a rebound. Sales began to regain some strength by holiday potential in luxury sportswear, as well. “As bad as last year was, we had a good year with 2009, and Bain forecasts a 4 percent increase for 2010. “We’re seeing now that consumers are Brunello Cucinelli, which can never be called volume pricing,” he says. going back into stores,” says Claudia D’Arpizio, lead author of the Bain study. Russ Patrick, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s wear at Cara David, senior vice president of corporate marketing and integrated media for Neiman Marcus, acknowledges the luxury retailer “took a hit” during the recession. “So we American Express Publishing Corp., also reports a “modest resurgence” in the luxury sector. worked to get our inventories in line,” he says. “With less open-to-buy, there was less room for “We’re seeing a little slack in the guilt and angst over purchasing luxury products,” David error, so we had to be spot on. It required us to be better editors.” says. According to Amex Publishing, 45 percent of affl uent consumers now say they feel guilty “We worked closely with our important vendors to adjust costs on specifi c ranges of fabrics buying luxury goods, down from 54 percent last year, and David says this attitude adjustment so we could retail a portion of their suit offering under the $2,000 price point,” said Patrick. “In will have an estimated $28 billion net impact on the luxury market, or a gain of 6 to 8 percent. addition, we introduced two lines, Z Zegna and Caruso, this year, which offer a full collection But even if luxury has begun to bounce back, the profound shift in the consumer mind-set is of suits under $1,500.” expected to endure. Jim Brennan, a principal at McKinsey & Co., predicts an ongoing emphasis The strategy is paying off: Sales have improved across all categories as shoppers respond on value and values that could last fi ve to 10 years. Consumers will buy fewer pieces at lower to fresh offerings. Still, the Neiman’s customer will continue to be “more mindful about prices, he says, and they will favor products they consider iconic or authentic. Brennan notes shopping,” Patrick says. “So we have to remain focused on product, challenge our vendors for that luxury shoppers have returned to buying jewelry, watches and other “statement pieces that newness and give him things so he can continue to update his wardrobe.” can be handed down to their kids.” Apparel has not rebounded as quickly. One of the ongoing challenges in the luxury fi eld is the aspirational consumer, who has But America’s luxury retailers have already set out to change that. pulled back, according to Pam Danziger, president and founder of Unity Marketing. Danziger Saks is “resetting our ways,” says Frasch, “particularly in tailored clothing, dress shirts defi nes this segment as households with income of $100,000 to $249,900—23 million and shoes.” While offering more goods at opening price points, the store is creating exclusive households in the U.S., compared with only 2.5 million with incomes of more than $250,000. products and brands to distinguish itself from the competition. “We’ve enhanced our good, “The buoyancy in the luxury market prior to the recession was due to aspirational shoppers better, best model,” Frasch explains. “In the past, our assortment of ‘good’ was OK; our ‘better’ trading up,” she says. “But now, they’re simply not participating.” offering, brands like Corneliani and Canali, was respectable, and we had a fi ne ‘best’ offering, As Danziger sees it, future luxury-market growth will depend upon attracting “ultra- with Zegna, Brioni, Armani and Kiton. But our ‘good’ model has really grown.” affl uent consumers” who “will demand higher quality and more value in luxury purchases.”

The finest British fashion design talent exhibiting in NewYork

MRKET 18 - 20 July 2010 ENK NYC 18 - 20 July 2010 Javits Center, 655 W 34th St The Tunnel/La Venue, 608 W 28th St CODIS MAYA BEN SHERMAN CORGI FRED PERRY CRAVATS OF LONDON FRENCH CONNECTION DENISONBOSTON RAW POWER DENTS SUPERDRY DEREK ROSE TED BAKER DRAKES UNCONDITIONAL EDWARD GREEN CAPSULE 19 - 20 July 2010 BRITS ELIZABETH PARKER Center 548, 548 W. 22nd St GRENFELL HILDITCH & KEY ALLY CAPELLINO J M DICKENS BEDOUIN JOHN SMEDLEY BUTCHER COUTURE EYEWEAR JOHNSTONS OF ELGIN MAKIN JAN MA PANTHERELLA TUESDAY NIGHT BAND PRACTICE PD MAN ENGLAND YMC SEAWARD & STEARN SIMON CARTER SMART TURNOUT LONDON INEW SONIA SPENCER ENGLAND TATEOSSIAN WALTON DESIGNS For further information WITHOUT PREJUDICE UK please contact www.ukft.org

YORK www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

0621.MW.036(72-73).Luxury.a;19.indd 2 6/4/10 6:04:25 PM “There were men who took a couple of seasons off, but we felt our customer still wanted the brands that we carry in our store,” she says. That desire for luxe brands minus the sticker shock prompted Bergdorf to bring in Kiton’s CIPA 1960 suit collection and other accessible offerings. “It worked,” Spaniolo says. “We saw the customer come back in shopping.” But not in the same way he did in the past. “The consumer psyche has changed,” she explains. “All of us used to just buy what we liked without thinking about it. Now we think about what we’re spending. If this didn’t wake us all up, I don’t know what it’ll take.” Tom Kalenderian, executive vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s at Barneys New York, says shoppers have acquired a “more measured” perspective—and more price consciousness. “We’ve consistently dropped tailored clothing prices 5, 10, 15 percent,” Kalenderian says. “We’re selling more value, and that isn’t going away. The customer is supersmart, and our clients know which manufacturers failed to rise to the challenge.” A Kiton jacket in a What the new luxury consumer really wants is “a variety of price points,” according to Bob blend of cashmere, Mitchell, co-president of the Mitchells Family of Stores, headquartered in Westport, Conn. linen and silk that “He still wants luxury, but he wants to mix in some other pieces, primarily in sportswear.” retails for $5,928. The Mitchells have paid increased attention to what they call “approachable” pieces, such as cashmere sweaters for $300 to $400, or denim-friendly sport coats and shirts. At the same time, luxury brands that have “repositioned their suit prices are getting traction,” says Mitchell. That They also demand more information. Although the affl uent consumer remains willing includes Brioni, which came in under $5,000, and Zegna, with some basic models for $1,995 to pay a premium for quality, he now insists on knowing why a product costs what it costs—a or less. Canali offered $1,495 suits, down from $1,900. “That kind of choice had vacated the phenomenon that Furman, of the Luxury Marketing Council, calls “connoisseurship.” market before,” Mitchell says. According to Furman, 90 percent of luxury shoppers started out in the middle class. Luxury Robert Ackerman, president and chief executive offi cer of Ermenegildo Zegna’s North brands, he says, must “not assume they understand the underlying value of a product.” American business, says, “Broadening the assortment of suits helped the business.” The brand That gives an edge to brands that convey “craft and heritage,” says Robert Burke of Robert also has seen an uptick in its sportswear sales, along with shirts and ties—smaller-ticket items Burke Associates, citing classic clothing labels such as Kiton, Brioni and Zegna. “The consumer that can “freshen a wardrobe,” Ackerman says. is happy to invest in long-term pieces, but they’re not spending frivolously,” he says. Nor are Mitchell, meanwhile, sees the spreading of price points as an opportunity for additional they spending at the same rate as they did in the past. “It doesn’t feel or sound right today to buy sales. “There’s potential for us to get more closet share,” he says. “They’re buying Cucinelli, but 14 custom suits,” Burke says. “They’re buying luxury in a quieter way.” they’re also picking up a $195 sweater they can play golf in. Bergdorf Goodman has responded by bringing in key classifi cations at a “more gentle price “We drank our own Kool-Aid,” Mitchell adds. “Even in the [luxury] heyday, they bought point,” says Margaret Spaniolo, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s. other stuff, they just bought it elsewhere. We’re better merchants today, having that breadth.” ■

0621.MW.036(72-73).Luxury.a;19.indd 3 6/4/10 6:04:48 PM off ramp THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE REALLY BAD. BY DAVID LIPKE The TRAJECTORIESCathedral at Chartres, The Addams fi rst building Family The Cure erected makes debut releases in Eighth in The New Boys Don’t century. Yorker, 1938. C r y, 1980.

Rick Owens Twilight: Eclipse fi lm GOTH wins a CFDA Perry released, 2010. Ellis Award, 2002. Hipsters, 2010.

ZZ Top founded, 1969.

BEARDS Osama bin Laden, 2001. Alberto Korda snaps iconic Confucius is born, 551 BC. Che Guevara portrait, Guerrillero Heroico, 1960.

BOW TIES BOW Alber Elbaz Indian immigrant Paul “Pee-Wee appointed artistic James Bond Somen Banerjee founds Herman” Reubens director of makes fi lm Chippendale’s, 1979. arrested for lewd Lanvin, 2001. acts, 1991. debut in Orville Redenbacher launches Dr. No, 1962. his fi rst popcorn brand, Red-Bow, 1969. UNDERWEAR MODELS

Jim Palmer for Tom Hintnaus on Calvin J.C. Leyendecker paintings for Klein’s Times Square Cristiano Ronaldo for Jockey, Seventies. Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg the Kenosha Klosed Krotch in billboard, 1982. Emporio Armani, 2010. the Saturday Evening Post, 1911. for Calvin Klein, 1992.

Justin Bieber is nominated The fi rst Dr. Jays store for a BET opens in the South Kanye West Award, Bronx, 1975. designs 2010.

STREETWEAR Louis Vuitton sneakers, 2009. Jay-Z and Damon Dash found Sean John runway show Rocawear, 1999. airs live on E, 2001.

74 MENSWEAR

0621.MW.074.Trajectories.a;16.indd 1 6/7/10 2:38:44 PM SAINT TROPEZ

SINCE 1971 IN SAINT-TROPEZ 14 et 24, rue Gambetta – 1, rue de la Poste – Place de la Garonne

Available at Bergdorf Goodman Men’s and Little BG – 754 Fifth Avenue – New York, NY 10019 WWW.VILEBREQUIN.COMWWW.VILEBREQUIN COM