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Fall 2015 / Winter 2016 ISSUE 10 Fall 2015 / Winter 2016 • ISSUE 10 ISSUE 39 MAGAZINE ISSUE 10 • FALL 2015 / WINTER 2016 Welcome to blazer for men 5 22 the blazer staff 4 Leave it to Sweden Embark on a journey to Eton’s homeland 8 trend report Find out what fall and winter have in store for men’s fashion. 14 CONTENTS The BLAZER shoe guide Step into the season knowing everything you need to know about men’s footwear 20 there’s an app for that What you need to know about the latest app trends 8 68 did you know? The Fashion Edition 27 56 smart car Ten things you need to know about German car company Mercedes-Benz 64 das style! How to visit Berlin in Style 50 big in japan Japanese company, Echizenya, is dressing men around the world 26 MEN OF STYLE Getting personal with the Blazer Boys 30 published by The Vital Group editor Patrick Huffman 155 Richmond St. East art director Jen Snow Toronto ON M5A 1N9 head writer Lisa Hannam Style is art business 416 214 5555 x25 photographer David Wile Cold climate outfts to inspire mobile 416 882 2428 stylist Gregory Lalonde 37 www.thevitalgroup.ca CREDITS saluti, prost! What to order for drinks in Milan or Berlin 60 JEWELLERY blazer WELCOME Our style, our commitment Independently and locally owned, Blazer for Men has a full staff of highly trained sales associates and supportive personnel. Each is committed to customer service that goes beyond the expected, making a great impression for the frst time customer, and setting the store apart from WELCOME TO BLAZER FOR MEN the competition for its loyal clients. You can rely on the Blazer for Men staff for style knowledge, wardrobe advice, and shopping guidance. As much as fashion and retail changes, many vertical Brand stores and online sales. But I things will remain the same - our vision for have to be honest, that has only strengthened customer experience. our position, giving customers individual When I decided to open my own menswear store attention, professional style advice and genuine in 1988, I had a plan. The goal was to build a shop service, before, during and after the sale, is our 27 where men could fnd everything they needed mission. I guess, just being good listeners frst. YEARS LATER all in one location. The environment was to be When we say “we travel the globe to look for easy and relaxed. A location that was convenient, what’s new and exciting”, we really do! In our hassle-free and close to home. Being an integral last few trips to Milan, Florence, Berlin and part of the community was important to me. My Amsterdam, we’ve found new brands that we “slogan” 27 years ago was “You don’t need a lot of think are perfect for our customers. To name just clothes, you need the right clothes!”, which I still a few, we’ve introduced Boglioli, Eleventy, Landi, believe is true today. Montecore, Tintoria Mattei to our collections, I have made it my commitment to create the best you may not have even heard of most of these. experiences for our customers, in a high energy, Our quest is to not only fnd new and exciting positive environment serviced by knowledgeable brands, but to fnd new brands, that “ft”, in every professionals. respect. The retail landscape has dramatically changed The Fall Autumn 2015 season, I can truly say, is over the last 25 years into a fast paced, product the most interesting season ever for fashion and Check out our feature pushing model, with the arrival of big box stores, collections, every brand has a story and we are excited to share them with you! “Men of Style” on page 30 for a fashion –Randy Lalonde Q&A with Blazers’ own consultants The Blazer Staff owner manager assistant manager | buyer consultant RANDY LALONDE BRIAN LALONDE GREGORY LALONDE MATTHEW KING consultant | visual merchandiser consultant assistant head tailor RYAN TARTAGLIO PATRICK HUFFMAN MICHAEL TROFIMIUK GRACE TROFIMIUK 4 5 blazer TRAVEL Never hand over a shirt before you LEAVE IT TO are completely satisfied with it. Swedish shirtmakers Eton of Sweden extended to us a trip of a lifetime to their head offices in Sweden this past May, to learn about the history and the processes behind the best shirts in the world. The trip began with a cross-Atlantic redeye fight through Copenhagen the world’s fnest fabrics, they came across the town of Eton. The name to Sweden’s Gothenburg airport. Arriving to a small welcoming resonated and ‘The Eton Shirt’ was born. The overwhelming success of committee between the Volvo signs and baggage carousels, unsure this collection led the company to rebrand a few years later, and has since of what to expect, I found myself in the company of two other well- been the name most associated with quality dress shirts the world over. known North American retailers whom were also invited to the week’s In the early 1960’s, ETON’s success required them to adopt a more carefully planned activities. We were whisked to a small boutique hotel effcient manufacturing process. Inge Davidson (Annie and David’s third in the quaint neighboring town of Borås, where the festivities began, son) conceptualized and installed an automated transport line which champagne in hand. Among the small crowd were the Eton directors, carried pieces from each stage of development, which made the including CEO Hans Davidson, a helpful support crew and 23 other planning, storage and quality control of shirt production far retailers from North America. The mood was cheery and the drinks more economical. We witnessed the newest iteration of fowed freely, before we made our way to Borås’ fnest restaurant for our the original machinery in their factory in Gånghester, frst of many 5 star meals in the coming days. It became quickly apparent that would not only help Eton Shirts survive growing that this trip was primarily a big ‘thank you’ to those retailers who have competition from newly industrialised countries supported ETON during its largest growth period in the company’s 87 of the 60’s, but would also lay groundwork for year history. automizing garment factories and revolutionize the The following morning we made our way to the town of Gånghester, entire clothing industry. The Eton System can now where Eton’s humble head offce and manufacturing facility built in the be found in over 6000 factories in 40 countries. 1940’s—and recently built state-of-the-art warehouse — dominate the sparsely populated streets. Our frst workshop illuminated the history of the company and the roots of the legendary shirts it produces. The company once known as ‘Syfabriken Special’ was started by Annie and David Pettersson in their kitchen during the Depression in the 1920’s. Their simple motto, “never hand over a shirt before you are completely satisfed with it,” was and is the cornerstone for their company’s success. Their four sons, including Rune and Arne, continued their legacy, and during a trip to England in the late 1940’s in search of 8 9 blazer TRAVEL INTERESTING FACT: ETON aims to produce a record 1,000,000 shirts current Head of Design, Sebastian Dollinger and the this year. This is partly possible thanks to Jan marketing team were ready to teach us their secrets Te majority of Borghardt, Head of Design for ETON in 1981, when for success in today’s fast paced world. Being in Eton’s American he stopped relying on other mills to produce quality charge of design for a €100,000,000 company in your fabrics and interesting designs, and began spinning early 30’s sounds like a stressful job, but Sebastian’s Pima cotton is proprietary fabric and creating their own patterns. cool demeanor and exotic fair shows no sign of it. grown on the very This monumental course change allowed ETON to “We want to be the future vintage shirts,” declared same farmlands own every step in a shirt’s production from cotton to Sebastian, underlining the importance of quality, customer, whilst improving quality and design. They durability and style in an ETON shirt. from which Heinz only use the best ELS (Extra Long Staple) cotton from For our fnal dinner together, The ETON team pulled Egypt and the USA with staple lengths over 40mm, buys many of out all of the stops. We weren’t given any details, and weave true 2x2 ply fabrics for further resilience their tomatoes. but were instructed to dress colorfully. We paraded and body. Planes, trains and boats As cotton leaches down Stockholm’s busiest street toward the main Perhaps the greatest advantage the ETON shirt has pier, where a wooden river boat was waiting for us. nutrients from the over competition is its easy care. No shirt is truly A scenic tour around the winding channels of took Gregory around ground at a high ‘non-iron,’ as many of those who claim to achieve this Stockholm led us to the lush and vast Hagaparken, rate, tomatoes simply coat their fabric with a formaldehyde or some home to Swedish royalty for centuries and steeped ETON’S homeland of tend to ofset this other chemical, which is either not good for your in history. Of course, horse-drawn carriages awaited health, damaging to the environment, or likely both. us there, and in short time off we galloped through Ladies frst! On a boat to Taking in the sights on by enriching the ETON’s partner treatment facility in Switzerland the trees in the brisk spring evening air.