Schmuckler and Levy: Garment District The people who buy, make, and market your clothes MANUFACTURING fAMILY AFFAIR Behind some ofthe mostfamous names in clothing is the name Pietrafesa. By Renee Gearhart Levy HE MACHINE IS THE SIZE from Italy that need only to be Tof a boardroom table. An loaded- they press and stack automated arm guides an ink pen garments themselves. across a roll of paper, up and down, "There are some machines out back and forth, its motions con­ there that every time I see them, troled by a computer in an adjoin­ I have to shake my head," says ing office. Within a few moments company chairman Robert D. an image becomes recognizable. Pietrafesa. "It's great what's going It's a pattern for a man's suit on out there." jacket- front panels, sleeves, "Great" may be an understate­ collar, back panels. ment. The Pietrafesa Company, The apparatus is the plotter ofthe owned by Robert and his brother, Gerber CAD/CAM system- state­ Richard- Bob and Dick to all who of-the-art equipment for clothing know them- may well be the manufacture. It has revolutionized premiere men's clothing manufac­ daily procedure at the Joseph J. turer in the world. The company, Pietrafesa Company in Syracuse, which produces some 4,000 suit one of the first manufacturers in the pieces per week, manufactures top­ country to use it. quality tailored clothing for a blue The Gerber is but one in an ar­ chip list of clients, including ray of technical innovations that fill Neiman Marcus, Brooks Brothers, the Pietrafesa factory. There are and Polo, not to mention Learbury computerized sewing machines that Clothes, their own "factory-to­ automatically tack and cut thread, you" store in Syracuse. "I don't say and automated pressing machines this is the finest manufacturing Robert and Richard Pietrafesa in their Syracuse suit factory 24 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Published by SURFACE, 1988 1 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 5, Iss. 1 [1988], Art. 6 facility in the world," says Dick, of the technological wizardry that OR YEARS, THE PIETRA­ several feet away automated sew­ company president, "but I'd like fills the Pietrafesa factory today, the Ffesa company was housed in ing machines buzz with activity. to know one that comes up to it." company began manufacturing for two four-story buildings, located Work stations flow in order of Brooks Brothers. The consummate several blocks apart on Syracuse's operations necessary to produce a OB AND DICK PIETRA­ purveyor of quality menswear, North Side. The faci lities were garment. The space is flooded by Bfesa were practically raised in Brooks Brothers demands certain functional, but often inefficient. natural light from windows that sur­ the factories of the Joseph J. standards ofco nstruction that many There was always a wait for the round the the building's perimeter Pietrafesa Company. Bob was born manufacturers wouldn't be able elevators. Workers could be on and several courtyards that dot its in 1922, the same year the company to provide. Jacket armholes, overtime in one factory while center. Bob gives credit forthe suc­ was incorporated by their uncle, the shoulders, and collars are hand­ workers in the other had nothing cessful relocation to his son, company's namesake. When their stitched; store labels are sewn in to do. And there was no room to Robert, director of marketing, and father died at an early age, their manually. Tailored women's wear put in the Gerber computer system Dick's sons, Joe, director of manu­ uncle, who had no children of his is manufactured on request. the Pietrafesa's wanted to buy. facturing, and Richard, director of own, became their mentor. They An increasing number of upscale So in 1985 the Pietrafesas began operations-the third generation. began working in the factory as clothiers began seeking out the construction of a $3-mill ion, The elder Pietrafesa's admit to teenagers, working their way up Pietrafesa's to manufacture their 86,000-square-foot facility in Clay, a slow changing ofthe guard. After from the cellar-where the piece goods: Land's End, Britches of north of Syracuse. Since June, for nearly 50 years in the business, Bob goods came in-through the spong­ Georgetown, and Federated Stores the first time in its history, all opera­ and Dick are beginning to leave the ing room, cutting department, to (Bullocks, Bloomingdales, FiJenes, tions of the company have been daily direction of the company to the pant and coat shops, eventually etc.) among others. The company housed under one roof, all on one their sons. learning to operate every machine had to make more changes to keep floor. Luxurious office suites are They have no doubts about the in the factory. up with production. Says Dick, separated from the factory only by future of the Joseph J. Pietrafesa Both men studied management " We decided that if we were going several sets of doors. Company. Says Dick, "we in­ at Syracuse University, working to be in business, we wanted to be In the factory, old world crafts­ herited the company at one level, and going to school at the same as efficient as possible. We made manship meets modern technology. we brought it to another level, and time. "I used to go to registration a big, big commitment with A woman labors over handstitching I think maybe our sons would like and ask for 8 a.m. classes so I could equipment." on the collar of a silk jacket, while to build to another level." finish early and come to work," recalls Dick. Bob earned his B.S. in 1947, Dick in 1950. For many years, Bob worked BRAND LOYALTY with his uncle in the administra­ tion of the company while Dick The clothes are different, only the name's the same. managed the production. They joined forces when they took over command of the company in the ODAY CONSUMERS ARE more difficult. We also wanted early sixties. When Joseph J. Tquite accustomed to find­ to develop a branded busi­ Pietrafesa passed away in 1968, they ing specialty "shops" within ness [shoes with their own became owners of the firm. major department stores. brand name] to establish a It was around the same time that Gathered together there are spot in the marketplace." the clothing industry was going shirts, pants, jackets, That led to Street Cars, ''the through some serious shake-ups. sweaters, and shoes that most comfortable shoe men The popularity of men's specialty make up a "collection," and and women can buy," accord­ stores was on the wane, being the consumer is much more ing to Selig. Today Street Cars replaced by department store men's likely to buy whole outfits makes a variety of styles, in­ shops. American companies began than individual pieces. cluding business shoes, to find it increasingly difficult to One such collection is weekend casuals, and shoes compete with the growing foreign Generra, a line of upscale, for the "serious 100-mile-a­ Steven Selig market. "If I said that 65 to 75 fashionable sportswear and week walker." percent of all the manufacturing footwear aimed at a clientele Even with Street Cars' suc­ facilities in the United States have aged 18 to 25. According to cess, Selig yearned for a ing to include shoes and gone bankrupt in the last 20 years, Steven Selig, president of business that would combine clothing for women, boys, I don't think I'd be exaggerating," Street Cars (which manufac­ both footwear and sportswear and girls. Today Generra does says Dick. tures Generra), his line was for the upscale, fashion­ about $200 million worth of In order to stay afloat, many one ofthe first, "if not actual­ conscious consumer. He ex­ business a year. men's clothing manufacturers ly the first," to present such amined how department Selig's primary responsi­ began to downgrade the quality of a concept to retailers. stores presented fashions to bility is footwear. " Our their product. The Pietrafesa It all came about after consumers- shirts in one greatest challenge is identi­ brothers took another tack. They Selig's graduation from SU in department, jackets in fying worldwide fashion changed the company's focus from 1964, when he and his family another, shoes somewhere trends and interpreting them producing middle-of-the-road were looking for a way to else-and knew there was a for the U.S. mass market, goods to producing only very fine, change their shoe manufac­ betterway. ln 1981 , his collec­ without losing our unique superior quality garments. "We turing business. "Manufac­ tion concept-and Generra­ identity. That requires some zigged when the industry zagged," turing shoes in the United was born, starting with men's talent. The marketplace is says Bob. States had become more and clothing and rapidly expand- unforgiving." - CNS In 1974, beforetheadventofmuch SEPJEMBEH 1988 25 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol5/iss1/6 2 Schmuckler and Levy: Garment District SPECIAL MARKETS KID STUFF Clare and Carol Freiman represent the height offashion . in size 2T. By Carol North Schmuckler. HEN CLARE FREIMAN explains. "The only previous W Kivelson and Carol Frei­ choices buyers had were sporty man Finkel walk through Saks Fifth looks, very dressy outfits, or exor­ • Avenue or Lord & Taylor, they keep bitant imports at $125 an outfit. We • an eagle eye out for the latest found a real gap in the market and fashions. But it's not women they're filled it with a different look." looking at. It's the babies the Obviously they made the right women are pushing in strollers.