MATTOUT’S NEW MANSEPierre-Henri Mattout opens a new men’s concept store in Paris. PAGE MW2

Channeling CaryMan of the Week George Clooney scored an A with the Giorgio Armani suits at his Venice wedding to Amal Alamuddin. PAGE MW2

MAN OF THE WEEK

THE RUSH IS ON

{Continued on page MW6}

October 2, 2014

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Denim BrandsSeek ComfortAs sales slump, men’s labels turn to the ath-leisure trend.

In the WashRetro Nineties references such as destroy elements, bleach-out effects and heavy whiskering together with roomier silhouettes and contrast stitching are some leading denim trends for spring. For more, see pages MW4 and MW5.

Calvin Klein Jeans’ cotton and Lycra jeans and Levi’s cotton shirt. Leisure Society by Shane Baum sunglasses; Ralph Lauren belt.

by DAVID YI

Men might be squeezing into slimmer-cut suits, but, when it comes to denim, it’s comfort they want.

That’s the key direction emerging in the denim market as brands rush to tap into the ath-leisure trend taking over everywhere, from the runways to retail. Companies also are hoping that inject-ing the trend into their collections will reverse the continuing slump in jeans sales, even though there were a plethora of denim looks on the men’s runways for spring 2015.

Jeans sales for the past 12 months ended June 30 were $5.5 billion, which was down 2.5 percent from 2013, accord-ing to The NPD Group. Unit sales fol-lowed suit and dropped 3.3 percent, to 206.9 million this year from 213.9 million in 2013. The customer demographic that was hit the most were the 18-to-24 and 35-to-44 age brackets, with a loss of 5 and 8 percent, respectively.

For a recharge, Rebecca Duval, vice president and equity analyst at BlueFin Research, says it is essential for denim brands to refocus their business models and research what today’s male customer wants.

“It’s not just a trend any more with this ath-leisure movement,” Duval said. “Men are now more choosy in what they are in-cluding into their closets and now want to find comfortable items.”

To suit this need, Duval suggests that brands should research how they can inno-vate with technical fabrics and fits, assess how and if their brand accommodates this comfort movement and consolidate styles.

“Instead of this democratic approach where all styles are for all people, these brands should really home in on their stron-gest looks and focus on those,” said Duval.

Kiya Babzani, owner of the Self Edge denim boutique and a consultant, said a “back to the basics” approach is needed for companies to find their consumers again.

“It’s a competitive market, and I think a lot of struggling denim companies need to look within...to lift [themselves] out of the funk,” he said.

Babzani said that, for years, larger brands have been seeking innovations by becoming derivative of smaller, younger brands.

“They were getting away with copy-ing for such a long time,” he said. “They have tried everything: copying selvage, then Made in America and heritage styles. The thing about savvy, young customers is, they’re drawn to these cool stories, authentic brands and what they’re about. These big brands won’t ever have that cool factor, and now they’ve run out of things to reuse.”

Men’s WeekMW2 WWD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014

by PAULINA SZMYDKE

PARIS — The Saint-Germain quarter in Paris, known as the his-torical home and favorite hangout of musical and literary leaders including Jean-Paul Sartre and Miles Davis, is slowly turning into a men’s wear mecca.

PHM Saints Pères, a concept store for men, opened this week, walking distance from recent ar-rivals such as Melinda Gloss, AMI and Officine Generale.

The man behind the project is Pierre-Henri Mattout, former creative director and senior vice president of apparel at Swiss-based Victorinox, who also consulted for brands as different as Calvin Klein’s Platinum Label for Europe and Joe Fresh.

Mattout said the idea was to “propose the best wardrobe for a man today.”

“Having lived in New York for

the past eight years, I love how Americans are focused on comfort and functionality, maybe less fash-ion, but that can be a very interest-ing balance. The whole outdoorsy theme was very enriching to my experience,” said Mattout, whose own brand was famously built on French preppy, before he re-launched it in January. “But I have matured since then,” he added, flashing a smile.

Architecturally, the 480-square-foot unit, located at 50 rue des Saints-Pères and planned by Le Coadic Scotto, is as sober as it can get, with simple, untreated wooden shelves and virtually no other decor except for some fur-niture pieces provided by the nearby Karry Gallery. “This is not your typical concept store,” noted Mattout, adding that what he wanted was “more rugged, not as precious as the others” to go along with toned-down selections.

The boutique offers everything from underwear to outerwear, plus a selection of rare art books and a room fragrance based on musk and

vetiver thought up by Yann Vasnier and Carlos Huber, both industry veterans. A men’s beauty line is al-ready in the works.

Mattout, who only kept his la-bel’s shirt business after the reboot — “this has always been my forte,” he allowed — said he is keen on creating synergies with other men’s wear brands, which are ideally to result in exclusive collaborations. A case in point: San Francisco-based denim maker Tellason, which pro-duces its raw selvage on vintage weaving machines from North

Carolina, has come up with a spe-cial range for the store, while PHM Saints Pères is the exclusive Paris retailer to Ten c’s luxury outerwear.

The concept extends to the shop’s sneaker collection, which car-ries limited editions of New Balance and Converse, among others.

The unit’s shoe and apparel mix includes Junya Watanabe, Arc’ teryx Veilance, Sunspel, Lanvin, Pierre Hardy and Spalwart, as well as Mattout’s own shirt label, featuring an appealing fusion of jersey and high-end cottons patch-worked to-

gether in one look and retailing for between 175 euros to 220 euros, or $221 and $278.

Every two to three months, the boutique is to host an exhibi-tion, with New York photographer Danielle Levitt bearing the torch. Her portrayals of the American youth are slated to kick off Thursday.

With time, as the concept ma-tures, Mattout wants to export his retail venture into other cit-ies — “preferably New York or Boston, Monaco and other venues in France,” he said.

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THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL CONCEPT STORE.” — PIERRE-HENRI MATTOUT

“

by ALESSANDRA TURRA

MILAN — Two longtime players in the international sportswear arena, Stone Island and Supreme, have teamed up to launch a men’s capsule collection for fall.

Manufactured by Stone Island, the capsule includes an outerwear piece, called the Raso Gommato Cover Nero Jacket, along with some sweatshirts and pants.

In particular, the Raso Gommato Cover Nero Jacket, which pays homage to a key piece from Stone Island’s archive, is a front-pocket style realized in a cot-ton satin that is made waterproof and wind-resistant via an internal

polyurethane coating. The jacket, which also features a hood and a detachable down liner, will retail at $1,446 and be available in a yel-low, black or camouflage version, while a range of garment-dyed cotton sweatshirts and pants will come decorated with a Supreme maxi logo.

A camp cap, produced by Supreme using Stone Island’s Raso Gommato cotton satin, completes the offering.

The capsule will be sold at Stone Island and Supreme bou-tiques and online stores from today in the U.S., Canada and Europe and from Saturday in Japan and South Korea.

Mattout Sets Concept Store for Men

Man of THE WEEK GEORGE CLOONEY: A

The ultimate Hollywood bachelor finally tied the knot in Venice over the weekend in quintessential style, channeling Cary Grant in “To Catch a Thief” with his updated Giorgio Armani wardrobe.

He’s the poster boy of elegant men’s wear style with his neat salt-and-pepper hair combed to the side.

He’s obviously been visiting the dermatologist’s o�ce — his face is very plump and youthful after the photo rejuvenation.

The strong shoulder gives this daytime suit a formal look and adds a touch of glamour.

The one-inch cu� showing goes a long way toward proving his men’s wear savoir faire. And the light gray of the outfit complements his hair and complexion perfectly.

He looks very bronze. He’s either been sunbathing at his

Lake Como home or visiting the local tanning bed.

Nothing looks better than a creased white shirt for an

occasion like this.

The repp stripe enhances the tonality of the suit and

adds a touch of playfulness and depth. A solid tie would

have been too predictable for a wedding weekend.

The perfectly fitted thin wool pant with the subtle

crease shows one more time that Mr. Armani knows how

to custom-make suits for elite clientele.

He’s not willing to take a single risk and went for a traditional black

lace-up. He could have opted for a chocolate-

brown model, but we have no complaints.

The retro style fits his face well, but a slightly bigger

frame would help hide his bit-too-bushy eyebrows.

Stone Island, Supreme Team for Men’s Capsule

Pierre-Henri Mattout

New Paris concept store: PHM Saints Pères.

FOR MORE IMAGES, SEE

WWD.com/menswear-news.

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Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014MW4

PHOTOS BY GREG VAUGHAN

Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren’s cotton denim jeans. Spektre sunglasses.

Deep washes, heavy destroy effects and bleach-out details are some of the

elements that defined the worn-in denim look for spring.

— ALEX BADIA

Men’s Week WWD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014 MW5

Topman’s cotton denim jeans, 3x1’s cotton shirt and Charlie by Matthew Zink’s nylon and elastane swimsuit.

Timezone’s denim jeans and Won Hundred’s T-shirt, both in cotton.

AG’s cotton denim jacket. Lanvin hat.

Frame Denim’s cotton jeans and Baldwin Denim’s cotton and Modal T-shirt.

Baldwin Denim’s cotton jeans, 3x1’s cotton denim jacket and Ami x Robinson Les Bains’ nylon swim trunks.

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WWD.com/menswear-news.

Men’s WeekMW6 WWD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014

Key Denim Trend: ComfortToday, ath-leisure is another trend major

brands are following, he said. Ath-leisure is certainly a broad move-

ment that most brands are chasing, as con-sumers are continuing to seek comfort and casual attire is gradually becoming accepted in more workplaces. In the past few months, jeans brands have embraced the jogger styles in hopes of recovering lost sales.

“We use and abuse the term ‘ath-leisure.’ Why are athletic brands like Under Armour doing so well? What can a denim company learn from that?” said Tim Conlin, men’s manager of Lee Jeans.

The Kansas City-based heritage brand has been responding to various focus groups hosted around the country. “They want com-fort — it’s nothing new,” he said. “When it comes down to it, we’re unlocking the com-

fort equation, which, for us, is stretch.”The company has introduced its new

Active Comfort Denim, which will be a focus for the brand for spring 2015.

“Not only has that product given us a new voice in the marketplace, it’s tagging on the heels of this athletic comfort. What we’re working on now is a lot of newness for the next six to 12 months. Going forward, the next evolution is drafting more of the ath-leisure side of it,” said Conlin.

Other heritage brands, such as Wrangler, are fol-lowing suit.

“You know, as a brand, our tag line is ‘Real Comfortable Jeans,’ ” said Gloria Lee-Cook, mer-chandising manager of Wrangler. “It’s all about ath-leisure right now, but it’s always been a part of our foundation.”

The company will intro-duce its Advanced Comfort line, which features four-way flex and added stretch for “unmatched comfort,” Lee-Cook said. The brand has been researching the new line since late 2012 and recently conducted a soft launch in test stores.

“Added comfort is what our man wants, and we’re definitely always looking for innovation,” said Jenni Broyles, the brand’s marketing director.

Hudson Jeans sees a very promising market within the ath-leisure space, according to its director of merchandising and design, Stephanie Davis.

“We are onboard with the whole ath-leisure correlations,” she said. “I think people are looking for comfort over the years and superstretch, and, in our men’s, we are taking a tune from the women’s side.”

For spring, Hudson will launch a new fit called the Elliott, an athletic khaki pant with a drawstring waistband. The brand began expanding into other categories and launched cargos and banded bottoms.

“We’re giving our customers technologi-cal fabrics, like a dry-wicking element, while acknowledging it needs to be functional and fashionable,” Davis said.

But some brands, such as the three-year-old 3x1, aren’t too convinced about fully em-bracing the trend.

“I think, overall, the ath-leisure trend is mainly that — a trend,” said Scott Morrison, the brand’s founder. Morrison said he wouldn’t be adopting the ath-leisure trend at all. Instead, more than ever, the brand is focusing on denim fabrics and fit. “To tell you candidly, we’re not changing that much, and we’ve seen four times more sales than last year,” he said.

“Men are more into buying stretch than ever before,” Morrison added. “They’re buying that, and we are building styles around that guy.”

Morrison said the brand offers a treat-ment and also adds silicone softeners with a brushed-back finish that results in what he described as a “peach-soft hand.”

The cofounder of Earnest Sewn and Paper Denim, Morrison said it’s his retail concept shop in New York’s SoHo that has allowed the brand to grow. “We’re doing what we do best, focusing on jeans and being obsessed with attention to detail,” he said.

Lucky Brand Jeans, acquired by Leonard Green & Partners in December 2013, said the company would be capital-izing on what the brand is best known for: its slim, straight and relaxed fits. “We’re investing in better quality and finding that in Italian fabrics,” said Josh Weiner, Lucky Brand Jeans’ vice president of men’s mer-chandising, planning and allocation.

“I think denim is always the founda-tion of American style, and we ebb and

flow from it,” he said. “It goes clean, straight, and nothing is cooler or more effortless than denim.”

To lure customers back, Weiner said the brand is betting on new luxe fabrics sold at a competitive price point.

“While others are around $200, $300 or the $400 price point,

we’re selling for $129,” he said. “Our jeans are comfortable, and we are focusing on sharp

price points.”The company,

Weiner said, would stay true

to its Los Angeles roots and continue to expand in finding bet-ter fits to entice cus-tomers. “We want to make it effortless for the guy who is dress-

ing a little more tai-lored,” he said.

Another quintessen-tial Los Angeles denim

brand, True Religion, is delving back into its ar-chives to find inspiration.

“We’ve found resur-rected things in our ar-chives and know that it’s all about construction for our customer,” said Gary Harvey, creative director of the brand.

Harvey, who recently joined True Religion, said he was looking into ways to reinvent the sewing machine and retool the brand’s extra-large signa-ture stitching. Instead of veering too far from what the brand is known for, Harvey said the company would focus on its best-sellers: the Dean, a drop-crotch silhouette, and the straight fit, Ricky.

“I don’t think True Religion has lost our past customers,” he said. “We

have comfort within us, but it’s dressed up enough for the club, a bar or a cool dinner.”

Though denim brands each have a differing opinion on which direction is best, they need to be cautious in their approach, said Duval.

“Denim sales haven’t even hit rock bottom,” she predicted.

“We are seeing that there’s even more potential for a drop in sales, espe-cially as this trend contin-ues,” she said. “But, in the long run, I don’t think [jog-gers] will replace indigo completely. Brands need to continue figuring out what is necessary to entice their former customers back, keep their current [ones] and lure new business.”

But with a strong re-surgence of denim looks on the men’s runways for spring —many styled head-to-toe in the indigo fabric — from houses such as Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo and Junya Watanabe to Prada and Saint Laurent, there is potential for what Duval says is a “trickle-down” effect.

“It always takes a couple of seasons for this to get to the masses, but it’s defi-nitely an area of potential. There will be some traction again for the denim indus-try, but will it ever get back to the sales it once had? I’m not sure,” she said.

Babzani said runway denim trends have only a small effect on the overarching industry.

“The runway shows are so far removed from these denim brands,” he said. “If you’re talking about the Canadian Tuxedo look, it’s been done before by all major fashion hous-es, from Versace, Chanel, Gucci — everyone. It’s just happening again, and I don’t think it’s going to have a large effect at all.”

Babzani agreed that a new, well-thought-out approach was necessary for the survival of brands, though he said he has found those plans to be underwhelming.

“If you’re not cool any more, you’ll never be again,” he said. “Brands need to find new ways to bring back customers and excite them again, or they don’t have a chance.”

{Continued from page MW1}

MEN ARE NOW MORE CHOOSY IN WHAT THEY ARE INCLUDING INTO THEIR CLOSETS AND NOW WANT TO FIND COMFORTABLE ITEMS.” — REBECCA DUVAL,

BLUEFIN RESEARCH

WE USE AND ABUSE THE TERM ‘ATH-LEISURE.’ WHY ARE ATHLETIC BRANDS LIKE UNDER ARMOUR DOING SO WELL? WHAT CAN A DENIM COMPANY LEARN FROM THAT?” — TIM CONLIN, LEE JEANS

“

“

Lucky Brand Jeans will capitalize on its slim, straight and relaxed fits.

3x1 is focusing on denim

fabrics and fit.

Drew Brees in an ad for Wrangler, which will introduce its Advanced Comfort line.

©2014

Buf

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THE FLEECE JEAN

INTRODUCING

FOR SALES INFORMATION,CALL (212) 302-6767

BuffaloJeans.com

/BuffaloJeans

@BuffaloJeans

ERIC DECKER in

Men’s WeekMW8 WWD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014

by ARNOLD J. KARR

ROBERT SHEARER, a 28-year veteran of VF Corp. and its chief financial officer since 1998, will retire in March.

Scott Roe, currently vice president, con-troller and chief ac-counting officer, will succeed Shearer in the cfo role.

Shearer, 62 , joined VF in 1986 as assistant controller and was promoted to vice president and controller in 1994. He became cfo in 1998 and was pro-moted to senior vice president in 2005.

“Bob’s commit-ment to VF, our peo-ple, our shareholders and the consumers of our 30-plus brands is unsurpassed,” said Eric Wiseman, chair-man, president and chief executive offi-cer of VF. “His focus is always on creating shareholder value through growth and an effective business model. Bob has the uncommon ability to be both strategic and execution-minded. Over the years, he has been an outstanding part-ner to me and the rest of the VF manage-ment team around the world.”

Shearer, an outdoor enthusiast, was involved in VF’s many acquisitions dur-ing his tenure as cfo and a driving force in the development of its Outdoor and Action Sports coalition, which includes three of its five billion-dollar brands, Timberland,

The North Face and Vans, acquired in 2011, 2004 and 2000, respectively. During his years in the cfo role, VF’s revenues have more than doubled, to $11.4 billion last year from $5.48 billion in 1998, and net in-come more than tri-pled, to $1.21 billion from $388.3 million, a reflection of VF’s shift towards high-er-margin lifestyle brands from more commodity-oriented businesses during that span.

Roe, 49, joined VF in 1996 as an audit manager and

was promoted to vice president of finance in 2012 after serving as vice president and cfo of VF International, which is based in Switzerland. He began his career as a se-nior auditor at Ernst & Young and worked with clients in the apparel, manufacturing and service industries.

Shearer to Step Down In March as VF CFO

AMERICAN MEN appear to be acces-sorizing from the bottom up.

New figures from The NPD Group show robust growth in the men’s socks business, with sales for the 12 months ended in August up 7.7 percent, to $2.85 billion, and accounting for more than half the total market, which rose 1.7 per-cent, to $5.64 billion, during that stretch.

Women’s socks sales rose a far-more modest 0.8 percent, to $1.82 billion. Girls’, boys’ and infants’ socks account for the remainder of volume.

The 1.7 percent growth rate eclipsed the one for women’s, men’s and chil-dren’s apparel, up 1 percent, to $206.7 billion, but fell short of the 8 percent increase registered by socks in 2013 and the 5 percent growth recorded in 2012.

Nearly three-quarters of men — 73 percent — wear socks almost every day, a figure that drops to 41 percent for women, who have a far wider range of legwear op-tions, such as leggings, tights and pantyhose that aren’t included in the NPD numbers.

NPD likened the role of socks in men’s wardrobes to that of neckwear, increasingly providing a colorful accent to complement more basic items such as suits and casual or dress shoes.

“Transforming a traditional item into a trendy fashion piece is the movement that has penetrated men’s wear overall, from clothing to footwear and every-thing in between, including socks,” said Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry analyst. “Men are driving the growth in

this category because, over the past few years, socks have become yet another outlet for expressing the extra splash of pattern and color they seek.

“It only seems appropriate for them to pair their colorful oxfords and outfits with matching socks,” he added.

Perhaps because of the other options available to them, women tend to make their sock purchases based on value, spending less per pair than their male counterparts, while men see them as a chance to make a fashion statement, even if a subtle one not visible to all.

Men have embraced higher price points as they pursue broader options for their feet, which hasn’t occurred on the women’s side of the aisle despite the general willingness of women to spend more than in the past on a wide range of accessories, such as handbags.

“Retailers and manufacturers should find ways to reinvigorate this category for women by setting a new fashion statement, one that treats socks as an accessory, something special, and not a basic commodity,” Cohen said. “If women will wear shorts with tights in colder weather and boots during warm-er seasons, they will find more room for socks in their wardrobes.”

Growth in athletic socks led the small increase in women’s socks sales, while the larger gains for the men’s category were more evenly divided between ca-sual, athletic and even dress socks.

— A.J.K.

Robert Shearer

Men Pace Growth In Sales of Socks

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