Strength of Tailored Clothing Lifts Spirits of Stores at Chicago Collective

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Independent merchants searched for sportswear to complement their suit and sport coat assortments at the menswear show.

CHICAGO — Tailored clothing continues to be the cash cow for independent menswear retailers as men embrace a dressier wardrobe in the post-pandemic world.

The category also helps bolster the bottom line of specialty merchants, who can count on higher-priced suit and sport-coat sales to increase their overall volume.

But it’s not just suits and sport coats that are generating interest: stores are also experiencing a surge in formalwear sales as weddings and other special occasions continue to drive business.

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That was the consensus of retailers attending the Chicago Collective show at the Merchandise Mart here last week.

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Although most stores had already completed their tailored clothing buys, they roamed the aisles looking for new and noteworthy sportswear to complement their assortments for next spring.

Thanks to strong spring sales this year, they were in fine spirits and expected the momentum to carry through to the all-important fall and holiday seasons.

“Our business is up 15 percent year-to-date,” said Lindsay Morton-Gaiser of Andrisen Morton in Denver. “Our margins are healthy and heading into fall, we’re very optimistic that things won’t slow down at all.”

Morton-Gaiser said the store has seen strength in suits. “Our tailored clothing business is coming back and we’re seeing a shift to more-fancy suits, rather than just black and navy.” In addition, sport coats and dress shirts are performing well.

“And all our big collections were strong for spring,” she continued, pointing to Isaia, Zegna and Marco Pescarolo. “Our mix is almost 100 percent Italian and when we take a stand and buy big brands in a big way, it really helps us.”

At the show, she was shopping LEN belts in exotic skins, Tagliatore tailored clothing, Orlebar Brown and a “fun, updated” sneaker line called No Map Society.

Ken Giddon of Rothmans in New York also reported strong sales so far this year, particularly in tailored clothing.

“A lot of men are changing sizes,” he said. “We’re running out of small sizes. And there’s a lot of wardrobe updating. If you’re wearing clothing from five or 10 years ago, you’re looking awfully old. Men are being forced and coerced into updating their wardrobes.”

In addition, Giddon said, “the wedding business is such a driver” to the company’s tailored options.

He said specialty stores are “set up to really succeed” in the dressier categories. “It’s hard for mass, online and even department stores to service the customer. If we can make them look better than they did when they walked in, there’s an opportunity.”

At the show, Giddon and his team checked out outerwear from Manto, Parajumpers and Corneliani, shoes from Magnanni and sportswear from Faherty and Mason Cruz.

Looking ahead to fall, Giddon said he expects business to continue to be strong, bolstered by the company’s centennial celebration and the “good mood” of most customers.

“Our spring business was great — up 10 percent,” said Hill Stockton of Norman Stockton in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Since my son Richard joined four years ago, we’ve been up 10 to 15 percent every year. At some point we have to be prepared for that to slow down, but we think the momentum will continue into fall.”

He said sport coats have been among the bestsellers and the neckwear business has improved as well. “It’s not through the roof,” Richard Stockton said of the tie category, “but it’s good.”

Also good is the casual pant business — chinos and performance product in particular — as guys look for alternatives to their closet full of five-pocket pants.

At the show, they were shopping “everything but clothing,” Hill Stockton said, to augment their pant and shirt assortment.

Dan Farrington, general merchandise manager of men’s for Mitchells Stores, said he was “grateful” that business at the company’s nine stores continues to be strong. “And we don’t see anything in the present to make us worry it’ll be over soon,” he said.

“We’re doing well with tailored clothing, which is bigger than ever for us. It took longer to recover after COVID, but it’s back and then some.” In that category, Mitchells is having success with luxury-priced brands, made-to-measure and formalwear.

At the show, Farrington was searching for “creative” new brands in the contemporary and classification categories. “It’s a great place to plant seeds for the future,” he said of the show. “There’s a lot of value and creativity in the middle of the market and that’s where we’re trying to find new brands — just below luxury.”

Dan Orwig, president of Peerless Clothing, the country’s leading tailored clothing manufacturer, also reported business was good, despite some macroeconomic challenges such as tariffs, container costs and the rising price of synthetic fabrics as a result of the war in the Middle East and its impact on oil prices.

“It’s not easy, but Peerless continues to deliver fashion product with a strong price-value equation,” he said, adding that this edition of the Collective was “the busiest in the history of Peerless.”

“Guys are dressing up again and retailers are doing a good job leaning into the category, putting more emphasis on the presentation in their stores and the customer experience. It’s a bigger-ticket item for them and when they improve service for the product we can deliver, consumers will pay for it.”

Nelson Suriel, vice president of U.S. sales for Jack Victor , was similarly upbeat.

“Since COVID, the tailored business has exploded,” he said. “A lot of formal events are driving sales of suits and sport coats.” Among the company’s most popular options were its knit and jersey “Comfortwear” collection in soft pinks, corals, maize and other spring shades.

Formalwear has also been popular, he said, so much so that the company now offers a wide range of options — navy, stretch velvets and more — in double-breasteds, notch or peak lapels in super 150s and other fabrics.

Once again, the Italian Trade Agency brought a large contingent of brands to the show. Alessio Nanni, head of the group’s fashion and beauty division, said the ITA was able to bring seven new companies to this edition, including the cashmere brand Avant Toi, the Ingram shirt brand and others.

“Things are evolving and companies are writing orders,” he said.

He pointed out that 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the ITA and the government organization has expanded its reach in the U.S. and is now visible at a number of events around the country, including Miami Swim Week and New York’s Italy on Madison in addition to the Chicago Collective.

Buyer attendance was up 16 percent this edition over last August, and there were 757 brands showcased in 437 booths, 49 of which were new, according to Monique Kielar, vice president of marketing, apparel, for the Chicago Collective.

Here, a few of the highlights from the show.

It’s been 20 years since Marco Baldassari created Eleventy, his Milan-based luxury brand. To commemorate that milestone, he created two capsules for spring: Indigo Blue, an updated denim collection with each piece sporting a commemorative XX label, and Active Moments, a lightweight, technical offering. The remaining collection drew its inspiration from Venice with soft tailoring and more oversize volumes in Mediterranean-tinged blues, terracottas and other sun-washed shades. Suede and leather jackets are intended to be worn year-round, jackets were offered with Mao collars or kimono shapes, knitwear was created from linen, cotton and silk, and shirts were offered in crinkled Japanese fabrics. This marked Eleventy’s return to the Chicago Collective after a long absence and it also served to introduce the opening of the company’s new store on Oak Street in the heart of the city. The space was designed to not only offer the full Eleventy collection, but to serve as a community gathering spot to share the company’s Italian hospitality.

The brand was created by the Bardelle family in 1985 to elevate jeans to luxury status. Nicola Bardelle brought that vision to life about 15 years later, creating a collection from noble and precious fabrics with a tailored fit and details such as hand embroidery, jeweled buttons and pony hair patches. But in 2012, he was killed in an accident on Saint-Tropez, leaving behind his wife Jennifer and two small children. Jennifer Bardelle carried on her husband’s legacy and today, the Milan-based company offers a full lifestyle assortment of men’s and women’s wear. But it’s still best known for its couture jeans in a variety of washes and finishes including a denim-effect textile developed with Loro Piana and a linen-cashmere blend with Zegna. Each jean is unique, with its own distinct buttons, rivets and back patches that include hand-painted illustrations of mopeds, golf carts and other images. The name of each model is printed on the inside and comes with its own patterned handkerchief as well as a fragrance the artisans sprayed the jeans with before they left the factory. Although well established in Europe, Jacob Cohen is just making its move into the U.S. and will open its first store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan this fall.

Nick Lucio and Megan Key Campos hit the jackpot with Oncept, their sustainable contemporary brand of retro-inspired sneakers that have become ubiquitous among fashionistas. When the brand launched in 2021, it did so with a tight edit of key styles, only growing the offering as the business dictated. That’s the same approach Oncept is taking with its first foray into apparel. The company turned to Key Campos’ husband, designer Carlos Campos, to create the collection, which sports the same throwback styling as the footwear but with a modern twist. The collection debuted for fall with a range of knitwear and has been expanded for spring. Key items include a cotton twill utility jacket with a drop shoulder that pairs well with cotton pin-striped pants. The brand also offers dress shirts, but as Lucio said, they’re not traditional, featuring relaxed silhouettes that are meant to be worn untucked. Models include one with a contrast, button-down collar. Sweaters are designed with a deep V-neck with interesting back details; there are Henleys and both long- and short-sleeve polos. Prices range from $250 for the Henleys and $300 for the knitwear to $400 for pants.