Top Fall Picks From the New York Trade Shows
Post-pandemic, the trade show industry has experienced its share of ups and downs as retailers reevaluate how and where they shop. But a few stalwarts continued to exhibit in New York City during men’s market including Man, which calls Spring Studios home; New York’s Best Menswear Show that sets up at the Park Central hotel, and a revamped Project show that hosted a “community gathering” of some international brands at an intimate space in Greenwich Village. Here are some of the top items from the shows.
Project
Beams
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One of Japanese menswear brand Beams’ in-house labels, Beams Plus, showcased its latest collection of vintage-inspired modern pieces that included an eclectic mix of prints, colors and layered styles.
The brand’s fall 2024 collection continues Beams Plus’ inspiration of 1940s to 1960s American culture by focusing on workwear and sportswear with pieces like outerwear, denim and matching sets.
A standout piece was the collection’s denim set, particularly the trousers that were created with a soft denim fabric and dyed to give off a vintage feel.
BrotherWolf
Barber shops around the world are well-known as cultural melting pots infused with the flavor of the city and the busy streets they occupy. The BrotherWolf brand originated in Melbourne, Australia, and was founded by Irishman Padraig Whelehan in 2014. It started as a barber shop concept and was created as a haven for the community and like-minded individuals seeking an innovative barber experience, ultimately counting four locations across Melbourne.
The brand’s fashion range is rooted in a decade-old legacy originating from the BrotherWolf Barber Shop, and thrives on the spirit of a local hub-turned-social club, with a collection that seamlessly blends tailored streetwear, lifestyle looks and sportswear with a touch of new vintage.
“Because it’s an Australian brand you have to fight with that North versus South Hemisphere seasonal challenges, so we wanted to share the personality of the brand and be quite transitional,” said John Kiszely, managing director of Good People Agency, who handles the wholesale for the brand.
Among the standouts from the collection was the Huff Cardigan in rust, a heavyweight artisanal knitwear piece, as well as the brand’s interpretation of a retro tracksuit, done in a vibrant emerald green.
Apart from the apparel assortment, BrotherWolf diversified and launched its own hair care brand, No.113, curated using Australian botanicals, essential oils and premium raw ingredients.
Café Mountain
Café Mountain is a British outdoors brand that addresses two markets simultaneously — the urban and the outdoor — with the aim of bringing people closer to nature by creating well-balanced leisure goods that can be worn both in the wild and in the city.
Launched in 2021, the brand with each seasonal collection draws inspiration from past cultural movements and classic styles such as heritage outdoor, military and workwear, paying homage to bygone eras while keeping a contemporary focus.
Many of the products are made entirely in the U.K. and include organic cotton T-shirts, heavy-duty canvas bags, waxed cotton ripstop trousers, Scottish lambswool hats and leather lanyards.
This season marks the brand’s debut in the U.S., with pieces utilizing Japanese twills, Japanese shirt fabrics, heavy canvas, hidden pocket details and reversible pieces in contemporary patterns to deliver its mission of creating well-balanced leisure goods.
The collection’s highlights include an oversized hunting style vest in cream with oversized pockets, and a wool store jacket in an eye-grabbing field green, which resembles an overshirt, a style that has been trending within the men’s space.
Man
École de Pensée
Ten-year-old fashion label École de Pensée has made a name for itself in Canada for its cool take on traditional men’s tailoring and suiting. The brand is continuing its 2023 momentum — it was named menswear designer of the year at the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards — with its fall 2024 collection, which cofounder Marc Garand explained takes inspiration from multiple sources.
“This season we infused two inspirations into the collection — jazz music and the more western farmer kind of style,” he said. “It’s really a delicate inspiration, so it’s not in all of the pieces, but we have a similar direction within the collection.”
One of the collection’s key styles is the brand’s latest iteration of its shawl coat, which comes in an army green hue for fall. The jacket offered a balance of structure and ease thanks to its oversize, slouchy feel.
The collection is complemented by pieces like a double-breasted, multifabric suit jacket in a wool cashmere with a houndstooth print, as well as sets made in a velour jacquard fabric.
New York’s Best Menswear Show
Robert Comstock
Robert Comstock is one of the mainstay names in men’s fashion — and nearly 50 years after he created his first leather jackets, he’s still at it.
The Idaho-born designer started designing in the ’70s, offering menswear inspired by the outdoors and his expeditions and adventure travels to the far reaches of the globe.
Today he creates two collections: Robert Comstock, an ultra-luxury line of one-of-a-kind creations as well as the less expensive Comstock & Co. At New York’s Best Menswear Show last week, he brought both collections, but his focus was primarily on Robert Comstock.
The fall line was inspired by Sun Valley, America’s first ski resort where he spent a lot of time when he was young. Each piece within the collection is numbered and signed by the designer and the assortment ranges from overshirts and lambskin leather jackets to suede blousons. But the standout piece was what he called the Berlin, a three-quarter-length baby alpaca jacket in fabrics sourced from Italy’s Biella mills. It is unlined, features horn buttons, and under both the collar and on the pocket trim, there is python skin.
“No one needs a basic jacket,” Comstock said. “So it has to be special and unique.”
The Berlin is available in ash or graphite and retails for $6,500.
Ghurka
Now approaching its 50th anniversary, Ghurka has experienced its share of challenges over the past half century. Founded by Marley Hodgson and named in honor of the handcrafted leather goods created for the Ghurka soldiers of Nepal, who are renowned for their bravery, the brand had built a reputation as a high-end label known for its craftsmanship.
But over the years, the company changed hands several times, moves that impacted its quality and distribution. Now owned by Candlewood Partners, a Cleveland-based investment firm, Ghurka is under the watchful eye of accessories veteran Robert Williams, who has been tasked with getting the brand back on track.
For fall, the brand is offering designs by John Truex of Lambertson Truex fame, and is not only updating its classics to meet the demands of today’s customer, but it has begun branching out into other areas such as bags made from the brand’s hallmark saddle leather with Italian nylon.
“It still has our roots, but it’s our first collection going after a modern demographic,” Williams said.
Top pieces within that grouping include a backpack, a dopp kit and a crossbody bag. Prices include $795 for the Chelsea flap messenger bag, $995 for the Hudson backpack and $1,295 for the Parker duffel.
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