Recognition: A Recession Buster
In response to the tough economy, the co-owners of Los Angeles boutique Premier Men pushed back by trying something new.
Premier’s Johnny Alper and Gila Leibovitch debuted a shirting line called Recognition at the MAGIC Markplace’s Premium trade show in Las Vegas in August.
They are wholesaling the line and also selling the shirts at Premier and their four other boutiques.
Alper and Leibovitch had no formal training in fashion design or a track record in manufacturing. But their more than 15 years in retailing gave them a good idea of what their customers wanted to put on their backs. This is intelligence that some companies want to tap into, according to Leibovitch. Manufacturers had pitched them about developing fashion lines in the past. But the retail owners were so busy with running their five boutiques—which include nameplates such as Premier, Vault and Melrose Place—that they did not have time to do much more than tell manufacturers what styles they were seeking and hope for the best.
“Either we would make them rich or they wouldn’t listen to us and we would have to look for a new vendor,” Leibovitch said.
But when the economy began slowing down in 2009, retailers began to look for ways to supplement their incomes. Manufacturing almost seemed like the safest bet. “If it worked, it worked,” Leibovitch said. “If not, we could have liquidated it in our stores.”
Fortunately, Premier sold well during a July test run at Premier. The first collection began shipping on Sept. 15 with 30 styles of woven men’s shirts. The shirts feature standard collars, some piping on the back and a clean style. The new looks may be a change of trend for the boutique. Premier was once well-known for selling highly embellished shirts from labels such as Howe, 7 Diamonds and Artine. But for Recognition, the only real embellishments are the novelty fabrics inside the shirt’s collars and wrist cuffs. “It is clean,” Leibovitch said. “But when the cuffs turn up, it looks a little edgy.”
Recognition also aims to make fashion for people who are underserved. The line’s sizing goes from small to 5X; the latter size typically fits tall guys who weigh over 300 pounds. She said many big, burly men cannot find tailored fits at the big-and-tall clothing shops. “We kept telling vendors, ’Why don’t you make shirts bigger?’ No one makes shirts for that bigger guy,” Leibovitch said. More Recognition styles will be on the way. Jackets and jeans will debut for the line for the Fall 2011 season.
Wholesale price points for Recognition shirts are $52. Alper and Leibovitch will sell the Little Recognition line at Premier Kids. For wholesale questions, contact Showroom M Squared at dmcompany@gmail.com or (323) 775-7919.—Andrew Asch
