Grover: Considered Basics
James Hammonds, the menswear buyer for American Rag, the Los Angeles–based specialty retailer with locations in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, Calif., sees a lot of brands. The store—which stocks labels from WeSC to Junya Watanabe, Comme des Garccedil;ons, Rick Owens, Vivienne Westwood and Creative Growth for Everybody—is considered one of the most influential retailers in the state.
Still, Hammonds couldn’t find a good basic T-shirt. “I was having a hard time finding a simple and well-priced boutique ’basics plus’ jersey line for men that wasn’t too edgy, too design-y, too expensive or too boring,” he said.
A passing comment to Matt Jung, owner of the Wellen line of surf-tinged menswear, lead to Grover, a new line of simple T-shirts that draw upon Jung’s domestic production resources and Hammond’s aesthetic. “Grover isn’t reinventing the wheel,” Hammonds said. “It is just well-curated with a smart color palette, easy to wear, well-priced, soft hand and made in Los Angeles.” Wholesaling for $17 to $30, the debut collection features five silhouettes, including short-sleeve T-shirts, football T-shirts, slim hoodies and long-sleeve T-shirts in muted white, gray, blue and black tones cut from 100 percent cotton. A graphics program features off-beat graphics on white T-shirts.
The pair, which takes their inspiration for Grover from a fictional guy who is too cool to buy mass brands but too smart to drop $160 on a basic T-shirt, want to make sellable, quality basics that will make retailers money. “Grover would like to be the low-end brand in higher-end stores—grab-and-go pieces that can merchandise between collections,” Hammonds said. “It is intended to be a seasonless product that stores shouldn’t really have to mark down. New colors and silhouettes will be added each season but no radical changes.” Domestic production makes for quick turnaround on orders, Jung added, allowing retailers to capitalize on winners.
Retailers such as American Rag, Revolve and Local 35 have signed on to carry the brand. For more information, e-mail grovercalifornia@gmail.com.—Erin Barajas
