A NEW BEGINNING IN MENSWEAR
The/End Clothing
The Los Angeles–based The/End offers a fresh perspective to classic menswear silhouettes with attention to detail, fabrics, texture and form.
“We are not trying to break the mold and begin a new look for menswear,” said Michael Comrie, co-founder of the line. “Guys have been wearing variations on the same fit and silhouettes for hundreds of years, and we are all about infusing our aesthetic in iconic menswear forms. While our guy is definitely wearing pieces on the slimmer side, for the most part we’re not trying to do anything crazy with cuts. We differentiate our offering through the use of color, wash treatments and subtle detailing on the garments. The goal is to create beautiful pieces that are an easy wear across the board and that when styled together form a very directional look.”
Comrie founded the company last year with his brother, Cody Comrie, and Mathew Mickel. Michael Comrie, whose background is in action sports and wholesale sales, handles sales, marketing, public relations and business outreach for The/End; his brother serves as art director; and Mickel is the company’s design director.
The collection offers slim-fit denim, rolled-up chino pants, fleece, tees, wovens, light to heavy outerwear, leathers andeven some jewelry.For their Fall 2013 collection, they collaborated with California retailer American Rag to produce a limited selection of leather pieces—including a black nubuck-leather motorcycle vest and jacket, which were sold exclusively in American Rag stores. They currently have a collaboration in the works with Long Beach, Calif.–based boot makers Broken Homme. The limited-edition 8-eyelet boot features black leather, a creeper-style Vibram sole and a chunky gunmetal zip that goes to the inner ankle. The collaboration also includes a quilted bomber jacket with a scalloped hem and two-way zip to better accommodate motorcycle riding. The collaboration will be available on both companies’ websites, as well as in select retailers in September.
The Autumn/Winter 2014 collection, which includes roughly 80 styles and accessories, pays special homage to the punk counterculture while maintaining a structured look. “Punk music, as well as its art and zines, have long been influencers of current fashion because they represent the bleeding edge in current thought and an overstep of the bounds of what is traditionally acceptable,” Michael Comrie said.
There is a dark and minimalistic quality in each piece with tailored peacoat-styled jackets in long and short lengths, double-layered trench coats with two-way zippers, a silk bomber jacket, and fitted denim jackets in white and black, as well as leather moto-inspired vests and spiked motorcycle jackets. In addition, there are graphic tees featuring punk references, gray and black pullover sweaters, and printed and solid short- and long-sleeved button-ups.
The fabrics are sourced globally with the denim and oxford fabrics coming from Japan and the wool and broken twill from Italy. They use an American-made heavy French terry in some of their products and other fabrics from Turkey and India.
The standard tee is wholesale priced at $23, chino pants are $80, a blazer is $145, the suede moto vest is $450, and the classic moto jacket is $500. The/End is currently sold at Barneys Japan, American Rag and Revolve Clothing.
It was important for The/End founders to manufacture every piece in the line domestically. “We are able to [have contact] with our sample sewers under one roof and all of our production partners within a few miles of our space,” Michael Comrie said. “We also just wanted to have an American company—something that was so important to the generations before us—that also embodied our aesthetic and sense of style.”
In May, the company will launch an e-commerce site, which will sell specialty items and extremely limited runs along with the main-line inventory.
For more information, contact michael@theendusa.com or visitwww.theendusa.com.
