MICHAEL STARS MEN'S
LA Maker of Lux Tees Expands to Menswear
Nearly 30 years ago, Michael Stars started making high-quality cotton T-shirts for women who wanted a contemporary product that was fashionable yet comfortable.
Now, the Los Angeles contemporary company is branching out into menswear by launching a limited 34-piece collection for Fall in September and then a more extensive collection for Spring 2015.
The new menswear collection will include high-end cotton T-shirts and woven shirts made in Los Angeles as well as sweaters and twill pieces.
“The idea for a menswear collection came from the fact that we have done womenswear for 27 to 28 years, and men’s was the next step to expand the collection and our retail growth plan,” said Jared Ellis, the company’s senior director of retail and e-commerce.
Like the womenswear collection, the menswear will have a minimalist design. But there will be a modern, technical edge to the clothes.
For Fall, the T-shirts will be made of 100 percent cotton, including some slub fabric, in an array of colors such as bright orange, cornflower blue and army green. For Spring/Summer 2015, the T-shirt color story will expand to 28 shades. “That way, the core knit groups can be purchased in an array of colors,” Ellis said. “As a company, we are known for our color blends.”
Men’s tops will also be made of a hacci knit fabric—a polyester/cotton/rayon blend—as well as an overdye waffle fabric. The waffle fabric is similar to a thermal top made of cotton and polyester. The polyester on one side dyes slightly darker than the cotton side, which adds a different element when the sleeves are rolled up.
“We consider our menswear customer to be every man of age, but we are going for a core audience of someone who is 25 to 40 years old,” Ellis said.
Wholesale prices for T-shirts will range from $26 to around $35, and the cashmere sweaters will wholesale for $75 to $79.
Most of the Fall collection will be sold at Michael Stars’ own 12 stores and online at www.michaelstars.com. The Spring collection will be available to specialty stores.
The Fall collection as well as the more extensive Spring collection will be shown at Project in Las Vegas Aug. 18–20.
