California Apparel News

Los Angeles–headquartered contemporary men’s brand Mercy & Loyal started business in 2018 supplying casual yet sophisticated looks for men, but founder Patrick McCook found that the high-end casual looks were too formal for most men. So, the line’s high-end casual looks such as cashmere polo shirts are being phased out and sweatshirts and flannel shirts will take a more prominent role in the line, McCook said.

“Our market has gotten so casual,” he said. “We have architects working at a WeWork or a café. He just wants to be comfortable. Comfort is where everything is going now.”

Mercy & Loyal’s deeper dive into casual comes as the direct-to-consumer line develops a larger wholesale business. In August, McCook leased a permanent space to exhibit the line in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District. The exhibition space is based in the Kaskade Showroom in the Lady Liberty Building.

Mercy & Loyal is the second fashion line for McCook, who is a serial entrepreneur. He launched a now-defunct Labor Denim line just as the Great Recession was taking off.

He also worked in real estate but came back to fashion in 2016, when he started putting together plans for Mercy & Loyal. The name of the brand was inspired by qualities that entrepreneurs need to make their brands successful, he said. They need to have compassion for themselves. They also need to be loyal to their business goals and stay resilient in the face of obstacles.

McCook self-financed Mercy & Loyal, and he hires designers to craft styles for the clothes. The line is mostly produced in Los Angeles, but some of the label’s knits are manufactured in China. The line is rooted in his vision and what his customers told him about what men’s casual clothes should look like. Colors should come in neutrals and earth tones. Silhouettes should give men a long and lean look.

Mercy & Loyal’s 46-piece line includes baggy crewneck sweatshirts with raw edges around the seams. There’s also a sweatshirt with a mineral-wash treatment. Other looks feature flannel shirts made from Japanese fabrics, jeans made from Japanese denim and cargo shorts that fall down to the knee.

The brand’s fitted tees include V-neck and crew-neck shirts in white and, in a concession to fashion, Pantone colors such as Rifle Green. Other Mercy & Loyal pieces give alternatives to the line’s aesthetic. Spring/Summer 2020 looks include a collared shirt with a print featuring flowers and snakes. A lightweight crew-neck shirt features horizontal stripes.

The brand’s wholesale price points range from $25 to $85. Most of Mercy & Loyal’s business takes place on its direct-to-consumer channel mercy-loyal.com. It also is sold in a handful of boutiques such as the branded store for motocross brand Troy Lee Designs in Corona, Calif., The Art of Style boutique in Raleigh, N.C., and Sum by Sum Style in Seattle.

Sum by Sum Style was opened in August by Susan Kim. She met McCook at Kaskade Showroom in July and liked Mercy & Loyal because she thought it fit Seattle’s style, said Gina Lee, Sum by Sum Style’s assistant manager. “It’s minimalistic, but at the same time it’s stylish,” Lee said. Sum by Sum Style also offers styling services and customizations. Its merchandise mix includes Kim’s brand Sum and other brands such as EPTM.

McCook said that he would eventually like to open a physical boutique for Mercy & Loyal.

Photos courtesy Mercy & Loyal.