State Of Affairs

Dub Monks From Down Unda

Posted by:TheSelectedFew Source: Three Thousand

I experienced a touch of border-crossing dissonance upon entering Double Monk. On one hand, the interior resembles an English gentleman’s club without the gin blossomed noses. On the other, proprietors Nick and Chris Schaerf are so well turned out it was as if I had concorded into Florence to crash the Pitti Uomo. Once I remembered that I am a contemptible, schlubby little troll who would be forcibly ejected from either situation - and realised that the Schaerf brothers are knowledgeable, welcoming dudes - I could concentrate on appreciating the shoes.

Oh good lord, the shoes. The story of a surgeon and a lawyer setting up a shop stocked with GJ Cleverley, Edward Green, Crockett & Jones and - most thrillingly - John Lobb foot coverings began when they spotted a Turnbull and Asser black knit tie in an issue of GQ. They didn’t immediately transform into little Gianni ‘Rake of the Riviera’ Agnellis when they first visited the Turnbull and Asser shop on a family trip to London, but Nick and Chris say their fixation on one of the most enduring staples of a well-dressed man’s wardrobe (and one of its premiere producers) grew over the years into an obsession with classicism and absolute quality, as well as a certain Anglophilia.

The monkstraps, oxfords and derbys (and umbrellas by Fox) at Double Monk may be English, but their range of ties and pocket squares are all produced by Italy’s Mariano Rubinacci. The Saphir shoe polish is French, the Corgi socks are Welsh, and the whiskey you might score a splash of while waiting for a buff hails from Scotland, Ireland and Japan.

As international as the relationships the Schaerfs have cultivated in setting up their shop. So you could sit there in front of your laptop. Dead-eyed, clicking through endless pages of the menswear tag on Tumblr with Mr Porter open in another tab and a credit card close at hand. Or you could join this particular schlubby troll on Smith Street and go into debt for one glorious pair of clodhoppers that’ll fit right and actually last. Lasts sold separately.

Gus Floris says, Quit Your Bitching

Posted by: TheSelectedFew Source:Apparel Insider

Business not going as well as you’d like? It’s time to end the complaining and take responsibility for the state of your brand. And that includes failures.

Blame-shifting is all too common across the industry, whether it’s a retailer having a bad holiday selling season or a brand sitting idly at a trade show while other brands are doing business. The negative chatter is everywhere at the trade shows.

It’s time for accountability. Business is being done, and it’s up to individual brands to ensure they’re getting it. Numerous factors can make or break a business, but they’re often things that can be fixed. It could be the wrong product mix in a store. It could be “just showing up” at a trade show and not working to generate excitement or schedule appointments.

A trade show’s main job is to put retailers and brands together — to create an engaging environment with a good mix of brands that will ensure retailers show.  A brand’s responsibility is to create an exciting line, make certain retailers know they’re exhibiting and to get the appointments on the books.

It’s tempting — and too easy — to live off the hard work of other brands that put resources and effort into capitalizing on the shows. You won’t be successful that way, at least not for long. If you go into a show thinking you have a cool brand and retailers have to see you, then you will fail. But please don’t blame the show organizers or the retailers or anyone else.

True, a retailer’s job is to be a merchant; retailers should walk by every booth because that’s the only way they’ll find new brands. But that’s not the way it works anymore. In most cases, retailers shoot through with tunnel vision, going from one appointment to another and trying to find time to attend all the shows happening simultaneously. Some retailers make a point to branch out. But most are pressed for time, calendars are packed, and brands that become complacent will be overlooked.

In today’s fashion economy, it’s all about preparation and hard work. If you’re a retailer, then that means learning more about your consumer and differentiating your store with product mix and customer service. If you’re a wholesaler, it means preparation, preparation, preparation.

Outside of product, your job is to communicate with every level of management at retail, to market your brand message and to get paper. It doesn’t start and end with the shows. You need to hit the road and visit stores, speak to the sales staff and educate them on the value of your brand so they can, in turn, educate their customers.

This will be a great year for our business, but the days of orders just be faxed through are over. The business is there. Are you are going to work hard to go get it?

— Gus Floris, Founder/Editor in Chief