Madewell is ‘Actively Investing’ in Menswear
Retail Dive | June 9, 2022
Madewell is ready to invest further in men. The apparel retailer launched its fourth stand-alone menswear location on Thursday in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. But, the company has been quietly opening locations for a few years.
What started as a men’s pop-up in Brooklyn eventually expanded into a larger apparel concept. The company has been carrying men’s products since 2018, with dedicated men’s sections in select locations. The strategy has grown to stand-alone stores, with one other location in Los Angeles, one in Brooklyn, New York, and one in Austin, Texas.
Madewell as a company has been experimenting with different product opportunities and store concepts over the past few years. Last July it partnered with ThredUp to create the online resale platform “Madewell Forever.” The companies teamed up again in the fall of 2021 on a temporary store project dubbed A Circular Store in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn that featured secondhand clothing.
But, delving into men’s apparel, specifically men’s jeans, was in response to the company’s frequent requests from shoppers, according to Beth Herget, Madewell’s vice president of merchandising. “After an encouraging response to our initial launch focused on denim, we expanded by building out the pieces he would wear with jeans to deliver a full wardrobe concept,” she said in emailed comments. “We see a lot of potential for our men’s collection and are actively investing in its growth.”
As it turns out, it may be a great time for retailers to examine their selection of men’s clothing — because those customers are in the midst of rethinking what they are wearing.
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