It is a steamy day in Manhattan but buyers from Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and other big-name department stores have been lured out of their air-conditioned lairs to the midtown offices of an Indian company called S. Kumars Nationwide Limited. The attraction? The latest collections of men’s suits from such venerable American names as Hickey Freeman, President Barack Obama’s favourite tailor.
As they enter past giant promotional posters shot by Annie Leibovitz, they are considering what high-end men’s wear will look like in spring 2011. One conclusion: a lot more global than it has until recently.
Just weeks after Mr Obama was inaugurated wearing a Hickey Freeman suit, HMX, the Chicago-based owner of that brand as well as Hart Schaffner Marx among others, filed for bankruptcy protection. After an auction in August last year, Mumbai-based SKNL became the latest Asian group to buy a collection of premier western fashion brands.