Modern man: New Saks GM a proponent of relaxed luxury
The suit and tie used to be a staple in Matt Brown’s office attire, but corporate clothes have taken a back seat to a relaxed look over the years.
As vice president and general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue Galleria, Brown says his style has “casualized” in the decade he’s been in the luxury retail business. And so have fashion trends.
Brown loves a good designer sneaker and relaxed blazer but will slip on a tie when needed. His job is to know what’s in fashion, what’s not and, most of all, how to keep customers happy.
“I love when a customer walks out of the store feeling and looking good,” says the 38-year-old who took over leadership at the Houston store when Bobby Dees retired in June. Brown moved to Houston five years ago after working in Chicago and Philadelphia, where he was the store’s assistant general manager.
“I love this city. There are more than 1,000 black-tie events here. I love that Houston women love fashion and color,” he said.
Raised in New York and Cleveland, Brown had planned for a career as a professional horse trainer. He started taking riding lessons at age 8, after his father took him on a trail ride. Brown competed on a national level in hunting and jumping categories and even owned three horses.
“I was that kid who got up at 4 a.m. before school to take lessons. It taught me about discipline, which has been so valuable to my career now,” he said.
He also worked for Sheila Johnson, who cofounded BET, coaching her daughter in horseback riding. Though he loved the sport, reality set it when when his father told him he needed to start paying his cellphone bill. After all, loving the sport and making a living at it were disparate worlds.
He graduated from
Fordham University in
New York with a bachelor’s degree in communications.
Brown took a job at the Reebok Sports Club in New York, where he moved from clerk to spa manager in eight years. That’s when he caught the retail bug.
He was hired at Sak Fifth Avenue’s New York flagship store on Fifth Avenue, a career change he calls a “true leap of faith.”
Working in luxury has helped define his style — from the Ralph Lauren polos (he owned about 50) that he loved as a young man to a more refined, contemporary look.
“When I first started out, I looked like a banker in a suit. Now, guys can explore more with fashion. I like that,” he said.