MAIDEN LANE’S HIP SUITOR
Traditionally, men’s suiting destinations are all about masculine understatement, with plenty of dark wood, muted colors and nothing that draws the eyes away from the lapels and cuffs during a fitting. The new 6,000-square-foot Suitsupply boutique on Maiden Lane eschews that ideal with pops of pattern, vivid color and unexpected details around every corner.
“We sell a serious product but don’t take ourselves too serious,” says Floor Enneking, Suitsupply’s head of store design. “Very much like our collections, I like our shops to have a youthful and energetic feel that’s colorful and instantly recognizable.”
The new boutique opened July 7 after almost six months of construction. The brand, which is known for reinventing classic suiting with dynamic hues, sharp cuts and twists in pattern and fabric, already had a strong online following in San Francisco, according to Suitsupply vice president Nish De Gruiter and CEO Fokke de Jong, who were in town for the opening party. A boutique in the bustling retail district was an obvious fit.
“San Francisco is a great hub (for menswear) with serious business,” De Gruiter says.
“We have a more contemporary take on tailoring,” says de Jong. “If you look at the personality of the brand, it’s more about playing around with suiting. We take ourselves less seriously than the classic Italian and British brands around here. We’re nonsystematic — I think that resonates pretty well with the personality of San Francisco.”
Suitsupply was founded in 2000 by de Jong in his native Holland when he was a 27-year-old legal student. In the company’s almost two decades in business, it has gained a loyal following among Millennials not only for its vivid palettes and new takes on classic silhouettes, but also for its relatively economical prices for tailored suits, which start around $400. De Jong says part of the company’s secret in keeping the cost low is its vertical integration strategy — Suitsupply owns its supply chain. Suits are made from Italian fabric from mills, including Vitale Barberis Canonico and then constructed in China. Among the brand’s celebrity fans are “Project Runway” mentor Tim Gunn, who named the company’s suits one of the 12 things he can’t live without in an interview with Elle Decor magazine.
The brand is also known for slightly off-the-beaten track locations, and the Maiden Lane boutique, on the second floor
above the Jimmy Choo and Chanel boutiques, is, in Enneking’s words, “discreet and cozy, yet still conveniently close to a major station. It offers a much needed
breather from all the tourist commotion.” Coming later this year: a cafe and terrace, which will be the first for a U.S. Suitsupply store. It’s part of a strategy to make the boutique a social destination as well as a retail one.
“We cater to a lot of people who need this (suiting) to function within the system but they don’t want to completely surrender to it,” de Jong says. “That’s why they’re attracted to our brand, which has a little more edge to it. We’re not completely within the usual suspects. We always choose to have spaces that are a little more interesting; it’s about being bold, not intimidating.”
“Very much like our collections, I like our shops to have a youthful and energetic feel that’s colorful and instantly recognizable.” Floor Enneking, Suitsupply head of store design